Love them or loathe them, psychometric tests are
used by many companies and organizations as a
means to work out the suitability of potential
employees or other participants. If you haven't
already undertaken a psychometric test, the
chances are high that you will at some point, and
knowing how to succeed in psychometric testing is
your ticket to moving ahead in your chosen
career.
Psychometric tests aren't about luck; prior preparation will improve
your scores and make it easier to focus on what is being sought in the
testing process. Psychometric tests focus on certain aspects of your
knowledge, such as verbal and numerical reasoning, personality traits,
and other abilities assessment, such as stamina. To succeed in them,
you'll need to do some preparation in advance but there are numerous
opportunities for you to practice, so treat this as a positive
challenge rather than a potential hurdle in your job hunting.
!! Steps !!
Understand the purpose of psychometric testing. Knowing why companies
and organizations use psychometric testing can ease some of your
possible concerns that the tests are out to typecast or dismiss you.
On the whole, the tests are aimed at finding out the most able and
best suited persons for a job or course of study in the most
efficient manner.
* Psychometric testing can be an indicator that there are a lot of
applicants for a job and the employer is seeking to identify the
most suitable candidates in the most economical way possible.[1]
* It is viewed as an efficient way of gauging a potential employee's
thinking, ability to be a part of a team, and personal
priorities.[2]
* See it realistically: if you're not the best fit, you're better
off not working in this work environment. It doesn't reflect on
your worth as a person.
Know what to expect in the testing environment.
Psychometric tests can be given in the
potential workplace, or on the premises of a
business that runs the testing on behalf of the
company or organization. Read the attendance
instructions carefully and if you don't know
where to go, be sure to work it out well in
advance rather than turning up late. Also, read
any instructions about the test itself with
great care and learn what you can about the
types of questions, the timing permitted, and
the sequences the testing will be provided in.
* Psychometric tests can be written (pen and paper), on a computer,
or a combination of both.
* While most testing will take place seated at a desk, it's also
possible to be given psychometric tests while undertaking a
workplace task, or even when in a gym or on a running machine.[3]
* Average testing time is around 15 minutes but it varies depending
on the extent of tests being taken.[4] Even the timing can be
treated as part of the assessment of completion or non-completion
of particular tests.
* If you have a disability that might impact your ability to take
the test, let the employer know in advance. They may be able to
rearrange the testing process to accommodate your needs.
* Dress smartly. You are competing with other people; every little
part of you that suggests you care and are taking this seriously
will count in your favor.
* Bring along anything you're asked to bring, including gym clothes
if necessary.
Have the right attitude. This can be hard if you're prone to
dismissing the worth or resenting taking psychometric tests. You
might harbor personal disbelief or even disgust at the use of such
tests to sort through people but it's about facing the reality that
these tests stand between you and a job, not about fighting your
personal war against using psychology as a corporate tool. (Use your
blog for the latter!) Instead, expect to give the tests your
absolute best shot by taking the right mental approach and being
determined to work hard.[5]
* Sleep well the night before.
* Look forward to the challenge.
Practice in advance. For those who have never had psychometric tests
or who have been out of formal education for a while, practice can
be an important introduction to the things that you'll be expected
to answer. As soon as you're told to attend for the tests, start
practicing. Practice is the best chance that you have for
succeeding, especially when you work with materials that are similar
to those you'll be tested on.[6] Mike Bryon recommends that you do a
minimum of 20 hours of practice if you can,[7], so if you have
enough lead-in time, break up the practice to a few hours a day.
* Ask the potential employer for samples of the questions expected.
If you receive any, this will give you an opportunity to work out
the type of questions you'll need to practice.
* Find websites and books that have practice tests. Do as many as
you can before your own testing day.
* Focus on your areas of weakness. If you're great at spelling and
word association but lousy at spotting patterns or number skills,
don't spend too much time on the easy stuff. Instead, focus most
of your energies on practicing the skills in which you're weakest,
to improve them and your confidence.
* Challenge yourself and push past what you cannot do. Practice will
only be effective when you force yourself to do that which you
don't believe you can.[8]
Practice working against the clock. As most of the aptitude part of
psychometric tests are timed, it pays to practice under pressure.
Practicing this will get you used to answering a lot of questions in
a short space of time and to learn to balance speed and accuracy.
Use a timer to practice with; a good time period is to allow
yourself about 20 seconds per question before moving on the the next
one. Either follow the time allotted on the practice tests, or use
about a 10 to 15 minute period (the time you're likely to get in the
actual test).
* Practice time-keeping without checking the clock. Get to know how
long 20 seconds feels like when approaching and answering each
question.
* Don't fuss about running out of time. Just keep practicing to
improve your time.
Broaden your test material. As well as using
psychometric tests, find all sorts of relevant
test material to broaden your knowledge and
fast answering ability.
* If you find magazines that have surveys that tell you your
personality, do these; again, set up a timer for 15-20 seconds per
question. Usually the personality tests are not timed, but there
are a couple of hundred questions - it's about sufficiency of
evidence in this case. The timer part of this step is, again,
about helping you get used to reading quickly, and to give you
some more practice at time pressure.
* Any sort of IQ test, visual puzzles, Trivial Pursuit style
questions - the name of the game is to buff up your mental
mathematics, reading, and comprehension skills. Do all of this
within short time frames.
* Find puzzles where there are simple graphics. The types of
questions you'll be asked will include picking the odd one out, or
"if this is to this, then that is to ...?" type pattern sequences;
these kinds of tests look at your reasoning and spatial abilities.
Find them, time them, do them. Sudoku helps you look at patterns,
and again, add a timer to spur you on.
* Use any online word-of-the-day type services, along with
crosswords, hangman, word match, and other sorts of word puzzles.
Keep doing the puzzles with a timer, and try to get faster, and of
course, accuracy is the name of the game. Challenge colleagues,
friends and family.
* Refresh your math skills. Mathematics questions usually take the
form of problem, with five or six possible answers. If you've
slipped away from percentages, fractions, decimals, proportions,
ratios, and numerical relationships - it's time to return to those
kinds of questions and get them accurate.
Take the test. Once it is test time, be prepared. Read or listen to
the instructions with great care (after all, if you can't get that
right now, will you actually listen on the job?). Avoid feeling
pressured and be prepared to enjoy the experience. If there are
sample questions, use these as a way to warm up calmly, check your
answers, and to get a feeling for the layout and style of the
questions.
* If you're not clear on the time period allotted, ask again. Be
aware of the need for any delays prior to or after tests.
* The timing doesn't start until you start the test, so spend a few
moments relaxing and getting yourself ready for action.
* If you don't feel well, have the test rescheduled and get a
doctor's certificate. This isn't "I've got the butterflies" type
of unwell but genuine sickness.
Get the best answer down and move on. Trust yourself. You get a
better chance to find questions you can answer if you move on rather
than spend two minutes grinding away on a single problem. Doing that
would waste the opportunity of another 6 questions at 20 seconds
each! Just keep working through and if you have time left, come back
to skipped questions. Remember that everyone will get something
wrong and it is better to push through to answers in which you excel
than to remain stuck in the ones that won't click.
* Notice any little messages at the bottom of a page asking you to
"Turn over". Unfortunately, a lot of people miss that and think
they've finished the test![9]
* Educated guesses are worth trying when you don't know the
answer.[10]
* Maximize your speed on the easier questions; this will free up
time for the more challenging ones.
Seek feedback. Whether or not you're successful
in getting through to the next stage of the job
hunt, ask for feedback on the psychometric
tests. This can give you important insights
into how your personality and aptitude have
been perceived and which areas it might be
worth concentrating on more. While there are no
wrong or right answers in personality tests,
there can be indicators of areas in which you
would benefit from self-improvement, such as
training in ethics or assertiveness.
* Keep trying. If at first you don't succeed, try again until you
do. Failure at psychometric tests stands at around half of the
candidates sitting the test.[11] It can be an indicator that you
need to practice the tests more, so try to recall which areas of
the tests caused you the most difficulties and concentrate on
improving those for the next time. Apply again after practicing
more. Be confident that your refocused practice will enable you to
pass the psychometric tests the next time around.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Don't panic if you don't finish the tests - they're designed to
give results even if you don't answer every question.
* Don't waste time or energy getting upset with what might appear to
be dumb or repetitive questions. If you don't know the answer, or
can't work it out, go for your best guess, and move on to the next
question. The more answers you get through, the better your
chances are. Like in so many things in life, a good attitude to it
helps.
* Mathematics - if this hasn't been your strong point, relax and
keep it simple. Try to pick up tips, tricks, and shortcuts. For
example, if you add two even numbers, the answer has to be an even
number. Two odd numbers add up to an even number. An odd and an
even number add up to an odd number. So, even if you can't figure
out the answer, it's possible you can find the answer by deduction
and eliminating the wrong answers. It's fine to count on your
fingers, make notes on paper and come up with something like it:
the answer has to be bigger than that and that, and it has to end
in an even number because the problem added two numbers that ended
in odd numbers...
* Ultimately, relax.
* Psychometric testing is an indication; it's not _you_. If you're a
creative, artistic person, it's very possible that the mathematics
and writing tests are not going to show all of your best sides.
If, as a result, you miss the job, it's possible you should thank
your lucky stars while you're running like the wind in the
opposite direction - you probably don't want to work for a company
that will cramp your style like that anyway!
* If you're chasing a job, you can't control the interviewer or how
they ask the questions, and you can't read the minds of the
interview panel or know how they'll read your resume. One thing
you can do is get proactive and do some practice and preparation
for the test. And don't forget, even if you don't get the job, and
you don't bedazzle the testers, there's a very good chance many of
the successful people throughout history would also have flopped
at this kind of testing process. You're probably in good company.
Take some heart that the company short-listed you enough to offer
you the test in the first place, and persevere.
!! Warnings !!
* Slipping in to complete psychometric tests during a lunch break
might not put you in the best frame of mind if you're suddenly
starting to run out of time. Be sure to allow yourself all the
time needed; ask in advance how long you need to be present for.
* Don't overthink the tests; very accomplished people can have this
tendency and therefore fail the test even though they're ideal for
the job.[12] Practice answering under pressure more if you find
yourself reflecting too much.
* If the tests are in English, and it's not your first language, you
really need to practice. The language used can be quite complex
and full of confusing double negatives.
* If the tests are using USA or UK questions (and you're not from
either country) the wording or the cultural content can be a
little strange. Remember, in the case of mathematics, it's about
the numbers - don't be put off by pounds (or dollars).
!! Things You\'ll Need !!
* Books, papers, internet sites with psychometric tests
* Timer clock
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Be Self Confident for Job Interviews
* How to Pass a Drug Test
* How to Prepare for a Behavioral Interview
* How to Prepare Your F1 Visa Application Before the Interview
* How to Write a Complaint Letter About a Job Interview
* How to Answer an Interview Question on Your Previous Job
Experience
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
0 comments:
Post a Comment