Psychometric test

fevmeister

I've got one tomorrow for a job I really want. I just wondered whether anyone had done one before?
The testing company is SHL, a quick google takes you to their website.

vs4b

Yes, several. What would you like to know?

tiredofwhiners

SHL have a great many - verbal, numerical, logical to name a few of the categories, and they also do profiling tests which are not pass/fail but a profile of your working and thinking characteristics.

Its entirely up to the employer which one they are getting you to do.

fevmeister

Is there a thought process behind the 'non-judged' questions (personality and motivation sections£0) or do I just put down what first comes into my head?

fevmeister

tiredofwhiners wrote:

SHL have a great many - verbal, numerical, logical to name a few of the categories, and they also do profiling tests which are not pass/fail but a profile of your working and thinking characteristics.

Its entirely up to the employer which one they are getting you to do.

The e-mail received from the potential employer earlier on said 'We would like you to participate in online SHL Psychometric Testing. The timed tests take 30 minutes each of which there are two. Please expect to receive the email notification and instructions directly from SHL tomorrow.'

Any suggestions or tips?

vs4b

If its really psychometric then you'll be hard pushed to "cheat" and there really is little point. The numerical reasoning was tricky last time I had to do one. Just keep calm and plug away.

napoleond

I did the Rorschach test recently, the guy said to me that I'm really wierd.
I told him "I'm Wierd?! You're the one drawing pictures of my mum have sex with a dolphin!"

fevmeister

NapoleonD wrote:

I did the Rorschach test recently, the guy said to me that I'm really wierd.
I told him "I'm Wierd?! You're the one drawing pictures of my mum have sex with a dolphin!"

BAD joke!

Joeblack

Fevmeister wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

I did the Rorschach test recently, the guy said to me that I'm really wierd.
I told him "I'm Wierd?! You're the one drawing pictures of my mum have sex with a dolphin!"

BAD joke!

Ahhhhhhh I don't know, the joke was ok, the film was dire

Back to op, I wouldn't worry, it's best to take your time and complete it as best you can, these tests are designed to give a impression of you and cheating or over trying could give the wrong impression and one they are not looking for.

Have a Viagra first if you've got any

thistle_

I did one once, it was pretty straightforward and similar to a Belbin test.

Someone from HR later told me it was for the bigger offices so they could try and put you in a team you'd fit into best.

diy

The thing to remember is that they are matching your results against people profiled to be a good match for the job. So if you score too well in some categories it might not be good news. In my work I work with a lot of seriously rich people and half of them would struggle to write a short essay.

Flâneur

Done a fair few when I was grad job hunting last year. Remember to be quick and accurate, on the numeracy they do not expect you to answer all 45 questions in the 40 minutes (think that is the normal SHL) but they do expect a solid 40 questions answered and a high degree of accuracy say 38/45 for a lot of jobs. THOUGH it does depend on what you are applying for. My best advice is practice practice and practice. Know all your maths such as working fractions to % etc and be able to see which data matters rather than puzzling through it (it is what half the test is about) Assessmentday.com and other sites are good for practice. Reasoning is a IMO easier but that is personal, I am a classical historian rather than a numbers person.

mattbass789

I've done a fair few recently.
Also read a couple of books on the subject in the last few days. And that attitude probably shows i'd be decent at the kind of jobs I apply for but these tests are used, as people say, to either profile you into certain skills and potentials or to simply see how good you are at one thing to the next.

Best way is to practice and familiarise yourself with the test format, in every other case there is no benefit to cheat, or to do anything else than give it your best shot. They will likely make you take the tests again in person where you can't cheat. Should you get to an assessment day for example.

Best of luck. It's a tough job getting a graduate position.

pilot_pete

It depends on what sort of 'psychological test' you are doing. Is it critical reasoning, such as maths, English etc in which case practice, practice, practice and go over your results to ensure you are answering correctly. If it is a personality profile, which most people refer to as a 'psychometric test', then you need to answer quickly ans intuitively. The results show strengths and weaknesses in certain areas and the 'test set' is devised to match your personality to the job in hand. There is no such thing as cheating, merely skewing your profile. Problem with this is you may appear more suitable for a job that you probably won't be suited to, or the other way around - you don't look suited to a job that would suit you!

So answer honestly and force yourself to make a choice, such as 'least worse' out of the options available, that way you will get an accurate profile. If it doesn't suit the job, then so be it as you probably wouldn't be happy in it anyway if that was the case!

Have fun.....

PP

weyglu

I am assuming that if it is 2 tests you are doing that it is a numerical and a verbal reasoning test. It is really helpful to practice these tests - you can do so on SHLs website (they have a couple of practice tests), also there are lots of other websites where you can practice - jobtestprep has free samples of both. Good Luck!

fevmeister

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kieranb

Well, hard luck on the job front but these tests are often just a lazy way for the potential employer to narrow down the list of candidates for the job. My boss used to get us to do them every year so I looked into a few and many I would take with a pinch of salt.

sungod

years ago the company i work for used to squander money on management consultants and sending us on 2-3 day 'development' courses where the latest fashions in management psychobollocks were inflicted on us, on one i remember we had to do a test called the thomas kilmann conflict mode instrument

this was day two, really fed up, so i scored like charles manson, crazed messianic weirdo at the extreme corner of the rating system, which overall seemed to be a good thing, they felt i could go far, what really amused us all was that all the hr people rated like uriah heep

tiredofwhiners

Fevmeister wrote:

Bad news

After taking the tests last weds I woke up to an email this morning saying the results of which 'didn't match the criteria'. I spent ages researching the tests and practicing, then tried so hard on the actual test only to be rebuffed. i spent ages preparing and perfecting the initial application and put it past about 5 different people for their opinions, which makes this news even more down heartening.

"didn't match the criteria" isn't necessarily a bad thing - it just means you wouldn't fit in there, not that you are bad. I know of one company who try and find fairly brainless, pliable people because thats what the job requires so experienced, competent go-getters never get in and they think its their fault. Anyone with a brain would get bored stiff in a day or two.

Sometimes companies want Muppets and not getting in is actually a compliment !