Character tests need not scare candidates who know the score
Many of us have tried personality tests, either on the internet or as part of a management development programme. Learning about our skills and personality can be fun.
However, being asked to bare your soul during a selection process is a much more stressful matter.
'I was worried about the tests. There were so many difficult questions and I could not complete all of them. But I was still offered the job - so I can't have done that badly,' said Vicky Ma, a recently appointed sales manager who completed psychometric tests when applying for her job in the telecommunications industry.
Candidates can quell some of their nerves by understanding what to expect.
Personality tests
Psychometric tests are scientific tools for measuring mental factors, including intelligence, aptitude, personality and motivation.
Research consistently shows that psychometric tests designed for a work environment (as opposed to a medical one), predict job success more reliably than traditional interviews.
Candidates should be aware that there are two main categories of psychometric tests used for selection.
Personality tests attempt to understand how an individual relates to the world.
They measure the enduring characteristics of the person's behaviour and preferences.
They are often used to identify candidates who demonstrate behaviour compatible with specific jobs. For example, when recruiting a sales executive, an organisation may prefer a candidate who sees himself as persuasive rather than one who accepts the views of others.
There are many different personality tests, each with distinctive theoretical backgrounds, formats and question types.
However, in all personality tests, there are no right or wrong answers and they usually need not be completed within a time limit.
Some tests ask the candidate to choose statements which best describes their personality. For example, they might be asked to choose between, 'I am typically a person of clear reasoning' or 'I am typically a person of strong feeling'.
Other tests ask the candidate to agree or disagree with an adjective or phrase.
For example the test might present the phrase 'I am dynamic'. Candidates must then decide if they strongly disagree or agree with the phrase.
Ability tests
Ability tests aim to assess inherent thinking abilities - they are not tests of general knowledge.
The most common are numerical and verbal reasoning assessments. These are useful in predicting performance on certain competencies. For example, research suggests that candidates with strong numerical reasoning skills tend to be better strategic thinkers.
Ability tests are administered under exam conditions and are strictly timed. The questions are often multiple choice and have right and wrong answers.
In a test of numerical reasoning, you might be presented with a table of data, such as newspaper readership figures, and then asked questions on the data, such as which newspaper was read by a higher percentage of women than men in 1990?
Verbal reasoning tests usually present a passage of prose followed by a number of statements. Your task is to decide if the statements are true, false or if you cannot tell from the information provided.
Comparing results
A candidate who gets 99 out of 100 questions right might appear impressive. However, if every candidate gets 99 questions correct, the result has less impact.
Employers therefore usually compare your results with how others have done in the test in the past.
This group (the 'norm group') could be students or graduates, current job holders or a more general group.
For both numerical and verbal assessments, some companies establish a cut-off score based on the performance of the comparison group. You must pass this mark for your application to proceed.
