Psychometric Tests

Psychometric Tests

Psychometric tests are structured online exercises, often in the form of multiple choice questions and, more recently, online games. They are designed to assess your reasoning abilities, or how you respond to different situations. The tests have been researched, designed and trialled by occupational psychologists to ensure that they are fair to all people sitting them. Your results are usually compared with how others have done in the tests and analysed by AI.

There are several main types of psychometric tests used by employers. These include:

cognitive/ability tests (also known as aptitude tests), for example numerical or verbal reasoning tests
situational judgement tests which often assess organisational fit
game-based assessments, consisting of online games which are assessed by AI
personality assessments such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Top Tips

Practise - The best way to prepare for psychometric tests is to sit a practice test. Have a look at the useful resources box on this page for details of how to access free online tests.
Brush up your numeracy skills - If you are worried about your numeracy, have a look at the mathcentre website to help you refresh your memory on reading graphs and percentages.
Follow the instructions carefully - Make sure that you know exactly what you are required to do and complete any examples provided before you start the test.
Work quickly and accurately - Do not spend too long on any one question and take assessments seriously, even if it's a fun game.
Answer honestly - In personality questionnaires, do not try to guess what they want to hear. Be true to yourself.

Cognitive/ability tests

Also known as aptitude tests, these aim to assess your logical or thinking performance; they are not tests of general knowledge. Tests are strictly timed and questions have definite right and wrong answers which you often have to select from a range of alternatives. Your score (the number of questions you get right) will be compared with a norm group (made up of similar people for fairness) who completed the test previously. This enables selectors to assess your scores in relation to others and to make judgements about your ability to cope with the tasks involved in the job/course.

The most commonly used types are:

verbal reasoning
numerical reasoning
diagrammatic/spatial/abstract reasoning

Situational judgement tests

Situational judgement tests are work simulation exercises: you will usually be given a range of scenarios and asked to select your preferred reaction from a range of multiple-choice options or, sometimes, rank options in order of preference.

When completing these exercises, make sure you answer honestly - but also keep the employer's requirements in mind. For example, if an employers wants recruits to take on responsibility from the start, don't consistently choose the option "I will ask my manager".

Game-based assessments

Gamification in the context of the recruitment process refers to the use of game-like elements, techniques, and principles to enhance and innovate various stages of the hiring and selection process. Instead of relying solely on traditional methods like CVs, interviews, and standardised tests, employers incorporate game elements to engage candidates, assess their skills and competencies, and make the recruitment process more interactive and enjoyable. Gamification aims to provide a holistic view of a candidate's abilities and characteristics while also creating a more dynamic and immersive experience. How you engage with these games, whether you learn from mistakes or failures will be analysed in the background by an AI. Concentrate and play your best game.

Personality questionnaires

Your success in a job depends not only on your abilities, but also on your personal qualities. Interviews and group exercises can be used to assess social skills but, in addition, personality questionnaires can further explore the way you tend to react to, or deal with, different situations. These sorts of questionnaires gather information about how and why you do things in your own particular way.

Unlike cognitive tests there are no right or wrong answers and questionnaires are not usually timed. The profile drawn up from your responses can sometimes be used to structure subsequent interviews with questions on specific attributes relevant to the competencies for the role.

How to prepare

To complete this important step in the recruitment process well, you should:

Understand the employer's requirements - it's important to understand what behaviours employers are looking for and what values drive them, particularly when completing situational judgement and game-based assessments.
Practise - you can access online practice materials in our resources , so you know what to expect.
Be at your best! Make sure you are well rested and find a quiet space to complete tests.