1 Sussing you out
Psychometric assessments are tests used by employers to measure a candidate’s ‘mental output’ – personality, motivation, interests, intellect, ability, and potential. The questionnaires are designed to reveal how you might behave in a given situation. Advocates of psychometrics say the tests are statistically more likely to identify the right person for the job than face-to-face interviews alone. Psychometrics are also increasingly being used by organisations when assessing employees for promotion.
2 No wrong answer
Personality profiling is the most common psychometric tool. This examines a range of issues, from how you’d behave in different social situations through to what makes you anxious or stimulates your creativity. You can’t answer these questions incorrectly as they’re designed to find out about you as a person. But don’t try to disguise yourself. Psychometrics are often used prior to interviews, at which you’d have to exhibit the same personality traits – a much trickier proposition.
3 How to prepare
Alongside personality profiling, psychometrics usually include an element of aptitude testing – such as verbal, numerical, and graphical reasoning skills, or the speed and accuracy with which you process information. You can buy books to practise these kinds of tests, and although they won’t provide you with specific answers, books will at least help you become more comfortable with the format of the questions, boosting your confidence.