Expert advice
Expert advice
Seeing the word 'test' as a part of the application process to get a job may not appeal to everybody. However the reality is that more and more organisations are using a range of different tests to help them recruit graduates.
With the help of an expert team of business psychologists and organisation development consultants from Human Factors International we attempt to resolve some of your enquiries regarding psychometric testing.
If you have a question which does not appear here, please feel free to post a question to us, and we will do our best to answer this for you.
This question may be added to this page should we feel it relevant to other students.
Question #1
Question #2
"What kind of tests am I likely to come across when applying for graduate jobs?" - Gary, Glasgow
Question #3
"Is there anything I can do during a test to help me pass?" - Yassir, Bolton
Answer #1
You can build up your confidence before you start any test by do practicing. Test yourself with as many questions as you can lay your hands on. It is clear to see after the test has been completed which graduate has prepared well and which has not.
If you were an employer, which one would you choose? Obviously you would choose the graduate who prepared themselves as this is a good indication of things to come.
Tools that you could use for improving your chances in the tests are
- Mathematics questions
- Word puzzles
- Read newspapers to improve memory, language and current affairs knowledge.
Remember it is one thing to collect the information to practice with and another to actually use it. Once you have the information make sure you regularly practice. Remember you do not know how much preperation other candidates have had, so it is vitally important that you practice as hard as you can. You can then be confident that you have tried your best.
Answer #2
There are a great variety of assessment tests and questionnaires in use today. Some are completed on paper, others on a computer. However they fall into three categories:
1. Personality and interests
These are measures of typical performance. When completing these types of questionnaires the organisation is trying to understand a little more about you and what you think is important in life. It is important to be yourself. Don't try to reinvent your personality for the test. You never know exactly what they are looking for and the questions are carefully designed by psychologists to detect when someone is being less than honest.
2. Ability and aptitude
These tests are usually timed and typically involve verbal, numerical and diagrammatic or spatial reasoning, but there are many different types. They are designed to measure how well you pick up concepts, not how much you learned in your Maths class. For that reason practice will help you only in terms of making you more confident and familiar with the materials that you may be presented with. However when you are completing timed tests you need to have a good strategy.
3. Skills and knowledge
It is possible to prepare or revise for knowledge based tests in the same way you might for an exam. Make sure that you know what subjects the tests will cover and have a look at any notes you may have. If possible practice, it will help to familiarise you with the type of questions that will be asked.
Answer #3
Read all of the instructions very carefully and follow them closely. Make sure that you understand what you are being asked to do and how long you have to do it. If you do not understand, re-read the instructions or email the helpline before starting the test.
When you begin, look at the test in its entirety and work out how long it should take you per question, for example if you have one hour to complete 60 questions you should allow one minute per question.
Stick to this time limit per question, if you go past it then you allow yourself less time for the next question. However if you feel that a few extra seconds will allow you to solve the question, complete the question then move on. It is really all down to judgement at the end of the day.
Work through the test at a steady and accurate rate, questions are bound to get harder as you move through the test so try and stay calm. Avoid spending to long on one question. If you are stuck, move on to the next question.
Most people do not finish the tests, so be aware of this before you start the test, however try your best to answer as many as you can. Don't always expect to finish timed tests; they're designed to put you under pressure.
Give honest answers in personality and interest type questionnaires and don't spend a long time thinking about the answers or trying to guess how they want you to answer; remember organisations are interested your true personality, not how you think they would like you to respond and act.
Make sure you take any test yourself, because you will either be asked to sit a similar test later in the selection process or may be part of a random selection of applicants who will be re-tested.
Each question could mean the difference between you getting the job and another graduate getting it. Therefore you can clearly see how important it is to read the question properly. So make sure you read it properly, understand what you are being asked, then answer it. You are wasting valuable time if you don't!