Psychometric Tests


























CareersCentre@Curtin





Psychometric tests provide additional information for employer’s during the recruitment
process. Some employers also use them as they are believed to offer greater objectivity,
reliability and validity than interviews alone. The aim of these types of tests is to provide
employers with predications of how you will function and operate in their workplace.

There are two main types of psychometric tests: ability or aptitude tests and personality
questionnaires.

• Aptitude or ability tests can result in a score which allows employers to rank you
compared to other applicants or a criteria/standard they have set.
• Personality inventories are not about passing or failing but about giving a profile of you to
the employer whose task it is to match an applicant to the job or work place.

There is no one ‘set’ of psychometric tests. Instead employers may purchase existing tests
or they may develop them ‘in house’ for their specific organisation.

Ability or aptitude tests

Aptitude or ability tests provide information on a person’s potential. They are not the same
as IQ tests.

They can be designed to indicate suitability for specific tasks involving skills such as
numeracy and literacy, computing, keyboard and/or foreign languages.

The tests usually:

 Are timed. (Hint: when you begin note the number of questions and number of
minutes you have for the test, be aware of approximately how many minutes/seconds
you can allocate to each question.)
 Need speed and accuracy. Sometimes marks are deducted for incorrect answers
(Hint: usually accuracy is more important than speed, however if you are stuck on a
question, skip over it and come back to it later, if you have time.)
 Consist of both short answer and multiple choice questions, with one right answer.
 Have separate answer and question sheets.
 Have questions which become progressively more difficult.

The tests cover skills such as:

 Verbal reasoning (critical evaluation of written information).

 Comprehension .
 Numerical reasoning (logical interpretation of numerical and statistical information).
 Abstract, mechanical or spatial reasoning (pattern recognition).
 Information checking (checking errors / attention to detail tasks).
 Following logical instructions.
 How quickly you can learn and master a new task.

Psychometric Tests
 
 2



Personality questionnaires

Personality questionnaires or inventories attempt to provide an insight into how you typically
behave, such as the way you relate to others, or the way you approach and solve problems.
They explore personality characteristics. Employers are particularly interested in those
characteristics that are relevant to the world of work. To help answer these types of
questions it is often helpful to think about how you would behave in a similar situation(s) in a
work environment. Hint: think beyond your formal work experience, include voluntary work,
work experience and practicums, sport, university activities and when you are participating in
your hobbies.

Personality questionnaires look at factors such as:

 Ways of thinking, feeling and acting in different situations.

 Interpersonal style, conflict style, leadership style.
 Thinking style.
 Patterns of coping with stress.
 Interests - how much do you like carrying out various types of activities at work.
 Motivations – these factors look at the energy with which you approach your work,
and the different conditions which increase or decrease your motivation.
 Work values– what factors make work worthwhile for you

Employers will often have a profile they are matching you against, however it is usually not
possible to second guess the profile. Hint: It is best to just answer these questions
honestly.

Personality tests usually:

 Are un-timed. (Hint: work quickly, you don’t need to ponder over each question.)
 Have no right or wrong answers.
 Are forced choice, that is select answer A or B.
 Claim to be able to pick up inconsistencies and faking.

Can I pass or fail a Psychometric Test?

Employers will use a range of exercises by which to evaluate applicants against the
competencies they require e.g. psychometric tests, interview/s, assessment centre activities
and the bio-data (e.g. education, employment, skills) presented in your resume. One low
psychometric test outcome will not make you ineligible for the job.

Hint: Employers are attempting to find the best candidate fit for their position they are
not focusing on passing or failing candidates.

Hints for before the Psychometric Test:

 Contact the employers and ask what type of tests will be administered.
 Practice the tests!
 Get a good night’s sleep beforehand.
 If appropriate, advise the test coordinator of any special requirements you might
have.

Psychometric Tests
 
 3



Hints for during the Psychometric Test:

 Listen carefully to the instructions given. If you are not clear on what is required, ask.
 Read the instructions, you need to know: -
o Will marks be deducted for wrong answers?
o Can you select more than one multiple choice response?
o Is there a time limit?
Sometimes there are far more questions than can be realistically completed in the time
allocated. You need to work as quickly as practical and skip questions you get stuck on.
However, it is not usually advisable to skim the whole test for easy questions; this
approach can tend to waste time.

Hints for after the Psychometric Test:

Call the employer and respectfully ask for feedback (Be careful of the impression you leave.
For example you don’t want to leave the employer with the feeling that you are challenging
their decision, or a needy candidate etc.)

Take notes of what you are told, it is quite likely you will sit the same psychometric
test more than once when going for jobs. However, different employers will have different
personality profiles they are looking for, in this situation you will not be viewed identically by
every employer.

Psychometric Test websites

Psychological Testing Centre http://www.psychtesting.org.uk/

Psychometric Success http://www.psychometric-success.com/
Queendom http://www.queendom.com
SHL http://www.shldirect.com/






Should you have any enquiries, please contact us:

Telephone: (08) 9266 7802

Fax: (08) 9266 3847

Email: careers@curtin.edu.au

In person: Building 599, Bentley Campus

careers.curtin.edu.au