Observation
U.S. organizations spend billions of dollars each year on employee training. Observation skills play an important role in the success of workplace training and are critical to job performance and learning. Paying attention to instructions, demonstrations, and noticing details are critical components of successful training, quality control, and safety in the workplace.
The WorkKeys Observation test measures the skill people use when they pay attention to and remember work-related instructions, demonstrations, and procedures. There may be distractions or other information competing for the individual's attention.
The scenarios and items in the Observation test are based on the actual demands of the workplace, and selections take the form of video presentations of individuals in various workplace settings. When presented with increasingly complex situations, examinees are asked to pay careful attention to steps to be followed in a process, to safety procedures, and to quality control standards. Factors influencing the complexity of an observation task include how many variables the task involves, how strongly the examinee is directed to pay attention to certain details, and how many distractions (e.g., extraneous details) are present and how strong these distractions are.
NOTE: Since the actual test is video-based, the samples included are intended only to give a sense of the types of scenarios and items used in the test. Printing the samples and having someone read them aloud while you try to visualize the scenarios and clips that precede the questions will more closely simulate the test than would a simple reading of the descriptions.
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Characteristics/Skills
There are four levels of difficulty. Level 3 is the least complex and Level 6 is the most complex. The levels build on each other, each incorporating the skills assessed at the previous levels. For example, Level 5 includes the skills used at Levels 3, 4, and 5. The skill level is determined by the complexity of the procedure(s) being observed and the task(s) that examinees are asked to do based on their observations.
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
3
|
- Straightforward procedure with a few simple components
- Task performed in a routine, predictable, and deliberate manner
- No extra details or distractions
- Obvious hints or reminders prompt what task needs to be done, how and when it should be completed, and whether it is done correctly
|
- Remember a few strongly prompted details
- Pay attention to the basic parts of a straightforward procedure
- Remain aware of instructions and reminders that give strong cues
- Concentrate on the important elements of a procedure
|
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
4
|
- Straightforward procedure involving more than one component
- A few extra details and distractions are present
- Procedure is direct, clearly explained, and easy to follow
- Attention is directed toward important details
|
- Select and pay attention to the components of a straightforward procedure with some details that are hard to notice
- Remember a few important details that are reinforced
- Remain focused on relevant details when there are some extra details or distractions
|
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
5
|
- Work procedures include several tasks that may occur more quickly and at the same time
- Tasks often interact with each other and may change from one situation to another
- Several important details are presented, most of which are not explicitly cued
- Several extra details or distractions may make it difficult to pay attention to the important points
|
- Focus attention on and remember several important details from a complex set of events that may occur at the same time
- Maintain attention to significant details with little prompting
- Remember relevant aspects of the information presented
- Remember several important details about unique material
- Ignore irrelevant background information or distractions and pay attention only to important points
|
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
6
|
- Complicated work procedures
- Tasks contain a number of extra details and often involve unusual elements
- Tasks are performed quickly and have a number of steps, but none are highlighted and only some are discussed directly or explained
- There are strong distractions that must be ignored
|
- Recognize a number of steps that are presented at the same time
- Notice and remember several details that are relevant to the procedure
- Visualize how a step fits into the procedure even if there are not many hints or reminders
- Disregard irrelevant information
- Interpret if-then and cause-and-effect relationships that affect tasks
- Make predictions, comparisons, and evaluations
|
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