Work sample test
IndustrySometimes called a work sample assessment or job simulation. It differs from a take-home test only in how closely the task mirrors real work.
A work sample test asks a candidate to do a small, realistic piece of the job instead of describing their ability to do it: draft the memo, analyse the dataset, review the code, plan the campaign. A rubric fixed in advance keeps scoring consistent across candidates.
Selection research has generally ranked work samples among the stronger predictors of on-the-job performance, precisely because they observe behaviour rather than rely on claims or impressions. Their weaknesses are practical: they take candidate time, can feel like unpaid labour if the task is too large or too real, and need well-designed rubrics to be fair.
The skills-based hiring shift is largely a shift toward using more of them.
On Ewance
An Ewance challenge is a work sample that already exists before the application does. Instead of each employer setting a bespoke test and each candidate redoing them, a student completes a real company brief once, receives rubric-graded feedback and keeps a verifiable record they can show any employer.
Related glossary
Decide by doing.
The fastest way to know whether challenge-based learning fits you is to ship one.