Some organisations utilise psychometric tests to assist them with the selection process. Psychometric tests can be completed either on-line or as a pen and paper version. The industry field and the specific occupation will influence that variations of tests used. Typically, psychometric tests will entail questions aiming to assess the following:
What will I be required to do?
Abilities – assess broad skills such as verbal and numerical reasoning.
Aptitude – assess job specific skills
Work interests – assess job and industry specific interests
Personality – assess personality type and sometimes assess emotional intelligence
How do I prepare?
An employer will advise you ahead of time if they require you to undertake psychometric assessment. You cannot study for this type of testing, but there are some things you can do to help you perform at your best on the day:
Obtain information about what type of tests will be used
Conduct some research on the tests using the internet or the library, this will help you understand the purpose of the test and prepare you for the types of questions that you may encounter.
Practice answering example questions
Have a good night’s sleep before the test
Have something to eat beforehand.
Further Resources:
The Selection Test handout will assist you further with your preparation.
Psychometric Success is a non commercial site and is aimed at providing graduate job seekers with the detailed information and practice material you may need to pass pyschometric job selection tests. It has over 100 pages of free information on psychometric and aptitude tests and has over 50 free downloadable practice tests.
