PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS

INTRODUCTION Psychometrics is the field that is concerned with theory and technique of psychological measurement. It includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits and educational measurement. It has two major research tasks. 1.The construction of instruments and procedure for measurement. 2.The development refinement of theoretical approaches to measurement. The persons who practice psychometrics are known to be called as psychometrican’s. All psychometrican’s possess a specific qualification.

PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS…….. Personality assessments provide a measure of how individuals work with people, approach their tasks, communicate, approach change, and deal with stress. When an organization uses Psychometric Test to match an individual’s skills to the job requirements, the person will learn quicker, be more satisfied and successful, and stay in the job longer. Person’s performance is based on their behavior. Behavior is the way the person act, react i.e like, dislike, comfort, discomfort etc.

What is a Psychometric test? These are formal, structured exercises designed by psychologists to measure psychological qualities such as reasoning ability and personality factors. They are carefully researched and tested to ensure that they are fair, reliable and valid. They are administered and scored in a standardized way, allowing your results to be compared with people who have taken the tests before. Comparison groups used will often be other university students or recent graduates.

There are two main types of psychometric test: one that assesses your personality and character traits – for example, are you empathetic, communicative or ambitious? The second kind tends to be longer and harder and assesses your reasoning or cognitive ability, -how good you are at things such as words, numbers, problem-solving or spatial awareness. And sometimes employers will tailor these according to the type of job. The tests are usually done online and most tests are multiple-choice.

WHY DO EMPLOYERS USE THEM? Recruiting a new employee can be expensive and employers need to make sure they get the right person. Some characteristics, like team working skills, empathy and the ability to reason are difficult to assess at interview and psychometric tests are a more reliable indicator. Psychometric tests also have the big advantage of removing any potential unconscious bias on behalf of the interviewer. All applicants, whatever their race, gender or ethnicity are judged on exactly the same criteria, which makes the process fairer for everyone.

TYPES OF PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS

There is no “pass-or-fail” in Psychometric Test. It’s about “job-fit”. There is a job for everyone, HR’s task to find the right candidate to fit in the role/ job. Psychometric Test are based on the assumption “Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior”.

Personality/motivation questionnaires These tests attempt to find out how you behave in a working environment, what motivates you and how you work with others. There are no right or wrong answers in these type of tests. They typically take the form of a question with two or more answers. Although you may agree with more than one answer, you are asked to choose the one you most prefer or agree with. Ability/aptitude tests These generally test your ability to reason and think logically, rather than any specific skills related to the role. They usually take the form of multiple-choice questionnaires, but this time with definite right and wrong answers. The tests are often timed and may test your numerical, verbal and logical abilities.

VERBAL ABILITY Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold type to make the grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark 'E' as the answer. The small child does whatever his father was done. A. has done B. did C. does D. had done E. No correction required Answer: Option C

Numerical Ability Three times the first of three consecutive odd integers is 3 more than twice the third. The third integer is: A.9 B.11 C.13 D.15 Answer: Option D Explanation: Let the three integers be x, x + 2 and x + 4. Then, 3x = 2(x + 4) + 3 x = 11. Third integer = x + 4 = 15.

PERSONALITY INVENTORIES For each statement choose the response that best represents your opinion: Strongly Disagree If you strongly disagree or if the statement is definitely false. -- Disagree If you disagree or if the statement is mostly false. -/+ Neutral If you are neutral about the statement, if you cannot decide, or if the statement is about equally true and false + Agree If you agree or if the statement is mostly true. + + Strongly Agree If you strongly agree or if the statement is definitely true.