Psychometric tests are often used to help give a hiring manager an idea of your personality, aptitude and overall suitability for a role. Each business has its own culture and way of thinking. These tests help to reflect how well an individual would fit in with this environment objectively. Psychometric testing helps to eliminate potential biases that could be present in the recruitment process. However, they are not meant to replace the interview process or need for a CV. Testing is simply an aid for employers to use alongside these traditional recruitment processes to help to determine your suitability for a role. Here are 7 tips that can help you to complete a psychometric test effectively and help increase your chance of success.
1. Don’t try to predict an answer
Whether the test is an aptitude based test or a personality test it is essential that you do not try to predict answers. It is important to note that there are no right or wrong answers in a personality test and you must choose answers that you believe are best and not what you think the company will want you to pick! Prediction will present results that won’t truly reflect your personality and could actually make you unsuitable for the role.
2. Practise
It is possible to practise before some psychometric tests online. There are various websites that allow you to practise aptitude tests. Practising before taking the test can help to calm you down and help you to answer more effectively. If you are required to undertake a numerical reasoning test and you haven’t done much maths recently then try to go over some basics and refresh your memory before taking the test.
3. Don’t rush!
Some psychometric tests will be timed and it becomes very tempting to rush your answers to ensure you finish in enough time. However, this could have a negative impact on your answers and harm your score. Try to stay calm, breathe, and answer to the best of your ability. Choosing to rush a test may cause you to answer questions in a way that doesn’t reflect your skills or personality and give a completely wrong impression to the hiring manager.
4. Read each question thoroughly
Taking the time to read or even reread a question thoroughly can help you to answer more effectively. Some personality tests will require you to put words into an order that best describes your behaviour. Reading the key words and the task thoroughly will enable you to give a more accurate answer. Failing to read a question could harm the results and cause you to miss out on a job opportunity.
5. Time yourself
Along with practising your answers, try to time yourself during your practise runs. This will give you a good indication of how likely you are to finish the test in time. It can also give you an indication of whether you need further practise runs.
6. Choose carefully when to take the test
When a company asks you to complete a psychometric test don’t just hurry to take it to get it out of the way! Take the test when you are relaxed and have enough free time to complete the test. Make sure that you are free of distractions and won’t be interrupted to give you the best shot at completing the test to the best of your ability
7. Check your answers!
Many aptitude tests will allow you to go back and review your answers. If you finish before your time is up it is important that you use this chance to check your answers. This could help you to pick up on silly mistakes and help to increase your score, and help you to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.