Psychometric and Aptitude Testing – and how to prepare
What to expect from profiling / testing
Testing of various types is now a common part of the assessment process. They are designed to assess if you have the ability and personality / personal qualities to be successful in a role.
There are two principal types of psychometric test – Aptitude Tests and Personality Assessments.
Aptitude tests
- Most common are numeracy, literacy and verbal/ logical reasoning. These may well be done in advance of an interview via a remote link or on the day.
- Typically they are timed tests and often designed to put you under pressure.
- Always follow instructions carefully!
- There will always be some practice tests to complete first – really worth doing as they will give you an idea of what to expect and improve your confidence. There are plenty of sites that have practice tests you can do but still worth doing the ones suggested when you get the link from the employer – as these will be specific to the tests you are undertaking.
- Here are some links to practice tests
- Generally accuracy is more important than speed and most people don’t complete all the questions. However don’t spend too long on any one question – you will be expected to have done a reasonable amount. If a question really throws you – just move on.
- Prior to doing a maths test – worth reminding yourself of some basic concepts such as percentages, interpretation of graphs etc.
Personality Assessments
- Analyse how well you would fit with the organisation and role. Some personality tests can help you to identify your skills, interests and values, which can help when making career decisions.
- There are no right or wrong answers – do be truthful though or the output is meaningless. Attempts to manipulate a test can be picked up in the analysis and will be fed back to the employer.
- Sometimes the questions may seem rather odd, just answer instinctively and move on.
- Often the output is used to suggest areas that the employer should explore in the interview. Used properly they are a starting point.
- Typical tests include the following;
