{"id":833900,"date":"2026-09-04T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/?p=833900"},"modified":"2026-09-04T06:00:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:00:03","slug":"five-years-of-preemployment-test-data-shows-applicant-computer-skills-holding-steady","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/five-years-of-preemployment-test-data-shows-applicant-computer-skills-holding-steady_833900.html","title":{"rendered":"Five Years of Pre-Employment Test Data Shows Applicant Computer Skills Holding Steady"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Five<\/a><\/div>\n
Analysis of 10,398 Microsoft Office and computer skills assessments finds median applicant scores remained near 80% from 2022 through 2026<\/div>\n

Atlanta, Georgia, United States – September 4, 2026 –<\/strong> Despite widespread concern about widening workplace skills gaps, five years of EmployTest assessment data shows no measurable decline in applicants’ basic computer and Microsoft Office skills.<\/p>\n

New benchmark data from EmployTest shows that applicant computer skills have remained stable for five straight years. Across 10,398 test administrations between 2022 and 2026, the median score landed around 80% every year.<\/p>\n

The Finding<\/strong><\/p>\n

EmployTest analyzed results from various computer skills assessments covering Excel, Word, Outlook, and general computer literacy. These same skills were found to be among the most commonly cited employer needs in a 2022 SHRM and Aspen Institute survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What Does the Data Say About Applicant Computer Skills? <\/strong><\/p>\n

EmployTest’s analysis found no downward trend in computer skills assessment scores from 2022 through 2026. Median scores remained between 80% and 81%, while average scores ranged from 75.6% to 76.9%.<\/p>\n

Are Job Applicants Getting Worse at Microsoft Office? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Not according to this dataset. Results from Excel, Word, Outlook and general computer literacy assessments remained remarkably consistent across the five-year period.<\/p>\n

How Do Applicants Actually Score on Computer Skills Tests?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s how the same 10,398 test administrations break down by score range:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

About one in four applicants (27.1%) scored below 70%. Roughly one in seven (14.9%) scored below 60%.<\/p>\n

This spread held steady year over year too. The share scoring below 60% stayed within a 2.1-percentage-points across all five years, and the share scoring below 70% stayed within 2.4 points. It’s a reminder that a stable median doesn’t mean every candidate scores the same. It means the range of ability in the applicant pool has stayed consistent over time.<\/p>\n

Why Should Employers Still Test Computer Skills? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Stable averages do not mean every applicant has the same ability. Employers still face wide differences between individual candidates, making pre-employment computer skills testing useful for determining who can perform the work required for a specific position.<\/p>\n

“The average hasn’t changed much in five years, but employers don’t hire the average applicant,” Crowell said. “They hire one person. The reason to test isn’t because the workforce is getting worse. It’s because individual candidates still perform very differently.”<\/p>\n

Why This Runs Against the Prevailing Narrative<\/strong><\/p>\n

Employers and media outlets have spent recent years describing a growing skills gap. Deloitte’s<\/a> 2025 Global Human Capital Trends survey found that two-thirds of managers and executives said recent hires weren’t fully prepared, and National Skills Coalition data<\/a> found nearly a third of U.S. workers lack basic digital skills.<\/p>\n

The findings complicate the skills gap narrative, rather than eliminating it. Employers may still struggle to spot candidates with the right skill setskillset, but EmployTest’s five-year data suggests declining basic computer proficiency may not be the cause.<\/p>\n

A flat median also carries an important nuance. An 80% median does not mean every applicant demonstrates the same level of proficiency. Individual performance still varies considerably, which is why benchmark data can help employers interpret candidate scores in context.<\/p>\n

What This Means for Hiring Managers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hiring managers can often set cut scores based on school-grade intuition, expecting 70% to 75% to represent solid performance. This benchmark gives them a reference point grounded in real applicant data rather than assumption.<\/p>\n

Resumes and interviews have not become better predictors of computer proficiency. The variation in ability documented here was likely present all along. A benchmark<\/a> like this helps hiring teams calibrate their own thresholds against actual applicant performance instead of guesswork.<\/p>\n

About EmployTest<\/strong><\/p>\n

EmployTest provides pre-employment skills testing for small and mid-sized businesses. The platform offers more than 200 tests, is used by over 13,000 businesses, and holds a 4.7 rating on the Capterra review platform. EmployTest earned Best Value and Best Ease of Use recognition in 2026.<\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/span>
Company Name:<\/strong> EmployTest<\/a>
Contact Person:<\/strong> Ken Crowell
Email:<\/strong> Send Email<\/a>
Phone:<\/strong> 800-836-1901
Address:<\/strong>2940 Johnson Ferry Road B-275
City:<\/strong> Marietta
State:<\/strong> Ga
Country:<\/strong> United States
Website:<\/strong> https:\/\/employtest.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Analysis of 10,398 Microsoft Office and computer skills assessments finds median applicant scores remained near 80% from 2022 through 2026 Atlanta, Georgia, United States – September 4, 2026 – Despite widespread concern about widening workplace skills gaps, five years of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[401,430,411,404],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-833900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Business","category-Employment","category-Technology","category-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=833900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/833900\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=833900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=833900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abnewswire.com\/pressreleases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=833900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}