Psychometric
Tests
Psychometric Tests
There are many different types of psychometric tests.
They are usually designed by psychologists and
provide additional information that helps form the
employer’s overall profile of you and their predictions
of how you will function in their workplace.
Employers use them as they are believed to offer
greater objectivity, reliability and validity than
interviews. The tests are standardised which means
that all applicants sit the same assessment and are
scored according to the same criteria, no matter
where or when the test is completed.
Types of Psychometric Tests
Ability or aptitude tests
Aptitude or ability tests provide information on a
person’s potential; they are not the same as IQ tests.
The tests usually:
ƒ Are timed (so 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)
ƒ Consist of short answer and multiple choice
questions
ƒ Have separate answer and question sheets
ƒ Have one right answer
ƒ Have questions which become progressively
more difficult
ƒ Need speed and accuracy. 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.
Sometimes marks are deducted for incorrect
answers
Psychometric Tests
© Careers and Employment, Swinburne University of Technology, Jan 2006
January 2006
The tests cover skills such as:
ƒ Verbal reasoning (critical evaluation of
written information)
ƒ Comprehension
ƒ Numerical reasoning (logical interpretation of
numerical and statistical information)
ƒ Abstract, mechanical or spatial reasoning
(pattern recognition)
ƒ Information checking (checking errors /
attention to detail tasks)
ƒ Following logical instructions
ƒ How quickly you can learn and master a new
task
They can be designed to indicate suitability for
specific tasks eg computing, keyboard or foreign
language skills.
Personality questionnaires
Personality questionnaires or inventories are
concerned with how you typically behave, such as
the way you relate to others, or the way you
approach and solve problems. They generally
explore personality characteristics relevant to the
world of work. To answer the questions you often
need to think about what you would do in a work
situation. If you have no formal work experience,
think about how you behave in similar situations such
as voluntary work, university activities or when you
are participating in your hobbies. Personality
questionnaires look at factors such as:-
ƒ Ways of thinking, feeling and acting in
different situations
ƒ Interpersonal style, conflict style, leadership
style
ƒ Thinking style
ƒ Patterns of coping with stress
ƒ Interests - how much do you like carrying out
various types of activities at work.
 ƒ Motivations – look at the energy with which
you approach your work, and the different
conditions which increase or decrease your
motivation.
ƒ 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. The specific characteristics
for the particular job may include characteristics
which are 100% opposite to each other e.g.
independence or team skills, persuasiveness or
cooperativeness. Basically it is best to just answer
these questions honestly
Personality tests usually:
ƒ Are un-timed, but you should still work
quickly, you don’t need to ponder over each
question
ƒ Have no right or wrong answers
ƒ Are forced choice, that is select answer A or
B high level of numeracy, numerical tests are
ƒ Claim to be able to pick up inconsistencies
and faking
Some popular personality tests
ƒ Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) -
This uses a four preference scale
(Extraversion Vs Introversion, Sensing
Vs iNtuition, Thinking Vs Feeling, and
Judgment Vs Perception) to assess how
you gather information and make
decisions.
ƒ Strong Interest Inventory - is based on
research by E.K Strong and the
occupational themes of John Holland. It
measures interest indicators on
occupational themes, areas of expertise,
and specific job types. Report scales
indicate how your interests match those
of satisfied individuals while “personal
style” scales indicate learning
environment, leadership and risk taking
preferences
ƒ Occupational Personality Questionnaire
(OPQ) – asks questions about your
preferred style of behaving at work, in
terms of the way you relate to others, the
way you approach and solve problems,
and your feelings and emotions
Psychometric Tests
© Careers and Employment, Swinburne University of Technology, Jan 2006
How can I improve my test score?
Generally ability and aptitude tests are meant to be
free of test preparation or practice effect. However, it
does seem that practice does improve performance.
ƒ Practice tests - There are some manuals
of test questions (see the Careers and
Employment library) and online practice
tests (see the end of this brochure for the
web addresses) available and it is
extremely valuable to practice these before
your assessment. You need to find out
exactly which tests you will be given during
your assessment so you can prepare for
the correct one/s.
ƒ Puzzles – Completing word games,
mathematical teasers, puzzles with
diagrams, etc may help you get into a
logical and analytical frame of mind.
ƒ Brush up on your maths – If it is a while
since you have done any maths, practice
arithmetic with and without a calculator.
Addition, subtraction, division,
multiplication and calculations of
percentages and ratios are commonly
required. Unless the job requires a very
unlikely to be pitched at higher than a year
9 level. The ability to extract information
from charts and graphs is also usually
needed.
ƒ Verbal reasoning skills – These are more
difficult to quickly brush up than
mathematical techniques. Reading
manuals, technical reports, academic or
business journals may help. Practice
extracting main points of information and
summarising their meaning. (For most
students this is what you do on a daily
basis anyway!)
ƒ Other preparation techniques are the
same as your usual exam technique; get a
good night’s sleep before the day, read the
instructions, read the question, etc.
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 biodata (eg
education, employment, skills) presented in your
resume. One low psychometric test outcome will not
make you ineligible for the job.
2

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 tests 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. You won’t fail as such, but you may fail to
fit/match the company culture or profile the company
is looking for.
looking for, in this situation you will not be
viewed identically by every employer.
Psychometric test websites
To see a list of the psychometric test websites, see
Careers and Employment website
http://www.swin.edu.au/corporate/careers/psychomet
ric_testing.html

Tips to remember before the Psychometric Test Advertisement

First impressions count!

ƒ Contact the employers and ask what type
of tests will be administered Look your best at interviews
You may never get another
chance to make a good
ƒ Practice the tests! impression!

ƒ Get a good night’s sleep beforehand

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NEW LEADERS
ƒ If appropriate, advise the test coordinator Office Wear
of any special requirements you might is offering Swinburne
have students outfits at half the
cost of retail price.

Don’t forget your

student card for
Tips to remember during the Psychometric Test an extra
10% discount
ƒ Listen carefully to the instructions given. If
Telephone: 9574 1565
you are not clear on what is required, ask.
for consultation or simply call in at
ƒ Read the instructions, you need to know: - 10/35 Garden Road, Clayton
Wed: 12pm—5.30pm Sat: 10am—2pm
o Will marks be deducted for wrong Advertisement
answers?
o Can you select more than one
multiple choice response?
o Is there a time limit?

ƒ 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.

Tips to remember after the Psychometric Test

ƒ Call the employer and respectfully ask for

feedback (be careful you don’t leave the
employer with the feeling that you are
challenging their decision)

ƒ 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

Psychometric Tests 3
© Careers and Employment, Swinburne University of Technology, Jan 2006