Put yourself to the test with Psychometric testing

Get the scoop on aptitude, personality and numerical tests which fall under the banner of psychometric testing. Find out why they are used, what to prepare and how they can steer you towards the right graduate job and employer.

Do you know your capabilities? Psychometric testing is a useful guide to discovering your competencies and providing direction in your career path. Here’s a breakdown of the types of psychometric tests and its functions according to career and business psychologists. Psychometric testing is designed “to measure what’s in the mind”, says occupational psychologist Howard Grosvenor.

The test measures a range of competencies and performance areas. It asks questions like “what can you do?” in order to identify individual characteristics. “Are you good at working with numbers or in the three dimensional spaces?’ are more examples of the type of questions that can expected in this test. In addition the tests seek to uncover “how you do things” according to Grosvenor. Your style or method of operating says a lot about who you are and in which environments you will excel. Some people thrive in social setting while others prefer to work alone. These preferences all contribute to determining the best career path.

According to business psychologist James Meachin psychometric tests fall into one of two categories. “The first is ability-based testing”. This assessment focuses on things like intelligence, verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning. Then there are “preference-based psychometric tests” which look at personalities and motivations.

Psychometric testing is used by companies to determine whether potential recruits will be a good fit for the organisation. As Grosvenor points out individuals who are well suited to the company are more likely to produce good work, which will ultimately increases company profits.

However, this tool benefits both the employer and the potential employee because “if you are successful you’ll end up doing a job that you enjoy, that is a good match for your skills”. On the other hand unsuccessful applicants can be assured that they have passed up a job that would have brought misery or great difficulties.

The advantage of psychometric testing is that it provides employers with useful information about what to expect once an individual has been hired. This is one of many tools that Human Resource departments and recruiters use to match individuals to jobs.

For more information watch Career Advice: Psychometric tests explained

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