Psychometric Tests

Psychometric tests are being used more frequently by employers. Passing them takes understanding and practice. 

psychometric test examples

Psychometric Tests

What are psychometric tests?

Psychometric tests are used to measure an individual's’ intelligence, personality, potential, ability  and behaviour. They are designed to show your overall suitability for a particular role based on how you perform. They show your personality characteristics and aptitude/cognitive ability and critical thinking skills.

There are two main types or tests; personality tests and aptitude tests.

Personality tests assess many factors, such as your motivation, values and general interest in things to see how it might fit in with a particular work culture. Personality tests vary a lot, including tests like Myer’s-Briggs type indicators which split people into 16 main personality groups.

Aptitude tests focus on exploring your reasoning skills and mind-set for a workplace role you are applying for. To improve your skills on aptitude tests you need to practice a lot until things ‘click’ and you can work out how to correctly answer questions.

Tests might include; numerical and verbal reasoning, diagrammatic reasoning and checking for errors in work.

They are becoming commonplace as a part of the interview process and are nearly always used for graduate schemes.

Below you can find a number of psychometric test question and answers as well as how to pass psychometric tests. Or for a free consultation, contact us now.

You can find out more below. Or for a free consultation, contact us now.

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Why are psychometric tests used?

There are lots of different types of psychometric test, each of them having a specific purpose.  Below are some examples of the main types of psychometric tests and further down are some examples of Psychometric test questions and answers:

  • They are objective - because they are completely impartial they can compare candidates without unconscious bias.
  • They can test a lot of things - psychometric testing can measure attributes including motivation, critical thinking, intelligence and your personality profile
  • Value for money - they are a low cost way making the recruitment process more efficient, often by screening large numbers of candidates.
  • They work - there is a large body of evidence that shows psychometric tests are a good indicator of future job performance.

 

What do psychometric tests measure?

There are lots of different types of psychometric test, each of them having a specific purpose.  Below are some psychometric test examples of the main types and what information they will tell potential employers about you:

  • Verbal and numerical reasoning tests - these tests provide an indication of your ability to process verbal and numerical information within a fixed time limit.
  • Skills tests - these psychometric tests allow employers to understand how quickly you can learn a new skill.
  • Personality tests - in these you will be evaluated on your behaviour and the way in which you approach your work.

Key considerations - How to pass psychometric tests

Are you wondering how to pass psychometric tests? There are key things to consider that will help improve your ability to pass psychometric tests. Firstly, make sure you read the question correctly. Read it a few times to make you understand it. Have you interpreted it in the right way so you are answering the right question. This sounds simple, however, many people fall at the first hurdle. Secondly, it is so important to structure your time correctly. Understand at the start of the test how long it will last for and plan your time accordingly. This is fundamental in understanding how to pass psychometric tests. Set milestones and check on your time as you go through the test. Before the test starts, check if you are allowed any tools, like a calculator.

If the test is in English and you are not a native speaker, try and practice your vocabulary using psychometric test examples in the run up to the test. Work out what score you need to achieve to pass the test. Also let them know, you are likely to get extra time in your psychometric tests if English is not your first language.

If you are dyslexic, psychometric tests can be particularly daunting, but don't let this put you off. It might be that you will not have to complete psychometric tests if you are dyslexic but more likely that you will be given extra time. Just make sure you let them know in plenty of time that you are dyslexic.

You can easily become accustomed to learning how to view the questions and how best to answer them. Take your time during a test (but not too much time!), don’t panic. Make sure you go in to the test and feel adequately prepared.

That means have lots of psychometric test practice before you go in for real.

Psychometric tests aren’t necessarily pass or fail, but are often ways to improve how you answer questions and your scoring for more desirable results. Practice makes perfect when it comes to improving your understanding and ability to pass psychometric tests.

Psychometric test examples

There are many different types of psychometric tests that may be used. Many fall into verbal and numerical reasoning categories. If you know you have to sit psychometric tests, find out what types of test they are.

Practice as much as possible as it will help a lot. The more familiar you are with, the easier they will become to pass psychometric tests.

There are lots of psychometric test question and answer examples online. Below are some links to some great free resources:

Free numerical reasoning tests

Free verbal reasoning psychometric tests

 

Free critical thinking psychometric tests

Free inductive reasoning psychometric tests

Free personality psychometric tests

Free in-tray or e-tray exercise

Free assessment centre guide

Psychometric tests question and answer

Below, we have outlined examples of questions for different types of psychometric tests questions and answers.

Numerical Reasoning – psychometric test question and answers

Many numerical reasoning psychometric tests are multiple-choice questions where you have to select an answer from a range of possible answers. This means you need to have done the calculation on it to have worked out the correct answer.

For example, the psychometric test question below is a multi-choice question with the following possible answers

Question: How many more employed were there in 2000 than in 2010?

The possible answers are;

A = 65

B = 380

C = 485

D = 100

E = 135

  2000 2010
Type of US University Unemployed Employed Unemployed Employed
Private funded 155 1475 125 1350
Public funded 125 1610 150 1250

Psychometric test, answer explanation:

The number of employed people in 2010 = private funded + public funded = 1250 +1350 = 2600

Number of employed people in 2000 = private funded + public funded = 1475 + 1610 = 3085

The difference in number of employed in 2000 and 2010 = 3085 - 2600 = 485 (answer C)

Question 2: What % of students were unemployed in 2000 (on the same dataset)?

The possible answers are:

A = 11 %

B = 1.2 %

C = 7.1 %

D = 8.3 %

E = 2.5 %

Psychometric test answer explanation:

Total number of students in 2000 = 155 + 125 + 1475 + 1610 = 3365

Total number of unemployed in 2000 = 155+ 125 = 280

The % of students unemployed in 2000 = 280/3365 x 100 = 8.3 % (answer D)

Verbal Reasoning – psychometric test question and answers

Question 1: Read the text below and decide if the answer is True, False or if you Cannot Say:

Home heating systems have in the past been operated using varied energy sources including electricity, wood, coal and heating oil. Solar energy is an alternative source of energy but its application for heating is limited to a small number of appliances. There is also the difficulty of obtaining solar energy for heating purposes in the winter time when it is most needed and its major resource, the sun, is hardly effective.

Psychometric test answer explanation:

The answer is True! According to the text, the sun is hardly effective in the winter, which means solar energy isn’t really available in the winter.

Question 2. There are other major resources that can be used to provide solar energy instead of the sun (using the same text passage outlined above:)?

Psychometric test answer explanation:

The answer is False! The text refers to its major resource the sun, there are therefore no other major resources for solar energy.

It is also worth looking at online test examples of diagrammatic reasoning to see psychometric tests questions and answers and practice these examples of tests in case they apply to your test so you learn how to pass psychometric tests in all categories of test examples. We have provided links above to free practice sites.

If you want more help on how to pass psychometric tests or more psychometric test examples please contact us to speak to one of our advisers.

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