What is psychometric testing?

Psychometric testing is a scientific method that is used to measure individual’s mental capabilities and behavioural style. Psychometric tests are designed to answer one main question: “Is the candidate suitable for the role based on the personal characteristics he possesses?”. The tests are designed to measure the extent to which the candidate personality and cognitive ability match those needed by an ideal candidate for this job. The information collected may be qualitative or quantitative, Qualitative criteria help the employer learn more about the candidate, his or her typical behaviour and areas of development. The quantitative results may be used to benchmark candidates against each other. Employers use the information collected from the psychometric test to identify the hidden aspects of candidates that are difficult to extract from a face-to-face interview.

Today, most of psychometric tests are performed on the Internet. Psychometric tests may be proctored or not, depending on the preference of the employer. Typically, candidates are emailed an invitation to take a test. The primary objective of the is to identify at an early stage those job applicants who are unlikely to fill the requirements of the position on offer and consequently narrow the applications further.

Some job applicants believe don’t trust that these tests can measure or assess their real abilities, personality traits, and suitability for the job. However, the methodology is statistically supported, and tests are constructed to be objective and unbiased.  This is done by using standard methods of assessment so that everyone is presented with the same questions and instructions for completing them. Our experience shows that psychometric tests are very reliable in predicting candidates’ performance, and in most cases the test report provides an accurate evaluation of the applicant. It is important to highlight that good preparation can help the candidate improve his or her scores to some extent and can help increase the candidate’s chances to win the job he or she wishes to get.