Psychometric tests
Steven Rook · 2013
All sorts of graduate recruiters use some kind of psychometric test during the application process, but you will generally find that the bigger the employer, the greater the chance they will test you in this way. The main questionnaires used by graduate employers are verbal and numeric reasoning tests. Recruiters increasingly set online verbal and numeric reasoning tests very early on in the application process, sometimes even before you are asked to complete an application form. This is because it is a cheap and convenient way to sift out large numbers of candidates who dont seem to have the high level of skills required. If you pass the tests at this stage you will probably face them again at the firms assessment centre, just to make sure you havent cheated! Other tests may also be conducted at assessment centres, such as personality profiles. These tests appraise your vocabulary, comprehension and ability to identify relationships between words. They can involve a range of questions, but typical graduate tests comprise several passages of text which are each linked to a handful of statements. Your job is to identify whether these statements are true, false or you cannot say, based solely on whats been written in the text. In other words, youre not being asked whether you think the statements are true, false or you cannot say, but whether or not the text confirms this. Its absolutely crucial that you appreciate this distinction. For example, the following passage describes how internal combustion engines work and asks you to identify whether Internal combustion engines are used to power most cars. The correct answer is Cannot say because the text does not confirm or deny this fact (even though it is actually true!).