Psychometric tests
What is a Psychometric Test?
A psychometric test is used to assess a candidate's cognitive ability and their personality. From a candidate's response psychometric testing can predict valuable insights such as job performance, competence, and motivations.
There are two general types of psychometric tests: ability tests and personality tests.
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Ability tests will be able to identify a candidate's level of cognitive ability. It can assess, to name a few, their numerical, verbal, logical, critical thinking skills.
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Personality tests are focused on understanding the candidate's behaviours and motivations.
Types of psychometric testing
There are two main types: personality tests and aptitude tests.
Personality tests explore your interests, values and motivations, analysing how your character fits with the role and organisation. They analyse your emotions, behaviours and relationships in a variety of situations.
Aptitude tests assess your reasoning or cognitive ability, determining whether you've got the right skillset for a role. Administered under exam conditions, you'll often be given one minute to answer each multiple choice question. Your intelligence levels are compared to a standard, meaning that you must achieve a certain score to pass. Common tests include:
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diagrammatic reasoning
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error checking
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numerical reasoning
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spatial reasoning
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verbal reasoning.
Tips for taking psychometric tests
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sit somewhere quiet with no distractions and try to stay calm
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have a pen, paper and calculator to hand
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do the tests on a laptop or PC and use headphones if you have them
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make sure you have a reliable internet connection
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log on with plenty of time ahead, close down all other windows and maximise the test window
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check the timings – some tests will actually tell you how long you have for each question, for others you may have to work it out
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read the instructions carefully and do the practice questions before you start
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do not use the back button in your browser as it may end the test without saving your answers
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if you can’t answer a question don’t stick on it and lose time– take a guess and move on
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if you answer a question and have time before the next one appears, use the time to calm yourself with a couple of deep breaths