It’s spooky season. But I joke of course, because psychometric tests don’t have to be as scary as everyone says. Let’s demystify them.
First of all: What is a psychometric test? Some of you may be asking. Madelaine explains in this blog!
Boo!
It’s spooky season. But I joke of course, because psychometric tests don’t have to be as scary as everyone says. Let’s demystify them.
First of all: What is a psychometric test? Some of you may be asking.
In short, they are tests used by employers to assess attributes such as particular abilities, personality traits, and verbal and numerical reasoning. They are specifically tailored to the job role, identifying those candidates best suited to the vacancy. You’ll see them a lot for graduate schemes, but also lots of jobs in larger organisations that may see many applications for each post they advertise.
The Government Careers Website offers a ‘cheat sheet’ of lots of useful information and links around psychometric tests. They should know – the Civil Service Fast Stream, a popular Grad Scheme has a fair few rounds of psychometric tests before you have any in person assessment. This is why it’s pretty important to wrap your head around these tests; sometimes, you won’t get the chance to show your personality and the things that make you unique until you’ve passed them!
Most websites have similar ‘top tips’ for maximising your performance at these tests:
- Practice, practice, practice! Brush up on your basic maths skills, get a feel for what sort of questions you may be asked, and work out how long each type of question may ask you. You’ll also feel more confident if you know what to expect!
- Make sure you have rough paper, a calculator and a pen/pencil with you. This will be especially important for and numerical reasoning.
- Sit somewhere quiet, and where you feel relaxed, comfortable, and ready to get started.
- Don’t rush through the test – give yourself a breath, consider each option carefully, and make sure to take advantage of the chance to look over your answers at the end if you have the time. Make sure you read all the instructions that you’re given!
Final Tip: The Royal Holloway Careers Service offers a free range of practice tests, which can be incredibly useful for getting a sense of what you might be tested on, and the style of the test. You can find the details on this intranet page.
Basically, practice lots, but also try and stay as chill as possible. Speak to the Careers Service for help, and make sure you complete the quiz in a quiet, pleasant space. That’s today’s lowdown.