While schooling and learning phase passes by, there are bigger challenges than choosing the right institute for your medical College entrance exam. A person’s mental capabilities and behavioural style play a significant role at work. Indeed, it determines their productivity levels and ability to cope with different challenges. It is in this background that psychometric tests are conducted. They measure an individual’s suitability for a role. This guide offers you critical information on the meaning, use, and how to prepare for psychometric tests.
While you may have an authorized certificate indicating excellent performance in your online class you took up recently, having passed a psychometric test will help you stand out in the crowd. Graduates, workers seeking for promotion opportunities, and students will find it useful.
What are the Basics of Psychometric Testing?
Psychometric testing is the process of examining your skills, abilities, personality, interests, and aptitudes. You are issued with a list of questionnaires and a booklet to provide your answers. Instructions on how to go about the process are offered by the examiner. The tests may also be administered using a computer. Understanding the instructions and complete the test within a specified time is pertinent in this process.
Typically, psychometric tests cover three main areas. They are:
- Aptitude tests. These tests assess a person’s cognitive, literacy, and numeracy abilities. They are often timed.
- Behavioural tests. These tests cover the personality traits of an individual. They are not timed. A person’s strengths and weaknesses are assessed. Five dimensions of personality, namely; openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, extroversion/introversion, and conscientiousness are considered.
- Exams of professions. A job applicant is required to go through a series of tests to determine whether they have a specific skill set.
The Skills Tested In Psychometric Tests Can Also Be Divided Into:
- Verbal skills. Here, you are required to read and understand the information presented to you in a test. It covers areas such as spelling, grammar, comprehension, text analysis, and word analogies.
- Numerical skills. You are required to solve mathematical problems. Professionals working in a bank or as clerks in an organization will be required to complete these tests. They are expected to work quickly and accurately. Some of the areas covered include number facility, interpreting tables, algebra, record keeping, and conversions. So, you should look for an online algebra class help to improve your skills.
- Abstract skills. You will be given puzzles or problems that require you to engage in reasoning. The tests can focus on inductive and deductive reasoning. In the former, the test examines your logical thinking capacity. Inductive reasoning requires you to use data to come up with general conclusions.
- Technical skills. Focus is given on technical abilities such as error checking, concentration capacities, identifying patterns, and matching parts.
- Basic skills. The candidates are tested on their ability to meet entry-level requirements. Various topics are covered including mathematics, language, and spelling. The common tests are Wonderlic basic skills tests and criteria basic skills tests.
The summary of the skills tested in psychometric tests is detailed in the figure below
Source: https://www.contactcenterworld.com/company/blog/furstperson/?page=2
Should Companies Use Psychometric Testing?
The reasoning behind the use of Psychometric Testing in companies’ tests is that the quality of candidates can be enhanced in the long run. The human resource department is not only able to recruit the best people in a field, but they also conduct training and development based on the results. Further, the costs of administering the tests are minimal when compared to other recruitment methods.
Even further, psychometric is unbiased and objective. Unlike other methods, it is examined statistically. Everyone is offered the same questions and instructions. Human errors and prejudice are eliminated in this case. They are more reliable in predicting a person’s job performance than methods such as interviews. A company seeking to maintain its sense of integrity and credibility in recruitment processes will resolve to use these tests.
The figure below shows the possibility of getting perfect prediction in tests.
Source: https://www.questpartnership.co.uk/test-assess-making-psychometric-testing-accessible/
Why Should You Care About Psychometric Tests?
As a job applicant, you have fewer choices when it comes to how you will get a job. Companies are at liberty to determine who gets a job and as such, it is always important to understand the details of the tests. In any case, you can determine whether to work for a company or not based on the skills tested. On the other hand, if you have desired to work in a company for a long time, you will prepare accordingly based on the type of skills the management deems necessary. Understanding the details of these tests, therefore, gives you more options in your search for a job.
How to Prepare For Psychometric Tests
You must prepare for the tests because:
- You will be in a position to eliminate the stress that comes with testing. Instead, you will have the confidence to approach them and score highly.
- You will beat the competition and get your dream job without a struggle
- You are offered a chance to understand your abilities and hence make the necessary improvements. This will eventually lead to the achievement of career goals and objectives
When preparing for the tests, you must acknowledge that:
- Test-taking skills can be developed. It is not one of the aspects of life that only a few people thrive in but instead, everyone has a chance to prepare and perform well.
- Preparation must take into consideration your mental status and the varied skills tested. Even when you are the smartest person in a field, it is still possible to fail when you are nervous and anxious.
- Cheating is not acceptable. It is better to take a test and fail rather than pass after cheating. Companies want to work with genuine human resource. When involved in cheating, you may lose your job and reputation in the entire industry.
- The quality of your work matters. It is worthwhile to complete a few questions well as opposed to handling all the questions and failing in most of them. A company may be lenient when making selections if they realize that you are gifted in certain areas.
The process of preparing for the tests can be viewed from:
- General preparation.
- Just before taking the test.
- On the day of testing.
The General Preparation
Generally, you must find sample tests from your field of choice so that you can familiarize with the types of skills required in a job. You can talk to employers and employees holding human resource positions in a company. Always take note of the format used and the answer sheets so that you can have a glimpse of what the actual test will look like. More so, you must engage in self-timing. You can ask for assistance from other people in this case.
It is important to try and solve difficult mathematics skills. This is inclusive of the interpretation of graphs and pie charts. You must further look for the meaning of words that you find difficult to improve your vocabulary. When reading passages, you should be able to differentiate between what is false and true. It is also critical to make associations of words and phrases.
Moreover, you must take good care of your physical health. Being stressed about the testing process will work against you. A few days before the big day, ensure that that you have had enough sleep. You must take enough water. Exercise alleviates the stress builds up over the preparation process.
Just Before You Take Test
A day before taking the test, review all the information required and gather the tools needed for the process. This includes writing materials. You must confirm the details about the exact location of the tests and make travel arrangements if necessary. If you feel overwhelmed, you can distract yourself by watching a film or reading a book. Still, you must embrace a positive mental attitude. Instead of considering the consequences of failure, try to focus on the possibility of scoring highly and impressing your potential employers.
On The Testing Day
There are several issues that you must pay keen attention to on the day of testing. First, it is important to arrive in the area where you will be taking your tests on time. Lateness may have negative implications. Besides the fact that the examiner will have a wrong impression on your willingness to work, there is also a chance that you will be tensed throughout the tests.
Second, you must listen to the instructions carefully. Whereas you may have been familiar with the formats and general instructions by this time, employers may include new elements. Listen carefully and ask questions if necessary.
Third, you must be focused on your test rather than the people around you. It can be discouraging, time-wasting, and distracting to watch other people’s facial expressions as they go through the tests. Focus on the task at hand because you have limited time to complete it.
Fourth, you must not waste time on one question. If you are stuck, the best option is to try the next question so that you can complete the test on time. The anxiety that comes with testing can make you forgetful of answers. As you finish simple questions, you can remember the answers to the difficult ones.
Fifth, you should only change an answer when you are completely sure that you have made a mistake. It is known that the first guess is more often than not accurate.
All in all, it is important to prepare well for psychometric tests. It ushers you into a world where all your career goals become achievable.
