Psychometric Assessment Information for Candidates
 A
BIT ABOUT PSYCHOMETRICS
WHY ARE PSYCHOMETRICS USED?
Psychometric Assessment has a variety of uses, but most typically
is used to assist in the appropriate selection of people applying
for a role. In addition to giving employers useful information about
a candidate's suitability for a position, assessment can be a valuable
tool for employers wanting to make decisions about promotions, individual's
development needs and team dynamics within an organisation.
HOW DO ASSESSMENTS HELP EMPLOYERS?
- They provide objective information about you that may
not be gained from other techniques such as an interview and reference
checks.
- They can indicate whether your style and abilities are
suited to the role, organisation, or team.
- It is important to note
that assessments ARE NOT the 'be all and end all' and they form
only part of the selection process. Decisions are rarely made
on assessment results alone. Rather, they may form a basis for
further interviews and reference checking.
HOW DO ASSESSMENTS HELP YOU?
- They will assist you in finding a role for which you are
suited.
- Sitting the assessments enables you to demonstrate your
strengths and style.
- You are entitled to get feedback, which may
help you clarify your ideas about your suitability for different
kinds of work and identify areas you may want to develop.
TYPES OF
PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENTS
The main types of psychometric assessment used are Ability Assessments
and Personality Questionnaires.
ABILITY ASSESSMENTS
These are usually timed and measure skill in a specific area. The
most common categories of ability tests used in occupational assessment
are:
- Verbal - depending on the level being tested, this may include
spelling and grammar, completing sentences and definitions or reading
written passages and responding to questions.
- Numerical - depending on the level being tested, this may
include completing numerical sequences and calculations or interpreting
tables and data.
- Abstract - this assessment is made up of 'shapes and puzzles'
and looks at your ability to solve problems that you haven't seen
before.
Doing your best
- Ensure that you feel your best on the day - have a good
sleep, eat well, and if you are ill call to reschedule.
- Allow yourself
plenty of time to get there, and to sit the assessments themselves.
When booking a time, ask how long they will take - make sure you
do not have another appointment booked immediately afterwards.
- At
the session, listen carefully to the instructions. Most ability tests
are timed - ensure that you know how long you have.
- Try to be calm. It is
normal to feel a little nervous before doing something different
but there are no hidden tricks in the assessment.
- Read each question
carefully before answering. Look for a balance between speed and
accuracy. If you are not sure mark your best choice, but avoid wild
guessing.
- The administrator should offer you breaks - feel free to
take them.
PERSONALITY
QUESTIONNAIRES
Personality questionnaires provide information about how you would
typically behave at work. Questions are aimed at discovering your preferred
working style. There are no right or wrong answers in personality questionnaires.
There is usually no time limit, but you should work quickly through
the questions.
Doing your best
- Remember there are no right or wrong answers - do not answer
the questionnaire according to what you think the employer is looking
for.
- You may find it difficult to respond to some items, as you
will feel that your behaviour will really depend on the situation.
Go with your 'gut instinct' about how you would behave at work,
rather than in a personal situation (this is what the employers are
interested in).
- Some questions will be slightly similar to others.
Do not feel that you have to answer all of these in the same way,
and do not miss any questions out just because they are similar.
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 PRACTICE
You may wish to practice some assessments so that you feel more
comfortable with the format.
It is important to note that you will not get exactly
the same questions.
For practice tests and more information, a useful website is: www.shl.com
More Helpful links
Understanding
the assessment process
Methods
used to compare candidates
Hints
and tips to help you
Practice
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