Psychometric Test: How to Excel?
Wed, 5 Jan 2022
Psychometric tests have become essential for the recruitment process. They help employers determine potential employees' suitability and skills while also giving job seekers a clearer picture of what positions they are best suited for.
However, these tests can be daunting and highly intimidating if you do not know how to prepare or whether your personality will match with one particular type of test in question. If this is the case, then read on!
What Are Psychometric Tests?
A psychometric test is any test of intellectual ability that uses psychological methods to measure cognitive functioning.
Psychometric tests are designed to measure a person's thinking and personality traits. These tests can be used in many different contexts, such as job selection or the assessment of students.
Why Do Employers Use Psychometric Tests?
It is a valuable tool for employers to sift through large numbers of applications quickly and cost-effectively. However, this process can be time-consuming. The hiring manager sometimes needs help organizing the data they receive from these tests so that it becomes easier to identify who will perform well in their position.
Employers use psychometric tests to assess a candidate's personality traits and psychological qualities. With this information, employers can make informed hiring decisions about the candidates. The most common types of psychometric tests are personality assessments and cognitive tests.
While there are many other reasons why employers use these tests, some companies find them more useful than others in terms of cost efficiency and time savings.
During the interview process, the test may increase accuracy in making hiring decisions where job performance relies on skills that are not concretely quantifiable by traditional methods like education and experience.
As with all decision-making processes, employers should take the time to conduct a thorough review of psychometric tests before deciding whether or not it is worth using.
Psychometric tests are reliable predictors of future job performance and can streamline the hiring process.
Employers use them to compare applicants' qualities with those required for a particular position and personnel development.
How are Psychometric Tests Scored?
In psychometric testing, the scores are determined by a number of factors, including:
- The person's accuracy in answering questions.
- How quickly they answer questions.
- Their ability to link the correct answer to the multiple-choice options.
- The person's cognitive ability.
Tests are designed to measure different indicators of job performance.
The first step in understanding your score is determining the particular questions that made up your test. There are many types of psychometric tests, but they all typically follow a similar pattern which includes three main sections:
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any general information about yourself (e.g., age or gender),
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tasks related to a particular job, and
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general information about your answer or performance on the tasks.
Next, you'll want to consider what types of questions are in each section. The type of question can vary from easy to difficult as well as specific versus broad-based (e.g., "What is your age?" vs. "How old do you think I am").
Also, there's raw scores. Raw scores are the number of points a candidate has received on a psychometric test, which may be numeric or non-numeric.
Finally, the standard scores. Standard scores are numerical with a range of 0-100. These scores can be used to compare the test taker's performance across different tests, items, and settings.
To properly interpret standard score results, you must understand what they represent relative to each other in terms of difficulty and ability level, as well as your own individual strengths or weaknesses on that particular type of task.
The scores will tell you how many points you have and what percentile it falls under.
Types of Psychometric Testing
There are many types of psychometric testing, but we will list out the main five:
Career test
Career tests are a popular way to figure out where you should be working and what type of career path to follow. There are different types of tests, including personality-based and job-based tests, that can help you figure out what career is best for you.
Work value test
Work value test is a term used to describe an assessment of how much a worker contributes to their employer, including salary, experience, and the impact on the company's bottom line.
Teamwork test
A teamwork test is a kind of personality test that helps to determine an individual's level of teamwork.
The teamwork test is a popular psychometric test that assesses the abilities of group members. This can be used to determine how well people work together and whether there are any team-building deficits. The test consists of a series of tasks that require the individual to work in groups.
Personality test
A personality test is a survey or questionnaire designed to measure the individual's personality. The most common types of personality tests are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the 16PF, which are often used in business settings. Other personality tests include the Cloninger Personality Inventory, a neuropsychological test, and the Five-Factor Model, which measures personality traits.
General aptitude test
A general aptitude test is a common type of intelligence test that measures the capacity to learn, reason, and solve problems. The primary purpose of this type of test is to determine an individual's level of intelligence.
Common Psychometric Test Mistakes by Job Seekers
Mistakes in the use of psychometric tests can make it harder for job seekers to find careers that suit them.
Some common mistakes are:
- Not taking time to prepare for a test
- Taking a test in an unfamiliar environment
- Not understanding the range of questions
- Missing out on important information
- Being too nervous
- Giving up before completing the test
If you did make them, don't feel bad because almost everyone makes them at some point.
You need to know that if you make one mistake, it does not mean that you are not qualified for the position. In fact, it may even show that you are more capable than others who did not make those same mistakes.
Remember that psychometric tests are only one piece of the puzzle when looking for a new job. You can always prepare the test later to reduce the chances of making these mistakes which we will show further below.
Succeed in the Psychometric Test
Although similar in function to IQ tests, psychometric tests are designed to measure aptitude as well as personality. If a person has a high score on this test, it suggests that they have a high likelihood of success in the career that they seek. Here are ways you can succeed in the test:
- Complete the test as soon as possible
- Take time to think through the test questions
- Personality questionnaires: Spending time thinking about sample questions and how to answer them
- Spend time thinking about sample questions and how to answer them.
- In addition, it's important not to feel frustrated or overwhelmed while completing the tests because they are meant for people of all different levels.
- Practice in real exam conditions. The first step to success is practicing in real exam conditions. The more you practice, the better your score will be.
- Next, it's a good idea to try and understand what makes psychometric tests so tricky for people who are new to them because this knowledge might help you succeed on the test that much easier. Lastly, if there is an opportunity to take another practice test with a similar format as the one you have already taken, do not pass up on this chance!
- You should practice the first half of the questions in 10 minutes and leave the second set to another ten-minute paper. The reason is that it will be easier for you to focus on just one part at a time so your mind won't get distracted by all of them together.
Practice Psychometric Tests
The practice psychometric tests are meant to give you a more accurate idea of your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to mental aptitude.
Practice tests offer feedback on what areas of the test you did well on and which areas you need to improve.
Don't let yourself be unprepared for the psychometric test. Click here to try out free self-assessment tests now.