Send the Cognitive Ability (IQ) from Ashby in 20 minutes
Inside Ashby, cognitive-ability testing is the engineering and product team's primary screening signal for senior IC roles where role complexity is high. Ashby customers running modern technical stacks (cloud-native engineering, AI/ML product, design-engineering hybrid) use the test to filter the loop's top of funnel — the Schmidt & Hunter validity argues that for complex roles, cognitive ability is the single most informative test you can run. EEOC adverse-impact risk is real and well-documented; Ashby's structured-interview-first rubric design helps because the cognitive score sits as one rubric input among several, not as the sole disqualifier. Document why cognitive ability predicts performance for the specific role using Ashby's job-description structured fields before the first round uses the score as a screening filter.
Validity
General cognitive ability (g) is the strongest single predictor of job performance documented in I/O psychology — corrected ρ ≈ .51 in Schmidt & Hunter's 85-year meta-analysis (1998, Psychological Bulletin), with validity scaling up as role complexity rises (.23 low-complexity vs .58 high-complexity). Cognitive tests also carry the highest EEOC adverse-impact risk; pair with structured-interview evidence and document job-relatedness before the first hire decision uses the score.
Send the Cognitive Ability (IQ) from Ashby
From Ashby admin to first scored candidate.
- 1
Add the JobCannon Ashby integration
From Ashby admin settings, add JobCannon as an Assessment Partner. Paste your Basic Auth credentials (sandbox first, production after the first test cycle). One-time setup, takes 3 minutes.
- 2
Create a Ashby scorecard mapped to Cognitive Ability (IQ) dimensions
In your job template, create a scorecard section per Cognitive Ability (IQ) dimension. Each dimension maps 1:1 to a numeric attribute on the Ashby scorecard — no provider-specific glue needed.
- 3
Trigger the Cognitive Ability (IQ) on the candidate's stage transition
Add "Send Cognitive Ability (IQ)" as an automatic action when candidates enter the assessment stage. The candidate receives a co-branded Ashby email and completes the 20-minute form on mobile or desktop.
- 4
View the score envelope in the candidate profile
The full Cognitive Ability (IQ) score envelope (dimensions, bands, narrative summary) lands in the Ashby candidate profile within 30 seconds of submission. Recruiters review without leaving Ashby.
Sample score envelope
The exact JSON shape your Ashby scorecard receives back. Every JobCannon assessment uses the same dimensions[].score envelope so ranking logic stays consistent across tests.
{
"test": "iq-test",
"version": "v4.0",
"candidate_id": "ashby_app_2349817",
"completed_at": "2026-05-16T10:55:03Z",
"duration_seconds": 1124,
"overall_iq": 118,
"percentile": 88,
"band": "high",
"subtests": [
{
"code": "pattern",
"label": "Pattern recognition",
"score": 122,
"percentile": 92
},
{
"code": "numerical",
"label": "Numerical reasoning",
"score": 114,
"percentile": 81
},
{
"code": "verbal",
"label": "Verbal reasoning",
"score": 119,
"percentile": 88
}
],
"narrative_summary": "High-pattern-recognition profile with consistent verbal and numerical strength. Fits complex problem-solving roles in engineering, analytics, and product strategy."
}Other assessments for Ashby hiring
Run a different cut on the same candidate by sending one of these from the same Ashby pipeline.
Big Five (OCEAN)
personality test
Across 117 studies and 85 years of validation literature, Big Five conscientiousness predicts job performance at corrected ρ ≈ .31 (Barrick & Mount 1991, Personnel Psychology) — making it the strongest single personality dimension for hiring decisions. JobCannon's 50-item adaptation is built on the NEO-PI-R taxonomy and returns five normalised dimension scores per candidate.
Send from Ashby →
DISC
behavioural style assessment
DISC maps four observable behaviour styles (dominance, influence, steadiness, conscientiousness) onto the assertiveness × cooperativeness grid. Its meta-analytic correlation with job performance is modest (~.10-.15) — far below Big Five — so it works best inside Ashby as a team-fit and communication-style input, not a primary hiring filter.
Send from Ashby →
EQ (Emotional Intelligence)
emotional intelligence assessment
Emotional intelligence adds incremental predictive validity over cognitive ability and Big Five for emotional-labour roles — corrected ρ ≈ .24 across 88 studies for customer-facing and people-management positions (Joseph & Newman 2010, Journal of Applied Psychology). Less informative for back-office, technical, or solo-IC pipelines.
Send from Ashby →
Frequently asked
When does the Ashby integration go live?+
Ashby adapter built; partner directory request submitted 2026-05. Early-access customers can run cognitive-ability tests through sandbox endpoints today; production rollout follows directory approval (2-4 weeks typical timeline).
Is cognitive testing EEOC-defensible inside Ashby?+
Yes with caveats. Cognitive ability is the most predictive single test (ρ .51) but carries the highest documented adverse-impact risk against some protected classes. Defensibility requires (1) job analysis documenting cognitive-ability requirement in Ashby's structured job-description fields, (2) pass-bands set at performance floor not talent ceiling, (3) ongoing four-fifths-rule adverse-impact monitoring on cohort decisions.
How does cognitive ability map into Ashby scorecards?+
The overall IQ score plus three subtest scores (pattern-recognition, numerical, verbal) map to scorecard rubric questions for the technical-screen round. Ashby customer Notion uses pattern-recognition as a primary signal for senior engineering roles; verbal reasoning as a primary signal for product-management roles. Admins configure mapping at job-template level.
How long does the IQ test take inside Ashby?+
Median candidate completion is 20 minutes on JobCannon's 30-item form. This is the longest assessment in the B2B catalog — candidate friction is higher than DISC or Big Five but justified when role complexity warrants the lift in predictive validity.
How do I avoid four-fifths-rule violations on cohort decisions?+
Set band thresholds at the floor of acceptable performance, not the ceiling of available talent. Run an adverse-impact analysis on every 30 cohort decisions and adjust before scaling — Ashby's analytics export gives you the cohort data; JobCannon scores the bands.
How is the IQ test priced for Ashby customers?+
Free for sandbox + first 5 invitations per month. From $99/mo on the Business tier — same flat pricing across all 22 hire-eligible tests including cognitive ability.
Get Ashby sandbox credentials for Cognitive Ability (IQ) this week
Email [email protected] with your Ashby tenant ID. Early-access sandbox credentials provisioned within one business day; production rollout follows directory listing.
Prefer to try the Cognitive Ability (IQ) first? Take it on JobCannon to see exactly what your candidates will see — or read the assessment API docs for the full envelope spec (Iq Test).