Psychological testing

Psychological testing is becoming commonplace in the areas of recruitment and selection. When applying for jobs (particularly graduate and professional positions) chances are that at some stage, you will be asked to sit for a psychological test. There is no need to be afraid of employment focused psychological tests, these tests are purpose-designed to help fit your personality, beliefs and abilities to a job that suits you.

It should be noted that in reputable organisations, psychological tests do not stand alone as the only selection criteria used in applicant screening, rather they are used as one aid in the selection process.

From the perspective of both the employer and employee, matching the right person to the right job provides numerous advantages.

When is psychological testing done?

Due to its high cost, psychological testing is usually not done until after resume screening and often not until quite late in the selection process, usually at the shortlist stage. However, in some circumstances, group testing may be used in conjunction with resume screening to identify potential candidates for interview.

How will I be tested?

Tests are conducted using three main methods:

• Group Testing - to simultaneously screen large numbers of potential recruits.
• Individual Assessments - more commonly conducted for higher status and executive positions.
• Assessment Centres - commonly used for graduate and executive selection and promotion purposes. This process usually requires a small number of short-listed applicants to complete a number of tasks that may include "in basket" activities, role plays or simulation games, interviews, personality, motivation and intellectual ability tests.

Can psychological tests be faked?

In some instances the profile of the "successful applicant" may appear to be transparent . . . buzz words like "team player", "self-starter" and "good communicator" seem to suggest a "typical" response set. Self-report inventories are particularly prone to deliberate attempts at misrepresentation. It is worth noting that most psychological tests contain "faking or inconsistency scales" to detect such events. Elevated scores on these scales may result in you being asked to take another test or in the worst case scenario, your application being rejected.

What types of tests can I expect?

The main types of tests used in occupational settings are:

• Personality inventories
• General intelligence, abilities and aptitude tests
• Motivation, attitude and/or work-related belief scales
• Occupational interests inventories

Investigate these test types and sample questions.