Psychometric Tests
Many applicants are invited to take a series of psychometric tests after they have applied for a job. These can come at different stages during the recruitment process, and this page is designed to help you understand why they are used and how you can prepare yourself for them.
What are psychometric tests?
Psychometric tests are structured, pencil and paper (or sometimes computer-based) exercises, often presented in the form of multiple-choice questions. They are designed to assess your reasoning abilities or how you respond to different situations. The tests that employers use should have been carefully researched and trialled, to ensure that they provide valid assessments of the people who are likely to take them.
Why do recruiters use psychometric tests?
Employers use a variety of methods to select the right people, and the greater the variety of situations in which a selector can see you perform, and the greater the number of skills that are being tested, the more accurate and objective the assessment should be. Tests are simply one way of testing the competencies relevant to a specific job, and should ideally be designed with that type of work in mind.
From an employer's point of view, tests are also a reasonably cost-efficient way of assessing a large number of applicants; this probably explains why many organisations use them to pre-select candidates for (comparatively expensive) interviews.
How are psychometric tests used?
Employers use psychometric tests at different stages during the recruitment process. Some (the Fast Stream Civil Service, for example) use tests to decide whom they should invite to interview; others use them at a later stage as part of a series of selection exercises. See our section on Assessment Centres for more information.
You are quite likely to come across psychometric tests in a recruitment context, but they can also be used as a tool to help you to understand where your strengths lie and what career areas might be most appropriate and of most interest to you. See the section headed Practice resources below.
What types of tests are used?
There are two main types of psychometric tests:
- Aptitude (or ability) tests
- Personality questionnaires
Aptitude (or ability) tests
These test your logical reasoning or thinking performance; they are not tests of general knowledge or intelligence. Administered under exam conditions and strictly timed, a typical test might allow 30 minutes for 30 or more questions.
Often presented in multiple-choice format, the questions have definite right and wrong answers, and as you go through the test, the questions may become more difficult; you may find that there are more questions than you can comfortably complete in the time. It does not matter if you do not finish the test (although you should complete as many questions as possible); it is the number of correct answers which counts. Be aware that some tests are subject to 'negative marking' – whereby incorrect answers result in marks being deducted from your total of correct answers.
Your score is then compared with the results of a 'norm group' which has taken the tests in the past. This norm group could comprise other students/graduates or current job holders or be a more diverse grouping. Selectors are then able to assess your reasoning skills in relation to others and to make judgments about your ability to cope with the tasks involved in a given job.
The validity of such tests rests on how closely they assess the abilities relevant to that job. A large number of tests are produced, but the most common ones used in graduate recruitment are:
- Verbal reasoning (tests of reasoning with written information)
- Numerical reasoning (tests of reasoning with numbers, charts and graphs)
- Diagrammatic or spatial reasoning (tests of reasoning with abstract figures)
Personality questionnaires
Personality questionnaires explore the way you tend to react to, or deal with, different situations. They are 'self-report' questionnaires (meaning that a profile is drawn up from your responses to a number of questions or statements) and focus on a variety of personality factors, such as how you relate to other people, your ability to deal with your own and others' emotions, your motivations and determination and your general outlook.
Unlike aptitude tests there are no right or wrong answers, and questionnaires are usually completed in your own time. From your responses the selector gains information about your style of behaviour - how and why you do things in your own way. You may receive some feedback on the profile which your answers produce, and occasionally it might form the basis for discussion at a subsequent interview. The selectors will not be looking for a rigid 'typical' personality profile, although certain characteristics may be more or less appropriate for particular jobs or organisations.
Questionnaires exploring your interests or values are much less commonly used in selection. These are designed to clarify what fields of work interest you or what factors make work worthwhile for you. You are more likely to come across them in a careers guidance setting, or in an appraisal/development context once in work.
The best way to approach all of these questionnaires is just to answer them as straightforwardly and honestly as you can. Guessing what the employer is looking for is difficult and could well be counter-productive – most tests are designed to check the consistency of your answers – and you may not spot all of the underlying questions. Do consider also whether you would want to be given a job which really does not suit you.
How can I prepare for aptitude tests?
There are a number of things you can do to prepare yourself. Playing with word games, mathematical teasers and diagrammatic puzzles may help to get you into a logical and analytical frame of mind, and the following ideas may be of help to develop particular abilities:
- Numerical reasoning skills - practise basic mental arithmetic with and without a calculator. Addition, subtraction, division, multiplication and calculations of percentages and ratios are commonly required, and the ability to extract information from charts and graphs can be as important as the actual calculations in these tests. Remember that, unless a job requires a very high level of numeracy, numerical tests are not likely to be pitched higher than GCSE-level maths. Reading financial reports and studying data in charts (eg in the quality or financial press) could be useful, but see also the list of practice resources below.
- Verbal reasoning skills - these are more difficult to brush up quickly than mathematical techniques. Reading manuals, technical reports or academic and business journals may help. Practise extracting and summarising the main points from passages of information.
The best thing that you can do is to sit a practice aptitude test.
A word of warning...
Practice can help you to feel more confident about sitting these tests, but it is unlikely that you will improve your scores beyond a fairly minimal level.
Don't, therefore, spend too much time in preparation, especially if you are in your final year; your degree result will be more significant in your future career than an aptitude test result.
How can I do well on the day?
Try to get a good night's sleep the evening before the test. If you usually wear glasses and/or a hearing aid, take them with you. Arrive in good time at the test location and switch off your mobile phone. Avoid alcohol, and inform the test administrator if you are on medication which makes you feel drowsy. If you have a disability and you require special provision, discuss this with the employer in advance of the test session. Ensure that you know exactly what you are required to do - do not be afraid to ask questions. Follow the instructions you are given exactly. Read through the questions and answer choices very carefully. Eliminate as many wrong answers as possible. For example, with numerical tests a quick estimate may help you to discard several of the options without working out every alternative. Work as quickly and accurately as you can. Both speed and accuracy are important - don't spend too long on any one question, and keep an eye on the clock. Do not waste time on difficult questions. If you are stuck on a question, leave it and move on. Whether it is advisable to guess answers will depend on how the test is being marked. Some tests simply award marks for correct answers, whilst others also penalise wrong ones. If you are not told the marking policy during the introduction to the test, you can always try asking, to help determine your strategy. The best approach is probably to go for your best choice but to avoid wild guessing. Don't worry if you do not finish all the questions in the time, but if you do, go over your answers again to check them.
What if I have special needs?
Psychometric tests are an important tool for selecting people with special needs (such as those with a disability), as they are less open to the biases emanating from other systems, such as interviews. Everyone who takes a psychometric test is given the same questions and takes them under the same conditions. By discussing beforehand what your needs might be, you will make sure that reasonable adjustments can be made to ensure a level playing field. These might include setting a lower pass mark, providing a personal reader/writer or signer, allowing extra time to do the test or providing specialised equipment (eg loop systems/Braille keyboards).
Can I 'fail' psychometric tests?
Aptitude/ability tests
These tests are what we call 'normative'; your performance is judged against that of a comparison (or 'norm') group and your score simply reflects how well you have done against those people. Your result is expressed as a percentile – if you are in the 75%ile, your performance will have been better than 75% of the norm group with whom you were compared. Although there are right and wrong answers, you cannot, in theory, 'pass' or 'fail' an aptitude test.
In reality employers use these tests to select the most suitable people for particular jobs and, at the end of the day, you will 'pass' a test if your score is higher than a particular percentile and you will 'fail' if your score is lower. The point at which you will 'pass' will vary from company to company and from job to job; there is no such thing as a definitive 'pass mark' for a particular test. Bear in mind as well that different organisations may use different norm groups; you could do very well in a numerical reasoning test if you were compared with a group of students, but less well if you were compared with a group of chartered accountants.
Remember also that the significance of the pass point will vary depending on where the tests are used in the selection process. Organisations which use these tests to select candidates for first interview are likely to make their decision based solely on your test score (ie as a pass/fail gate). Organisations which use the tests a little later in the selection process are more likely to use your results as just one of the criteria for overall selection. A less than ideal performance on one of the tests, for example, may be compensated for by a good performance in other selection exercises – particularly those measuring the same competency/ability.
British Psychological Society (BPS) good practice guidelines suggest that all test takers should receive feedback on their test performance, so do ask for feedback if it is not offered.
If you have not done well on a test, remember that there can be a number of reasons for poor performance. These could include feeling tired or under the weather, being unable to concentrate due to personal problems, misunderstanding what you had to do, answering questions too slowly or panicking. Poor test results on the day do not necessarily mean that you are lacking in ability, and you may like to discuss your test technique with a Careers Adviser or sit a practice test to get feedback on what might be going wrong.
It is, however, a fact that, just as some students always have difficulties with exams, so some people just cannot do aptitude tests. This does not reflect on your intelligence - it may only mean that you are not primarily a logical person. You may have a much more intuitive approach to solving problems, which could be equally valuable.
Personality tests
It is not possible to 'fail' a personality test. Your answers may reveal characteristics not sought within a particular organisation, but you cannot fail the test. Very few organisations will make a selection decision based solely on a personality test, however, and the result is more likely to be a source of discussion with you. Bear in mind though that some organisations do include a personality test as part of their application process and that answers which indicate a serious mis-match between you and the prevailing culture may mean that your application is not progressed. If this is the case, there is a strong chance that you would not have been happy working in that organisation anyway. Either way it does not mean that you have failed the test itself.
Useful websites
(SHL) Examples of verbal, numerical and diagrammatic tests plus practice tests and feedback.
http://www.morrisby.com (Morrisby) Contains advice and nine pages of sample abstract, verbal, numerical, perceptual, shape and mechanical test questions. Access practice tests via "test takers guide", "tests for selection".
http://www.psychometrics-uk.com/bapt.html (Berger Aptitude for Programming Test (B-APT)) Three sample questions from this test, which assesses your aptitude for learning computer programming languages.
http://www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/puzzles/puzzindx.htm (Exeter University) Countless puzzles on which to practise your numerical reasoning skills – answers provided.
http://www.mensa.org.uk (Mensa) Not aptitude tests as such, but the pages might get you used to thinking quickly in test situations.
http://www.wcn.co.uk (World Careers Network) Advice and links to other test sites.
