How to Prepare for Psychometric Testing

Psychometric tests can be a great help when you are going through a career shift. They are designed to help you work out what your strengths are, what makes you tick, in which environments you will thrive and ultimately what kind of careers and work-style you are suited to.

As daunting as Psychometric Tests sometimes appear, the key to success and achieving a top score is practice and preparation. Research the company you are sitting the Psychometric Tests for. Identify their culture, values and the calibre of employee they're searching for. This will help you in the Personality Tests. And then practice, practice, practice! Practice answering the Psychometric Tests online to build your confidence and get that job!

Tips to prepare for a Psychometric Test

  1. Know what the employer is looking for

    When advertising and seeking to fill a position, all employers want the best person for the job by finding the right applicant. It’s about hiring the person who will best fit the job; from a skills, intelligence, personality and cultural perspective. Psychometric testing results provide employers with a behavioural profile of you - your level of intelligence or aptitude (measured by aptitude tests), and your personality characteristics (measured by the personality test). The profile will indicate whether you can solve problems, are a team player or whether you prefer to work individually, and other relevant attributes.

    So prior to taking the test, pick up the phone and call the recruiter for a chat to find out what attributes the right applicant has. Often you will also find clues in the position description or job advertisement.

    To begin with, you should first know what the employer is looking for. When you are seeking to fill a job position, and psychometric tests are going to be used, it is important that you know what the employer wants from their potential employees.

    This is a top tip for passing psychometric tests because it will make sure that you have fully understood what skills and attributes are required for the job position.

    Generally, the job description and person specification is a FANTASTIC way to gain an insight into what the employers are looking for.

     

  2. Know what Psychometric Tests you will be taking

    The second top tip for passing psychometric tests is knowing what type of psychometric test you will be sitting.

    As you can imagine, psychometric tests are used in a vast array of job selection processes. These tests can vary from anything to testing your mathematical knowledge to mechanical concepts.

    Below is a list of the different psychometric tests that you may be assessed on:

    • Numerical Reasoning
    • Verbal Reasoning
    • Mechanical Comprehension
    • Electrical Comprehension
    • Non-Verbal Reasoning
    • Concentration Tests
    • Fault Analysis Tests

    More information on these different types of assessment can be found on You Tube

     

  3. Practice speed as well as accuracy

    The third top tip for passing psychometric tests is to practice speed as well as your accuracy. Psychometric tests are primarily used to not only assess your mind-set, but to determine your proficiency and speed.

    Whilst this tip is imperative for high scores during any psychometric test, I cannot stress enough how important it is to be accurate. Yes, you are trying to work as quickly as you can, but you don’t want your answers to suffer. Careless mistakes will cost you easy marks.

    That is why you want to work on your accuracy AND your speed. Employers want to see that you are knowledgeable and possess the correct qualities, but they also want to make sure that you are an efficient worker, who is able to manage high-pressured situations.

     

  4. Maintain a healthy lifestyle

    Statistics show that people who maintain a healthy lifestyle are far more likely to succeed in a psychometric test.

    There are four main areas that you should remember when trying to excel in your performance:

    • Ensure that you are eating the correct foods. Maintain a balanced diet. Consume a healthy breakfast.
    • Ensure that you receive a good nights’ sleep. People who receive a good nights’ sleep are far more likely to perform at their best.
    • Exercising on a regular basis will ensure that you not only maintain a healthy, active lifestyle, but exercise will also reduce stress.
    • Drink plenty of water! Drinking coffee or alcoholic drinks slows down your performance, so you want to make sure you are fully hydrated prior to your assessment.

      You need to be at your best to produce good results in psychometric testing. Tiredness is likely to severely damage your scores in the Intelligence or Aptitude tests. Make sure you are well rested and try to take decent breaks in between aptitude tests to ensure you regain your energy. 

    • Learn about psychometric testing techniques 

      Psychometric Tests are not like any other test you've ever taken. All too often job seekers assume that if they are good at maths or can speed read in English they will blitz the Psychometric Test. This is a wrong assumption. Psychometric Tests aim to measure your abstract, verbal and numerical reasoning skills. These Aptitude Tests are timed and designed in a very unique way. To master them you need to add a new set of test taking strategies to your tool box.

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  5. Practices makes perfect

    The more practice you undergo, the better you will perform during a psychometric test. As with any type of assessment, it is important that you are prepared for each type of psychometric testing question.  Prepare for and practice the Psychometric Tests just like you would for any exam or test. Practicing test questions and training your brain to identify frameworks for solving problems will significantly improve your results.

    Familiarising yourself with the typical content and format of psychometric tests will give you a significant advantage. Verbal and numerical Aptitude Test questions are generally multiple choice questions which must be completed in a very short time. These questions can include topics like social sciences, physical or biological sciences, and business-related areas like marketing, economics, and human resource management. The Abstract Aptitude Test is a non-verbal test that uses shapes as test questions. Generally, no specific knowledge of these subject areas is required. Familiarity with the type of test questions will get you a competitive edge.

    The majority of Psychometric Tests are administered online, therefore it is important that you train or prepare for your Psychometric Test using the same medium as the real tests – online.

     

  6. Practise a range of Psychometric Tests

    Whilst you may be required to sit a numerical reasoning psychometric test, you can still benefit and increase your scores by practising other psychometric tests. For example, a numerical reasoning test is likely to assess your ability to concentrate on lots of information.

    Practising a range of psychometric tests will definitely improve your overall intelligence.

    If you don’t know what type of tests you will be facing, then I highly recommend you practice as many type of questions as you can. If you do know what type of psychometric test, consider how else you will be assessed.

     

  7. Practise your test in a test environment

You may not have had to sit a test since your school or university, and therefore the thought of sitting an assessment can be off-putting and stressful. When you undergo your preparation stages, make sure that you practice in a similar environment.

Here are a few things you could do to help you prepare for the testing environment:

  • Minimise any distractions around you. Find yourself a quiet place to practice in.
  • Ensure that you practice under timed conditions. This will improve your overall performance. The fact that psychometric tests are almost guaranteed to be assessed under harsh timed conditions will ensure that you are ready to handle this constraint.
  • Practice as many psychometric testing questions as you can. This will improve your overall intellect and mind-set.

Give yourself plenty of breaks in between study sessions. Generally, 30-50 minutes of practising will be more beneficial alongside a 15 minute break, as opposed to working for hours and hours. Your mind will begin to switch off and you will start to see a decrease in your proficiency and concentration.

Use any tools that are allowed 

Most Numerical Aptitude Tests will allow the use of a calculator and will advise this upfront. If you haven't used a calculator for a while, familiarise yourself with the different types of operations well ahead of the test. Brush up on reading tables and graphs as well.

Read and increase your English vocabulary 

Start reading a broader section of the newspaper or any industry specific information regarding the job you are applying for to increase your vocabulary. It will help you to grasp Verbal Aptitude Test questions quicker, answer them faster and therefore improve your score.

Be sure not to trigger a lie or fake good scale in the Personality Test 

Most Personality Tests are designed to indicate whether you were consistent in your answers and to what extent you tried to portray yourself in an overly positive manner. It's fine to make yourself look good. We all do it when we want to get a job. However, ensure that you don't overdo it as it will cause inconsistency in your answers. Just be yourself and know what set of your strengths you want to highlight.