Psychometric Assessments
Asked to complete an assessment as part of a process? Here is what they are for, the types you might be given, how to prepare, and how to get your feedback afterwards.
Psychometric assessments are a great way to understand how a person thinks, behaves and operates in a professional environment. Employers use these assessments to gain a better understanding of YOU alongside interviewing, reference checking and screening.
Psychometric assessments are also a fantastic development tool. An employer can use your assessment reports as a learning and development tool if you become a new member of their team, for your ongoing professional development and onboarding.
Skills assessments
Usually Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word) and typing, for both speed and accuracy. There will also be testing for specific roles. For a graphic design or videography role, an employer may ask you to show them how you use Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci. For a finance manager role, they may ask you to analyse a profit and loss sheet.
Personality assessments
A personality assessment measures your natural tendencies and preferences. There are no right or wrong answers, it is all your personal preferences. The aim is to answer how you are, instead of how you would like to be or want to be. A lot of these assessments will pick up if you are trying to present yourself in a certain way. It is also best to avoid the neutral or middle check boxes too often, as this will present an incomplete report.
Ability assessments
Ability assessments are a TEST, and usually timed. One common ability assessment is a cognitive ability test, made up of a mixture of vocabulary, numerical and abstract reasoning questions. These give an employer an idea of how you understand numbers, follow instructions and think critically, meaning how quickly you pick up new information.
All the questions are multi choice, and they advise not to use calculators, dictionaries or the internet while completing the assessment. You are allowed a pen and paper to make notes and calculations.
Before beginning a psychometric assessment, there are a few things you can and will need to do first.
Make sure you will have at least 45 minutes to an hour of uninterrupted time in a quiet environment. It is important you are not distracted and are able to complete the assessments in one period, as the assessment links can expire or time out.
It is also important you are in the right frame of mind. If you are extremely tired, or dealing with something personally that is overtaking your mind, it may affect how you perform and could cause a result that does not truly reflect you.
Most assessments will need to be completed on a computer or laptop. Phones usually do not show the full assessment screen, questions can be missed, and this can skew your results.
You can also ask your recruitment partner or the hiring manager for practice tests before sitting the real assessments. This lets you familiarise yourself with the questioning and what to expect from the layout of the test.
You are always entitled to feedback. Ask your recruitment partner or the hiring manager to provide it, so that you can understand your style and how it may fit with your prospective employer. Feedback is usually provided over the phone or in person, or they may have a specific feedback report they can email you.
Remember, psychometric testing is supposed to be ONE piece of the puzzle in a hiring process. It should not be the final decision maker for an employer. Take a breath and try your best.
Been asked to complete an assessment?
Your recruitment partner can tell you which one, how long it takes, and what it is being used for.