What  site(s)   conducts the most reliable online test of a person's
IT skills? More specifically, we want to test some candidates in areas
such as  COBOL, CICS, Java , XML etc .

We have found that the Brainchbench tests are , on  many occassions
too theoretical ,whereas companies like us , want a reliable test of
practical skills . A site or sites that are highly ranked by
employers, and articles to highlight their reputation would be very
useful .

Hello marrett88-ga,

My research showed that “skills testing” is frequently also called
“skills assessment” and is offered by many organizations,
certification vendors, and educational institutions. Many of them
offer their services online. Some offer the capability to design your
own tests. In addition to links to assessment product vendors I’ve
also included some articles that address trends in skills testing. I
think these resources will give you a spectrum of products to choose
from. Best wishes for successful recruitment.

czh

==========================
SKILLS ASSESSMENT PRODUCTS
==========================

http://www.proveit.com/
Kenexa/ProveIt!
Hundreds of skills assessments and tests. See especially TechTest and
Software Skills Packages. Click on Test Available from home page.

http://www.qwiz.com/
Quiz is an international testing company that offers online testing. 
http://www.qwiz.com/default.cfm?action=products&product=it_us
See list of IT testing products.

http://www.teckchek.com/main/about.cfm
TeckChek offers more than 150 computer-based, adaptive exams in a wide
array of advanced technologies to identify the most technically
qualified candidates and verify the technical skills of IT staffing
consultants.
http://www.teckchek.com/main/available_assessments.cfm
List of assessments

http://www.testcheck.com/tests.htm
List of technical skill tests.

http://www.recruit.net/company/infoTechTank1.cfm
TECHTANK™ is an online skill assessment tool which provides employers
with a way to pre screen potential hires for basic proficiency in a
wide number of technical IT skills. We presently provide TECHTANK™
assessments in 12 categories including C++ programming, Java
programming UNIX system administration and many more.

http://www.skillcheck.com/products.pl/
SkillCheck tests are available to run on PCs or networks. The same
tests can also be run on the Internet.
http://www.recruit.net/company/infoTechTank2.cfm
List of assessments

http://skilldrill.brainbuzz.com/
SkillDrill is developed around a proven Training model. 
Each SkillDrill presents three learning levels. These levels are based
on a successful training model created on the premise that learning is
accumulative and dependent on pre-existing knowledge. Therefore,
SkillDrill is designed to identify where a participant is on a
knowledge scale, adding a second tier of measurement to the simple
'pass-fail' concept. A third tier of measurement used by SkillDrill is
time. What we know well, we know now. SkillDrill questions are
designed to hit key areas where they count, areas that constitute
valid discovery. Time is significant to uncovering knowledge
confidence.

http://infocenter.cramsession.com/certifications/list.asp
List of skills competencies and organizations that provide
certifications.

http://www.tekwzl.com/software.htm
IS/IT Technical Skills Assessment
Skills Assessment Tests: COBOL/COBOL II, Visual Basic

=============================================
RECRUITING AND TESTING ARTICLES AND RESOURCES
=============================================

http://www.recruitinglinks.net/directory/XcDirViewInCat.asp?ID=23
Technical Skills Testing
Offers a selection of tests for technical recruiting.

http://www.ltnavigator.com/learning_cmps.htm
Learning Technology Vendors
Includes a list of training vendors, many of whom also offer
assessments.

http://www.sireport.com/directory/category30.html
Staffing Industry Supplier Directory
Skills Testing and Training Products

http://www.eweek.com/print_article/0,3668,a=27353,00.asp
May 27, 2002
IT Workers' Skills Tested
http://www.itworld.com/nl/cert_news/07162001/
Skills Testing -- Not Certification, but the Next Best Thing 

http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/ency/article.cfm/objectID/8671B547-F9BD-4405-964D7DD2F5573019/catID/A353C662-F63B-4FB9-8CCC3B667D1711AE
Pre-Employment Testing of Applicants
Before you hand a test to job applicants, know the legal dos and
don'ts.

===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============
IT skills tests
IT skills assessment
"skills assessment" COBOL, CICS, Java, XML
brainbench competitors

---

Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 03 Jan 2003 14:37 PST

Glad I could help, marrett88-ga. Thanks very much for your generous tip!
czh

Thanks.It was useful

There is a company in India that offers IT Skills Test called
MeritTrac. Since I work for MeritTrac I will not say anything more (it
could be viewed as solicitation) except that you can visit us at
www.merittrac.com

Testing for knowledge of a specific programming language will tell you
how much of the language the person knows but not whether he or she is
a superior programmer. Aptitude tests that can accurately measure the
essential innate abilities needed for successful programming work are
more valuable. They will distinguish between those who 'know English'
as opposed to those who can 'write a good novel'. It is much more
difficult to assess aptitude and there are very few such tests on the
market. For additional information, please contact me.