While looking for your first job, you might think that your skills would be the first thing an organisation would check in your application. However, some businesses prioritise people who not only demonstrate competence in verbal and numerical ability but also possess a personality that fits within the team.
In line with this, some companies conduct psychometric tests to assess a candidate’s potential for cognitive ability and determine if their personality would fit the current workforce. Psychometric tests can take different forms, including numerical reasoning, mechanical aptitude, logical reasoning, and verbal reasoning. These tests are usually conducted online.
Psychometric tests might intimidate you if you’re hunting for first-time jobs, but you shouldn’t worry. Here are the top tips to prepare for these tests:
- Look at the job description. Which attributes are considered the most vital for that particular job position? If the employment opportunity requires the ideal candidate to have solid communication skills, you should prepare for tests that assess these skills specifically.
- Practise realistic tests online. The majority of psychometric tests are taken online. You should try practice tests that mimic the ones you will probably encounter. Test providers offer different types of formats, so it would be ideal if you familiarise yourself with all of them. Examples of sites to practise online include JobTestPrep and TestHQ.
Additionally, TestPartnership offers free practice tests used by recruiters.
- Confirm if all your technology is functional. Before you take a psychometric test, you should ensure that you’re not bogged down by a slow computer or erratic internet connection. Moreover, you should pause your notifications and calls to ensure you won’t get interrupted while taking your test.
- Determine and improve your weaknesses. As you practise and see results, you can determine which areas you can improve on. Take note of the questions you find most challenging, and work on these moving forward.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for feedback. If you’ve taken psychometric tests before and have not progressed in the job application, you should ask the human resources personnel or whoever’s in charge for feedback. These experts can help you determine which areas you should work on.
- Widen your vocabulary and knowledge base. This particular tip is most applicable to verbal reasoning tests, but it might also be helpful for other types. Step out of your comfort zone and spend time working on your reading skills and understanding information you wouldn’t usually delve into. Reading newspapers and academic texts may be helpful in this regard.
- Read the question thoroughly. When accomplishing an assessment, you should read and re-read each question thoroughly. Don’t rush the process unless you have an extremely curt window to read them. You might miss out on vital information that may cost you the job.
- Be yourself. If you’re tasked to complete a personality psychometric test, you should be genuine in answering the questions. In this regard, there is no singular correct answer, and remaining authentic helps determine if you’re a perfect fit for the organisation.
These tips can help you take psychometric exams confidently. Good luck with the job hunting!
This is a guest post from Rosemarie Gabinete Garganta of the WikiJob team. WikiJob is a platform for student and graduate job seekers to learn about employers, career tips, and interviews.