Organisations typically use several different methods to
assess job applicants: you will usually be asked to complete an
application forms, send in a copy of your resume and attend at
least one interview. All of these things will tell the employer
something about you and help them to choose the most appropriate
candidate for each vacancy.
One method that is becoming increasingly used is
job aptitude
tests. These tests aim to providing a potential employer with an
insight into how well you
work with other people, how well you
handle stress, and whether you will be able to cope with the
intellectual demands of the job.
Job aptitude tests can be split into
personality tests and
aptitude/ability tests.
Personality has a significant role to play in deciding whether you
have the
enthusiasm and motivation that the employer is looking
for and whether you going to fit in to the organization, in terms
of your
personality,
attitude and general work style?
The principle behind personality questionnaires is that it is
possible to quantify your intrinsic personality characteristics by
asking you about your feelings, thoughts and behavior. You will be
presented with statements describing various ways of feeling or
acting and asked to answer them as either ‘true’ or ‘false’ or on
a 5 or 7 point scale. For example:
1. I enjoy public speaking?
2. I have clear personal goals?
| A)
strongly disagree |
B)
disagree |
C)
neutrals |
D)
agree |
E)
strongly agree |
As an indicator of your personality and preferences, these
tests can help prospective employers to find the best match of
individual to occupation and working environment. As a recruitment
and selection tool, they can be applied in a straightforward way
at the early stages of selection to screen-out candidates who are
likely to be unsuitable for the job or, using a more sophisticated
approach, to provide guidance on career progression to existing
employees.
Aptitude and ability tests on the other hand, are designed to
assess your intellectual performance. They consist of multiple
choice questions and are administered under exam conditions. They
are strictly timed and a typical test might allow 30 minutes for
30 or so questions.
Your test result will be compared to that of a
control group so that judgments can be made about your abilities.
These types of test can be broadly classified onto the groups
shown and you may be asked to sit a test which consists only of
‘numerical’ questions or these may form part of a test which
consists of questions of different types. This will depend very
much on the job you are applying for. For example, jobs that
require you to handle figures on a day to day basis may have a
higher proportion of
numerical reasoning questions, whereas tests
used for information technology jobs tend to have a higher
proportion of
abstract reasoning questions.
Verbal Ability Questions
These questions which test your ability to spell words correctly,
use correct grammar, understand analogies and follow detailed
written instructions. These tests are widely used since most jobs
require you either to understand and make decisions based on
verbal or written information or to pass this type of information
to others.
Numeric Ability Questions
These include questions on basic arithmetic, number sequences and
simple mathematics. These tests are directly applicable to many
administrative and clerical jobs but can also appear as a
component of graduate and managerial tests. Sometimes information
is provided that requires you to interpret it and then apply the
appropriate logic to answer the questions which may approximate
the type of reasoning required in the workplace.
Abstract Reasoning Questions
These questions are based on diagrams and measure your ability to
identify the underlying logic of a pattern. Abstract reasoning
questions are thought to give the best indication of your general
intelligence and because they are independent of language they are
‘culture fair’. These tests are of particular value when the job
involves dealing with abstract ideas or concepts as many technical
jobs do. However, as they also provide the best measure of your
general intellectual ability, they are very widely used and you
will usually find some questions of this type whichever particular
tests you are given.
Spatial Reasoning Questions
These questions measure your ability to manipulate shapes in two
dimensions or to visualize three-dimensional objects presented as
two-dimensional pictures. Spatial ability is required in
production, technical and design jobs where plans and drawings are
used, for example; engineering, architecture, surveying and
design. However, it is also important in some branches of science
where the ability to envisage the interactions of 3 dimensional
components is essential.
Mechanical Reasoning Questions
These questions are designed to assess your knowledge of physical
and mechanical principles. They are usually in the form of a
question and a diagram and you will need to determine which
mechanical principle is being illustrated. No specialist knowledge
is required to answer these questions, only an understanding of
mechanical principles. Mechanical reasoning tests are used to
select for a wide range of apprentice and engineering occupations.
Data Checking Questions
These questions present you with number of tables of information
which must be checked against each other. This type of test is
used to measure how quickly and accurately errors can be detected
in data. It is used to select candidates for clerical and data
input jobs, particularly where accuracy is important, for example,
accounting and banking. In these tests you will usually be given
two columns of data to check for consistency and you will be asked
to mark up any differences.
Psychometric Tests - Personality Questionnaires
Psychometric Tests - How Personality Profiles are Used
Psychometric Tests - Aptitude and Ability Tests
Psychometric Tests - Speed and Power Tests
Psychometric Tests - The Assessment Center
Psychometric Tests - Why Tests are So Widely Used
Psychometric Tests - The Growth of Psychometric Testing
Psychometric Tests - What You Can Expect on the Day
Go to pass psychometric tests
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