Psychometric Tests

About

Psychometric tests are generally carried out within the early stages of the recruitment and selection process, or as part of an assessment centre. These tests are structured, objective and provide a systematic way of evaluating how well people perform in relation to tasks and situations.

Employers use psychometric tests at different stages of the recruitment process. Some use them to decide whom they should invite for interview; others use them as part of a series of selection exercises.

The majority of psychometric testing is completed online, though some paper questionnaires remain. Most tests are timed, but some can be completed in multiple sittings.

Types of psychometric testing

There are two types of psychometric test:

Work experience provides you with the skills and exposure that will allow you to stand out to potential employers and is a crucial part of becoming ‘workplace-ready’.

Aptitude / Ability Tests: These are generally multiple-choice and timed. They assess your reasoning or cognitive ability, determining whether you have the right skillset for a role. Your intelligence levels are compared to a standard, meaning that you must achieve a certain score to pass. Common tests include:

Diagrammatic reasoning
Error checking
Numerical reasoning
Spatial reasoning
Verbal reasoning

Personality Tests: these explore the way you tend to react to, or deal with, different situations. They focus on a variety of personality traits, such as how you relate to other people, your ability to deal with your own and others emotions, your motivations and your general outlook.

Free test help

The University of Bolton subscribes to Graduates First, which is a practice test site. You can log onto the site by using your own University login details: https://www.graduatesfirst.com/university-career-services/bolton/

Once registered, you can access and practice the following:

Verbal and numerical reasoning tests
Logical reasoning tests
Work style personality questionnaire
Interview question identifier tool
Practice video interview - receive automated feedback on your communication style and some sample answers for the questions
Situational judgement test