Interview tests called psychometric tests are now a very common way for employers to test candidates. Being prepared is the key. Read on to find out what they’re all about and make sure you get some practice tests in to boost your confidence in advance!

What are psychometric tests?

Psychometric tests are an objective way of testing a candidate’s skills, knowledge and personality. They are used as part of the interview and application process to understand how suitable a candidate is for a particular job. They can be used before the interview stage to cut down the number of applicants and are also used at assessment days alongside an interview. There are many different types of psychometric tests:

• Numerical reasoning tests – test how well you interpret data, charts, graphs and statistics.
• Verbal reasoning tests – assess how well you understand written information and process it.
• Diagrammatic reasoning tests – assess how well you can visual information or spot patterns.
• Logical reasoning tests – assess how well you reach a conclusion based on information you are given or already have.
• Personality tests – these assess your values, how you make decisions and how well you will fit in with the company that you are applying to work for.

Top tips – psychometric tests

This type of testing will most probably be quite different to what you’re used to and requires you to think in a certain way. Here are some top tips to get you into the best position to ace them:

1. Practice practice practice! There are loads of free tests online and the best way to prepare is to practice them.
2. Check which test provider the company will be using and try to practice some from that particular board.
3. Exercise your mind – do word and number puzzles like sudoku and crosswords and try and do basic maths in your head as opposed to using a calculator.
4. Revise some basic maths if it has been a while since you studied it – GCSE level is fine, refresh on percentages, probability, graphs and ratios.
5. During the test, take your time and don’t be distracted by others; make sure that you read the instructions and questions carefully!

Practice tests

Here are some useful links where you can access some practice psychometric tests:

www.shldirect.com/practice_tests.html
www.assessmentday.co.uk
www.psychometric-success.com/index.htm
http://downloads.pgwebtools.com/practice_reasoning_test.html
http://www.psychometrictest.org.uk/big-five-personality/