[Alexandria, VA], September 12, 2024—New research by the Association for Talent Development (ATD)discovered that more than 90 percent of organizations include learning assessments in their training courses.

“Assessments and tests gauge what the respondents know, can do, or believe in relation to the requirement being investigated. They include knowledge assessments through verbal or written responses to multiple-choice, true-or-false, fill-in-the-blank, or essay questions; actual performance of a skill while being observed; and analysis of work results, products, or output against quality criteria,” according to ATD’s Making Learning Assessments Successful: Using Performance and Tests to Measure Knowledge and Skills Learned in Training research report.

Pretesting, testing during training, and post-testing are valuable to measure knowledge level, what participants learned, and if the learners achieved the objectives.

Key findings from the report include:

• Most organizations (74 percent) use performance assessments and think they effectively measure learning outcomes. The most common types of performance assessments are showing skills on the job and scenario-based assessments.

• Test assessments are common, but only 58 percent of TD professionals think they effectively measure learning. Most organizations rely on single-select, multiple-choice, and true/false questions.

• Most organizations rely on learning assessments for foundational skills or compliance training. Employees who don’t pass the assessments on the first try are typically allowed to retake the training program or assessment.

“By better understanding how organizations create and use learning assessments, TD professionals can potentially overcome the challenges they face when measuring learning,” the report said. “TD professionals should continue to learn and find resources that will allow them to stay current in this area.”

ATD surveyed 318 talent development professionals on how they create and use learning assessments at their organization, along with some demographic questions.

ATD is hosting a free webinar about the report on September 19 at 2 p.m. ET.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATD’s members come from more than 100 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports TD professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led US chapters and international member networks and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.