Psychometric tests might sound daunting, but knowing what to expect can be half the battle and will help you to prepare in advance. It’s easy to practise the tests and the more you practise, the more likely you are to stand out from other candidates.
You can split them into four areas:
1. Aptitude and ability
You will usually be presented with a numerical, verbal or diagrammatical reasoning scenario, depending on what roles you’re applying for. These are the most widely used types of psychometric tests and have definite right or wrong answers. Our webpages will have ideas on how you can get better if you’re feeling a bit rusty on the basics and our top tip is to do the Graduates First free practise tests.
2. Situational judgement
Used to assess your response to given workplace scenarios, these tests will look at your behaviour and competency in that situation.
3. Personality and interests
These tests are used to judge your personality traits and values. The questions have no right or wrong answers, but it's important to answer honestly rather than what you think the employer wants to hear.
4. Motivation and values
These are used to test your personal values and what motivates you. These questions have no right or wrong answers, but should be answered honestly and it could be useful to take a look at the employer’s website to see if your values align with theirs
Have a go at some practice tests
Through Graduates First you can access:
- numerical, verbal and logical tests
- expert feedback reports
- work personality questionnaires
- specialist tests for specific industries such as Law and IT
There are short videos to help you navigate the process of preparing for a psychometric test including tips, step-by-step guides and a jargon buster. You can choose tests to practise based on the sector you’d like to get into, by over 100 specific employers or on type of assessment.
The Top Employer Profiles and Job Assessment Stages provide information about how each organisation approaches its recruitment process and the kinds of assessments you may face. Over 100 organisations are profiled on the site.
As with any stage of a job application, preparation is essential. The Careers website has lots of great advice and practice tests to work through. It’s worth booking an appointment with an adviser; lots of the psychometric tests I’ve passed were a direct result of these appointments.