I hated these personality tests...here's a great example of one from petsmart..."do you think you should be better off than where you are now" !!! WTF kinda question is that? Another good one is all the questions they ask about ratting out fellow employees...

They should be able to give any test they want - it's their business, their livelihoods at stake.

As wordywalt said; only skill specific questions. I do have to note, however, that I've known a speed freak who managed to get a job as a monitor tech at a nuke facility, stayed there for 2 years.

Skills relevant to the position applied for only.

in my profession its customary for a test before getting an interview, but then who wants unsafe semi drivers on the road. most companies do assessments and i would be wary of one that didn't.

I voted yes on cognitive/skills tests.

I once applied for a welding job, along with several other candidates.
We were required to pass a welding test to get the job.

Why shouldn't they be able to do that? Should the employer be forced to hire unskilled workers into skilled positions?

I consider myself a skilled craftsman. I can use my certifications anywhere in the United States to apply for these jobs. Im retired now. The certifications allow me to get past the first door. I still have to take all their tests to show who and what i am. That gets me past the next door. Then i do a hands on test. That gets me an interview if i impress the person giving the test. I have to answer specific intellectual questions and to impress with those answers. There are so many people needing good quality jobs and the employer needs the best qualified person to work on their equipment. Theres no (you'll do) scenario in my line of work. Am i proud about this? Yes i am. Thats why nurses don't do the operations. They know how it works. They didnt receive the credentials the doctor has. I beleive everyone can have a fare chance at getting a job unless they have something against them (crime) or they are missing the education and experience. I know this a tough answer but do you want an unskilled person working on your car or truck?

Although I think they should be able to give any tests, I think that testing for marijuana in most cases is justlame and a reflection of our draconian drug laws. Wheniwasa Nuclear medicine tech and giving radioactive injection of tc-99m, i wasnever drug tested. I have been drug testedmultiple times however in the past fordoing temp work. Proof of class harrasment.

When I was much younger I remember reading that pre-employment test (in Texas anyway) were biased towards white. I honestly don't know if that's still the case, but I personally don't not believe that these tests are pertinent to the job unless the tests are job specific to make sure you're not going to screw up whatever it is you are being hired to do (like chemical engineer, forensic specialist, etc)

these tests won't necessarily make the prospective employee any more effective and those having a bad day, or not good at tests as a whole, will suffer. Any good HR person would want to talk to the person first.

If it's for a job that requires a special set of skills or knowledge then I believe they should. On more than one occasion I have worked with someone who did not know the first thing about what they were doing.

Employers should be allowed to give pre-employment test, but ONLY those with a proven track record in predicting success in the job role. All others should be illegal.