Psychometric Assessment

What are psychometric tests?

A psychometric test is a way of assessing a person's ability or personality in a measured and structured way. There are 3 main types of tests: ability, personality and interest (although both personality and interest are more like psychometric questionnaires). Some tests are used by employers to help them in their recruitment process while other tests can help people with career decision making.

It is common for graduate employers to use psychometric tests as part of their selection process.  Organisations believe tests help them recruit the right people with the right mix of abilities and personal qualities. They are also useful for "sifting out" large numbers of applicants at an early stage and so saving the employers both time and money.  

Tests can be administered by pencil and paper or computer. You may be asked to take them in an assessment centre, test centre or online. Employers may set a particular score which you need to achieve to proceed.

Ability tests

General intelligence tests
Some tests assess your general ability (your intelligence). They are not dependent on prior learning or knowledge but more on how good you are at solving problems using logical thinking.

Specific ability tests
There are 2 types of specific ability tests: 

    • Attainment tests

These examine the skills and knowledge you already possess. They are designed to assess what you know at the time of the test such as for a driving test or a word processing test. These can be known as work-related tests.

    • Aptitude tests

These are more of a measure of your potential for certain activities. They do not rely on any previous knowledge or training, but more on your natural ability or aptitude. The 2 most common forms of aptitude tests are verbal and numerical reasoning tests. There are also more specialised tests which can be used if you are applying for particular careers in IT, science or engineering.

Personality questionnaires

Work related personality questionnaires
These are designed to allow organisations to measure aspects of your personality. Unlike the tests listed above there are no right or wrong answers. They seek to present a picture of how a person will behave in particular circumstances. Again, they are often used by graduate employers.

Interest questionnaires

Interest inventories examine a person's interests and are often used in careers guidance (see Prospects Planner). These can also be used for selection purposes.

Example tests and further help

Example tests
Keele Careers and Employability Service has a number of useful reference books in the Careers and Employability Centre which as well as containing general guidance and advice about psychometric tests also allow you to practice the many forms of tests you may come across. 

Organisations that develop psychometric tests often provide guidance and advice as well as example tests for you to practice on. We have links to organisations developing both ability tests as well as personality questionnaires.

Further help
Many people find numerical tests difficult, often this is due to being out of practice dealing with numerical information. www.mathcentre.ac.uk is a website which offers quick reference guides, practice and online exercises on many branches of maths.

Students with disabilities

The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) have produced a guide for people who are blind or partially sighted and who may be asked to carry out formal written tests or questionnaires as part of the recruitment and selection process for a job. Although the advice contained on the RNIB website is aimed at people with visual impairment, it may also be of some relevance to people with other disabilities.

 

Updated on 16 April 2013