Psychometric testing may feel like a black box in the hiring process. They’re likely different to anything you’ve experienced before as a recent graduate and the word “testing” brings back memories of formal exams and make-or-break test results.The good news is that it’s not that kind of test!
In this article we’ll discuss the top five misconceptions recent graduates have about psychometric testing. From thinking you can lie on the test to not feeling like you’re able to prepare, we'll help you take psychometric testing from daunting to understandable.
What is psychometric testing?
Psychometric tests are designed to assess things like cognitive ability, problem solving, personality traits, and general knowledge using a scientifically reasoned method. Usually you can expect to do these tests online.
Their goal is to assess how well a graduate would suit a role or the company's values at an early stage of the interview process helping the hiring manager narrow down applicants.
You might be thinking that psychometric testing seems to cover a lot of categories for one test, and that’s it, there isn’t just one type of test. We’ve previously discussed the types of psychometric testing and how to prepare before, but here’s the broad strokes:
Aptitude Assessment (Verbal/Numerical Reasoning): Tests your ability by asking a series of questions in a limited time frame. The idea is that graduates better at problem-solving, decision making, and interpreting information in a limited time frame would be able to solve more correctly than someone who wasn’t strong in these areas. The types of tests in this category are:
- Abstract: A test that focuses on things like shapes and patterns, instead of words and numbers, to test a graduate.
- Verbal: Usually in a text format this test is designed to assess your ability to process information, what parts are critical and what’s not, to make a decision.
- Numerical: Similar to verbal tests, the numerical version aims to test your ability to process information (this time numbers), what’s important and what’s not, to make a decision.
Personality Assessment: There are many types of personality assessments designed to measure different sets of personality traits. These tests do not use a timer, so you can answer them at your own pace, they also aren’t the sort of test you can get right or wrong. Instead they compare how you're assessed to the position and company’s requirements.
Misconception 1: You can lie on the test
It’s a tempting and completely understandable response to want to lie on these tests, specifically the personality assessment, to better match what you think the employer will want. The experts behind the creation of psychometric tests also know this and will ask multiple questions assessing the same personality trait. Because they ask the same question in different ways, consistency is key, which you’ll get through honesty.
The Institute of Psychometric Coaching (IPC) also points out that some psychometric tests use questions to check how honest you’re being. They say one of those scales is called social desirability where you’ll be asked about undesirable behaviours most people will have done in the past, for example “I have never told a white lie, even to save someone's feelings”. Ranking highly in this means the graduate has denied what is a very common undesirable behaviour which implies they’re being dishonest.
Misconception 2: They’re intelligence tests
Another common misconception is that psychometric testing is the same as intelligence testing. While the Aptitude Assessments we have previously discussed in this article do have right and wrong answers, they aren’t strictly assessing your intelligence. Instead it’s skills such as decision making, critical thinking, and problem solving they’re focusing on.
The other sort of psychometric testing, personality assessments, aren’t designed to be an intelligence test of the graduate doing the test. Instead their focus is to see if your personality is a good fit for the business or role.
Misconception 3: Getting a good score is important
Good scores aren’t relevant to personality assessments because they are just testing your suitability for the role, but they’re also not exactly as you’d expect for aptitude assessment either.
Unlike almost every other test you’ve ever had, where getting high marks is important, aptitude assessments usually put the most difficult questions toward the end but weigh all the questions evenly. So while there are right and wrong answers you won’t get more marks for figuring out the tough questions.
Some tests, such as the numerical aptitude test, you’re not even expected to finish. While you should aim to complete it according to the IPC, only 1% to 2% of test-takers can correctly answer all questions within the time limit.
The hiring manager may also only be using psychometric testing as one part of the recruitment process. While preparing for these tests is important, so is doing well in other aspects of the application such as your face-to-face interview.
Misconception 4: They’re only used for job applications
Recent graduates may believe that psychometric tests stop when you’ve got the job. The reality is you’re likely to encounter them many times over in your career. Not only when applying for new jobs, but even when working your way up within a company. For example, the tests may be used to see how your personality fits the new responsibilities of a promotion.
Misconception 5: You can’t prepare for a psychometric test
A common misconception among recent graduates and internet resources is that you can’t prepare for a psychometric test because they’re testing things like your personality or aptitude in certain categories. The reality is that practice won’t lead to an inauthentic response but instead help you perform at your full potential.
By practising and familiarising yourself with the test, things like stress and uncertainty are less likely to impact your responses. The goal of the psychometric test is to get a better idea of who you are and what you’re capable of, preparation will help you do just that.
Conclusion
While psychometric testing might still feel like a black box to you, as it does many graduates, hopefully now you feel more equipped to succeed when psychometric testing comes up in your applications. See more psychometric testing resources you can use here and four must-knows from online assessment platform, Sova here.