If your company periodically needs to test employees for benchmark skills, product knowledge, or certifications, you know what a tedious process testing can be. Ask any teacher. Preparing the tests is just the first step. Grading can take even longer. Test Grading for Sage HRMS HR Actions, the only testing plugin that works with Sage, was first released in 2015 to streamline the process. It’s always been easy to use. This new release adds additional options.

Unlimited, customized tests

You don’t need specialized computer programming skills to create an unlimited number of tests that provide needed training for your employees. Once you learn the process, you can design customized tests that cover the specific material your employees need to know. Using multiple choice or True/False questions, you determine the content and number of questions needed to assess employee knowledge of the topic. You also select the grading scale: How many questions must be answered correctly in order for the employee to pass? Can they retake the test? When? How many times? You decide.

If requirements change, you can edit existing tests to meet the new standard, adding or deleting questions or adding more information. At any time, you can reset required passing scores and test retaking options.

New question and grading options

This new release extends both question types and scoring options. You are now able to set up tests that include using checkboxes for answers. With this capability, you can write questions that have multiple answers. For example, the employee can check all boxes that apply, or can check one that says “None of the above.” Using this option, you can create questions that more realistically test knowledge and procedures employees use while performing their jobs. See the screenshot below for an example of a question with checkbox choices:

Show the correct answer

Employees receive immediate feedback after taking the tests, and you now have additional choices about the information you provide. You can design the test to display the correct answer if the employee chooses the wrong one. Here are a couple of examples: “Incorrect. The correct answer is B” or “Incorrect. The correct answer is D, None of the above.”

The test can also show the correct answer along with an explanation you enter during setup:

“Incorrect. The correct answer is A. With Phishing, an attacker tries to collect the user’s personal data (like passwords and credit card numbers) by means of fake apps, fake SMS, or fake email messages that seem genuine…”

Show information only

However, if you want to provide the opportunity for employees to retake the test if they initially fail, you can choose the option that displays only that they missed the question: Incorrect.

If you don’t want to display the answer but do want to provide additional information to help the employee learn and be more likely to answer correctly the next time they take the test, you can do that too. Again, you would choose the option not to display the correct answer but enable display of the explanation as shown in the screenshot below:

For a question asking “What is the purpose of keeping desktop anti-virus up to date?” you could provide this information: “Hackers are inventing new techniques on a regular basis. Security software companies are doing their best to keep up with those techniques by issuing updates to virus scanning software, sometimes daily.”

While the feedback does not directly state the correct answer (A, B, C, etc.), it does provide information that will help the employee choose correctly when they take the test again.

Audit trail

If you are required to test employees, you will want to keep records showing when an employee has been tested and whether or not they qualified for a particular position, task, or certification. Test Grading saves test details for each employee. The data is originally saved in HR Actions Admin and then moves into custom fields in Sage HRMS created during setup. Records are easily accessible, so you don’t need to worry about compliance.

One more thing

Not only are these paperless, customized tests easy to create and store, they are also employee initiated. In addition to saving money on printed tests and relieving HR personnel and managers of the time-consuming process of grading, you also eliminate the need for them to administer the tests.

Employees initiate the tests at a work station. They see results immediately and know if and when they need to retake the test.

Testing. It’s never been easier!

Availability 

Test Grading for Sage HRMS HR Actions is a plugin for HR Actions.

Contact support@hractions.com for information about updating to this new version.