Psychometric Testing Frequently Asked Questions

Put very simply, psychometrics is a set of techniques used to ensure, among other things, that;

• you're actually testing what you think you are testing. A written test of mathematics should be testing maths not writing for instance

• your test gives the same results if it's given to the same person twice or administered by different people

• it's fair to everyone

• you know how accurate the measurement is and how far you can depend on it. Psychometrics allows you to weigh up the accuracy of your decision.

In other words, psychometrics is scientifically validated as accurate and reliable and implemented by professionals to ensure that the highest standards of practice are maintained. There is a difference between a high quality psychometric test and an online "quiz." There are thousands of tests on the market. It's a real growth area and, as with any product or service, it's sometimes difficult to work out the cowboys from the cavalry. Tests are particularly difficult in this respect. What defines a good test is the research and data behind the questions.  A good psychometric test will be absolutely transparent to you as a user. It will state how it was developed, how many people it was tried on, where it should be used and where not and, most importantly, how much you can trust the results.

Once upon a time the costs of training in, then buying the materials seemed prohibitive. The internet, centralised testing centres and the number of trained consultants available to run sessions means even the smallest company can get the benefits. With modern day psychometric assessment techniques it is very easy to implement and one of the least expensive means of gaining insight into applicants during pre-employment screenings.

There's a strong argument that smaller companies need to use the technique even more than larger ones. A rogue senior manager in a 30,000 staff company can do damage; in an SME with 10 employees he or she can literally destroy the business. Every recruitment decision in a small business is high stakes.

Research shows that interviews, references and application forms are very bad at predicting whether people will succeed. Interviews are particularly dangerous because you will be hugely influenced by your prejudices, likes and dislikes without realizing it. If you think back, you'll remember the great candidate who proved to be a complete disaster. Using tests can never prevent mistakes like this, but they can make them less likely. Psychometric assessments allows a company to gain valuable insights and information regarding a candidate which can be used with structured interviews to empower a company to make the right decisions.

Since personalities, abilities, and interests are tests included in psychometric testing, it is a smart decision for anyone that is in the hiring role to include these into your pre-interview screening process and also the pre-employment screening process. All career fields could benefit from learning more about the applicant. These tests will allow for employers to have a better understanding of the team they are building and can cause you to be able to make a team that is well rounded in every area. As an employer or hiring manager, you can use this test to help you fix any weaknesses that your current team may have by hiring someone how has a strength that your team is missing.