When applying for leadership positions, you are more likely to be asked to participate in a series of aptitude and personality tests like the Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership potential test.
Employers must feel confident in their hiring decisions and increasingly turn to the KFALP to help select the right candidate.
If you are billed for Korn Ferry Leadership Potential Assessment – also known as the KFALP, this article will show you how to pass the Korn Ferry Assessment test in fewer words. Carefully read through.
Table of contents
What Is The Korn Ferry Assessment Of Leadership Potential Test?
The Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential (KFALP) is a complete assessment of leadership potential. The assessment gauges an individual’s Drivers, Experience, Awareness, Learning agility, Leadership traits, Capacity, and Derailment risks.
Leadership potential is about what might happen, not what is happening now. The instrument has been thoroughly thought out and experimentally constructed to provide crucial information about people—information that has been shown to distinguish between those who have advanced effectively and those who have not—by concentrating on measurements connected to what could be.
The KFALP is designed to provide data essential for individuals and organizations to consider as they think about leadership potential. It is not intended for the selection of individuals into particular jobs.
Is the Korn Ferry Assessment Hard?
The Korn Ferry assessment is a comprehensive tool to evaluate a candidate’s competencies, personality traits, and potential for success in a particular role or organization. The evaluation may include various tests, such as numerical and verbal reasoning, personality, and situational judgment.
The difficulty of the Korn Ferry assessment will depend on your skills and experience and the specific tests included. Some people may find certain tests more challenging than others, and variations in difficulty levels may vary depending on the role or organization being evaluated.
That being said, preparing adequately for any assessment is essential to ensure you can perform to the best of your ability.
You can practice with sample questions and familiarize yourself with the format and structure of the assessment to increase your chances of success.
Additionally, it may be helpful to review your skills and experience beforehand to identify areas of strength and weakness and develop a strategy for showcasing your strengths during the assessment.
What Does KFALP Assess?
KFALP assesses candidates and employees in three distinct ways:
- It determines which individuals score high in leadership potential.
- This test measures leadership capability irrespective of their current position.
- It utilizes the Seven Signposts of Leadership Potential to build a complete picture of your potential by measuring the four dimensions of leadership talent.
The seven signposts of leadership potential are:
- Drivers: What are your motivations, and what inspires you to become a leader?
- Experience: What relevant experience do you have that can benefit the position you are applying for?
- Awareness: Are you self-aware? Have you mastered your strengths and weaknesses?
- Learning agility: Can you use previous relevant knowledge gained to enhance future experiences?
- Leadership traits: Do you have the character needed to succeed as a leader?
- Capacity: What is your capacity for logic and reasoning?
- Derailment risks: What traits might prevent you from reaching your potential?
The four dimensions of leadership talent according to psychometricsuccess:
- Competencies – Observable skills and behaviours
- Experiences – Roles, tasks, and environments that you have worked in
- Traits – Inclinations, aptitudes, and natural tendencies
- Drivers – The values and interests that motivate you
These form the assessment of an individual’s leadership potential.
READ ALSO: 10 Leadership Communication Skills For Every Leader
What To Expect When Taking The Korn Ferry Leadership Test
The KFALP assessment is computer-based, not mobile/tablet or on paper, and it usually has no time limit. It should take around 40 minutes to complete the central section, although the problem-solving section will take an extra 40 minutes.
The KFALP takes about 35–40 minutes to complete, except Raven’s Progressive Matrices, which takes up to 40 minutes extra. There are several branching items, and several questions require multiple responses. The total number of answers will be approximately 240–280 for most participants.
How To Pass The Korn Ferry Assessment Of Leadership Potential Test
Here are 5 key tips on how to pass the Korn Ferry test:
1. Practice
Practising offers many advantages, including helping you identify your areas of weakness and building your comfort level with the actual tests’ format, organization, and terminology. You can concentrate on answering the questions accurately and fast if you are familiar with the questions’ format and needed responses.
You can try out a free Korn Ferry practice test here.
2. Be prepared
Since Korn Ferry exams are computer-based, give yourself extra time to complete the questions. Go to a place where you won’t be interrupted, and block off as much time as possible.
Ensure you eat healthily and get a whole night’s rest before the test because test anxiety may be a problem. Remember that the Korn Ferry tests, particularly the personality and leadership assessments, don’t provide a “pass or fail” result; they explain how well your skills and beliefs align with the firms.
Related Post: 10 Best Leadership Styles in the Workplace | 2023
3. Connection and hardware
An online assessment requires a good internet connection and the correct equipment, so update your browsers and test your internet speed.
You can use a pen, paper, and a calculator for the numerical tests.
4. Read the instructions
At the beginning of each test, you will be given clear instructions on what will follow. Never skip over these; instead, read through them for understanding.
5. Don’t skim
You must read every piece of information supplied in every Korn Ferry test. Even though the clock may be ticking, try not to move too rapidly since you run the danger of being unable to understand the data and provide the correct answer.
6. Know the different types of leadership
Employers frequently administer Leadership Potential Assessments to candidates about to embark on their first managerial positions. Understanding the various leadership styles is crucial as it greatly influences how you respond.
7. Have clear career goals
Within the career planning sub-dimension, the test seeks to verify what you want to achieve in your career. You must know what you want to achieve and why to score high.
Therefore, before taking the test, ensure you have a clear idea of your career goals.
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8. Be self-aware
Before the test, spend time deciphering your strengths and weaknesses.
The objective of the test is to see whether you are conscious of your constraints and how you intend to go over them. Additionally, consider your prior knowledge. What have you discovered from prior roles, and how can you utilize the knowledge in new contexts
How Is Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential Scored?
KFALP scores are based on the ‘norms’ for target role levels and will be assessed against a percentile. You will be given a position on a sliding scale, enabling employers to see at a glance how you performed.
Each sub-dimension has a ‘green’ score that indicates an average range.
To pass the assessment, you are expected to be within the ‘green’ threshold of the following sub-dimensions:
- Drivers – Any two out of the three sub-dimensions
- Experience – Any two out of the three sub-
- Awareness – Both sub-dimensions
- Learning agility – Any three out of the four sub-dimensions
- Leadership traits – Any four out of the five sub-dimensions
- Capacity – The sole sub-dimension
- Derailment risks – None of them
This helps employers compare applicants against the typical ‘norms’ based on Korn Ferry’s decades of experience.
Following the assessment, employers will be furnished with two distinct types of reports.
The first is a personal report that reveals a candidate’s performance in each category. There will also be a chart that displays your current level of leadership ability, your ideal aim, and your aspirations.
The second report is a unique “talent grid” that enables businesses to contrast their workers directly by offering an “at a glance” group of people and spotting a trend in performance.
These results will be used to develop distinct training plans to help that person progress in their career.
SEE ALSO: Communication Styles in the Workplace: Which one is the Best?
Sample Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential Questions
Let’s examine some of the most typical questions you might encounter. They are all tests of situational judgment. Therefore, you will be given a written scenario and will need to choose the best response. Keep in mind that there isn’t a single correct response. The test assesses how you would best respond, so be honest.
Example 1
You overhear a member of the accounts staff discussing a past-due payment with a client. When the employee says, “There’s no special treatment for anyone,” the client begs to explore choices for a manageable payment schedule. You’ll have to make a compromise today, I’m afraid. Employees are expected to constantly be courteous and try to comprehend the client’s point of view. However, several staff members have informed you that the employee above is having difficulties at home. How would you respond if you were their manager?
How would you handle the situation?
- Have a private conversation with them and ask them if anything matters while reminding them how customers should be handled.
- Refrain from giving direct contact just now but keep an eye on things to see how they respond in the future.
- Ask the employee to join you for a quick tea break to see if they’re ok and offer your support if needed.
- Set up a formal meeting and outline why you are unhappy with their response and what they should do in the future, treating the situation as a verbal warning.
Example 2
You recently received a promotion to warehouse manager, and you can already tell that the manner the inventory is kept is not the most efficient. Some workers concur. Others, however, are adamant that the design shouldn’t change. One of the warehouse workers complains to your line boss before you do.
What would your reaction be in this situation?
- You observe the criticism and consult your line manager, yet choose to ignore it at this stage, as any change is met with resistance.
- You talk to the warehouse operative and say you felt disappointed that they went above you. You dismiss their feelings and continue to champion your idea.
- You meet with the employee, take the time to listen to what they have to say, yet explain that bypassing you as a manager is unacceptable.
- You understand that employee satisfaction is crucial, so you listen to the concerns of the individual and decide to implement only some changes.
Example 3
There are two people in the company whose positions are interrelated. Without the other, neither can do their duties. They are not, however, producing at the same rate. The customer onboarding officer is not promptly processing orders even if the sales consultant generates many additional new business inquiries.
What would you do in this scenario?
- You speak to each of the two employees individually to discover where the miscommunication and pressure points may be so that you can work out where an extra resource may be needed.
- You speak to the customer onboarding officer alone and express how important it is for them to pick up speed.
- You do not speak to either employee. Instead, you leave it to them to resolve yet continue to observe the situation so that it does not escalate.
- You move another employee from a different team to temporarily help onboard new customers without engaging the sales consultant and onboarding officer.
FAQs On Korn Ferry Assessment
KFALP scores are based on the ‘norms’ for target role levels and will be assessed against a percentile. You will be given a position on a sliding scale, enabling employers to see at a glance how you performed.
Korn Ferry uses four dimensions to assess leadership and talent: competencies, experiences, traits, and drivers. It depicts competencies as the skills, abilities, and behaviours an individual will need to achieve measurable success.
Korn Ferry assessment tests will be challenging, but if the questions take too long to answer or if you get them wrong, a more straightforward question will be presented next. If the inquiry is responded to quickly and correctly, the next question will be more challenging.
To do well in the leadership assessment, you must be conscious of your constraints and strengths and know how to improve yourself.
Conclusion
The KFALP evaluation is made to tap into different habits, tendencies, and characteristics to give you a comprehensive picture of your leadership potential. The KFALP offers you the chance to demonstrate your genuine value as a member of the workforce and a potential future leader, whether you take it as a job applicant or an existing employee.
References
- kornferry.com – Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential
- psychometric-success.com – Korn Ferry Assessment of Leadership Potential (KFALP) – in 2023
- tsatestprep.com – Korn Ferry Leadership Assessment
- wikijob.co.uk – Korn Ferry Leadership Potential Assessment (KFALP) – Tips for 2023
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