Psychometric Testing & Employee Profiling, Individual Assessment Using Psychometric Testing

What is a Psychometric Test?

A psychometric test is a test that measures mental functioning, including personality, intelligence, and aptitude. Employers use psychometric tests to help them identify candidates with the personality and abilities required for jobs.


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Business Psychologists & Human Resource Consultants



We work in London and throughout the UK - Call us +44 2070969023


Psychometric Testing

Psychometric testing is the process of evaluating individuals with psychometric tests. Recruiters and employers favour the approach. Employers prefer psychometric testing because they can assess large numbers of candidates quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.


Psychometric Tests May Measure

Psychometric tests may measure a wide variety of attributes and abilities necessary for proficient performance in a job. We work with employers to identify and apply the correct psychometric tests to measure:



  • Competency: How competent an individual is when measured against the job competencies identified for a job.
  • Personality: Whether the individual’s personality and style of interacting with other people is a good fit for the job in question.
  • Aptitude: Whether the individual has the necessary abilities in mathematical, verbal reasoning, or mechanical reasoning required for a job. Some employers may also assess general intelligence.
  • Values, interests, and motivation: Whether the individual has the necessary interests, values, motivation.

Psychometric Tests

Types of Psychometric Testing

Situational Judgement Tests

In our situational judgement test, you are given a situation set out in a series of facts, and you are asked to choose a course of action from the most effective to the least effective. The solutions are based on what high performing individuals would do in that situation in real life.

In-Tray Exercises

In our in-tray exercises, you are typically given a set of papers, which might include the types of papers that a manager or employee doing that job would have to analyse. In some in-trays, you are asked to summarise the papers and write a report on a course of action. Alternatively, you may be asked to also present to the interview panel following your analysis of the in-tray.

Leaderless Group Discussions

In our leaderless group discussions, you will be given a set of papers or a case study which you will be asked to analyse and then discuss your view in the group. No leader is allocated to the group; however, the psychologist assessing the group will consider the quality of the arguments that candidates present to the group and how they interact with other group members. The psychologist will also assess whether anyone appears as a natural leader in the group and how members contribute to the discussion. Strictly speaking, in-tray exercises and leaderless groups are not psychometric tests but work samples.


Personality Tests

We use a range of personality tests; the more popular personality tests that our clients find helpful for selection are the Occupational Personality Questionnaire, the Saville Wave, FIRO B, the DISC Behaviour Inventory, the 16 PF and 15FQ. In addition, employers often use the Hogan Personality Inventory, the Motives, Values and Preferences Inventory, and the Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory for management roles. All these tests measure personality and values. Some of them also measure specific job competencies.

Verbal Reasoning Psychometric Tests


Verbal reasoning tests are commonly used to evaluate candidates for a range of roles, particularly roles requiring that the post-holder works with large amounts of written information. In verbal reasoning tests, you are typically asked to read short passages and then answer a set of multiple-choice questions. You will be asked, for example, whether a particular fact is true, whether you can infer particular facts from the passage. Occasionally, such tests will assess your spelling and grammar. However, this is more typically done through an in-tray exercise or written submission.

Numerical Reasoning Psychometric Tests

Numerical reasoning tests will be used if a job requires the post-holder to use and interpret numerical information and make conclusions quickly. Such jobs might include accountants, scientists, statisticians, or managers of large budgets. A numerical reasoning test typically asks you to interpret statistics, financial data, graphs, and charts. During the test, you will often be asked to perform arithmetic, such as percentage increase, percentage change, conversion from fractions to decimals, and currency conversions. You will typically be asked to choose from a range of multiple-choice answers to questions.

Abstract Reasoning Psychometric Tests


Abstract reasoning tests are used for candidates who may work in engineering, information technology or science. These tests assess the candidate’s ability to identify rules and apply them to novel situations. The test questions may be a series of pictures or spots; the answers are typically given on multiple-choice answer sheets.


Error Checking Psychometric Tests

Error checking psychometric tests are used to assess candidates in clerical and data input roles. We also use these tests for candidates employed in technical positions, which involve identifying and rectifying electronic or mechanical systems faults. We advise employers on the most appropriate tests and administer them to identify individuals who can quickly detect clerical errors. The tests will assess candidates’ ability in this area through a series of multiple-choice questions. Data checking tests measure how quickly and accurately you can detect errors. These tests are frequently used for clerical and data input vacancies.

What is Psychometric Testing?

How Do Psychological Tests Help Organisations Recruit The Best Employees?

Psychometric tests are a standard and scientific method used to measure individuals' mental capabilities and behavioural style. Psychometric tests are designed to measure candidates' suitability for a role based on the required personality characteristics and aptitude

Alison Ney, Business Psychologist

Our skills are in designing and delivering culture and gender fair assessment and selection processes that provide robust results for organisations.

"Selecting the right person for the job is difficult in the current market which has an excess of supply of suitability qualified people for the job. Yet making the wrong decision is always very costly for organisations so pre-employment screening is an investment which pays for itself. We provide expert help in psychological profiling by gathering objective information on the candidate’s personality, behaviour, job performance, background, public profile, credit and medical history."

Toni Hart - Principal Psychologist, the Strategic Enterprise Group

Psychometric Assessment

A psychometric assessment is a psychological assessment of an individual using a range of valid and reliable psychometric tests. Our Psychometric assessments will synthesise the tests measuring personality, job competencies, numerical verbal reasoning, in-tray exercises, and competency-based interviews in an assessor matrix. Each test score is mapped against the relevant job competency. Each candidate will have their own assessor matrix. At the end of the assessment process, psychologists perform what is known as a “wash up.” During this process, the assessor matrices for each candidate are compared. Finally, our psychologists discuss how well each candidate meets the criteria for the job.



Our multimethod approach to psychometric assessment synthesises data from a range of tests and assessment instruments to produce robust, objective and culture fair assessment decisions.

Psychometric Analysis

What is psychometric analysis? Psychometric analysis is used in our assessment processes to measure an individual’s psychological skills and abilities. We do this by carefully evaluating test data and ensuring that this meets our rigorous quality standards when determining whether the individual has the necessary psychological profile to perform well in the job.



In our review of the test results, we examine each item on the test and the responses. The psychometric analysis is carried out by experienced psychologists who hold the British Psychological Society’s Certificate in Occupational Testing. Their expertise in this area allows them to provide bespoke in-depth reports for clients, which helps clients make effective decisions.

Psychometric Testing Examples and Free Psychometric Tests

Advantages of Using Psychometric Tests During Recruitment

The advantages of using psychometric tests during recruitment are many. For example, they allow recruiters to gather a significant amount of information about the personality, attributes, values, and abilities of an individual, which they may not be able to gather during the traditional interview and review of the application form



Another advantage of psychometric tests is that they can often allow recruiters to assess the candidate’s ability to deal with pressure in an occupational setting.



Team working skills can also be assessed through psychometric tests and work samples during the assessment process. Again, this vastly improves the quality of decision making.



However, psychometric tests must not discriminate against individuals based on their race, gender, or disability. Our extensive experience in designing objective and culture-free assessment processes has provided us with a range of strategies that we used to eliminate the discrimination that often occurs when organisations use psychometric tests in selection.



A clear advantage of our psychometric testing processes is that we design them in a way that reduces the chance of individuals faking their answers to the tests or manipulating the assessment process.
Psychometric tests help employers reduce the number of candidates to a more focused sample cost-effectively and efficiently. The clear advantage of this process is that employers only see candidates who are best suited for the job.



Psychometric tests also assist employers in making robust and objective decisions on candidates, which are not influenced by the candidate’s previous experience or education but is based on ability and potential.



What Is A Psychometric Test in Recruitment?

What is a Psychometric Test?



What are Psychometric Assessments?



Psychometric testing takes various forms; the tests are intended to streamline the recruitment process and reveal top applicants efficiently. A high psychometric test score will dramatically increase your chances of securing a final stage interview.


Common Numerical Test Publishers

Many companies design and administer numerical reasoning tests. We’ve given a brief overview of six of the most popular below.





About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things.
John Appleseed


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