Psychometric tests

Employers often use psychometric tests to provide a measurable, objective assessment of a candidate's suitability for a job or training scheme. 

They are efficient at being able to deal with large numbers of applicants and are easy to administer. Many organisations use psychometric testing as a way of screening candidates to get to a further stage of the recruitment process.

How do they work?

In virtually all cases, tests are now computerised. They are mostly delivered in multiple choice formats and are timed. 
Your results are usually compared with how others have done in previous tests. 

Students - register for free access using your UoN email address

Alumni - email our team for free access

Through Graduates First you can access a wide-range of resources including:

• numerical, verbal and logical tests
• progress monitor (how you are performing)
• expert feedback reports 
• work personality questionnaires

It also has a useful Top Employer Profiles and Job Assessment Stages section linking to further information about how each organisation approaches its recruitment process and the kinds of assessments you may face. Over 100 organisations are profiled on the site.

There are short videos to help you navigate the process of preparing for a psychometric test including tips, step-by-step guides, feedback reports and a jargon buster.

Read our blog on Graduates First to find out more

As technology develops, there is a wide variety of psychometric tests, but most will fall into one of the following categories:

Ability tests

Sometimes also referred to as aptitude tests, these often include numerical, verbal and sometimes diagrammatical reasoning, spatial reasoning or error checking tests. These are the most widely used tests by employers.

Personality tests

These are often about determining personality style or preference. There are no right or wrong answers. They typically address behaviour and distinguish between personality traits and types. Personality tests are being used more at the stage of the recruitment process to see if you 'fit' with the organisation's culture, values and so on.

Motivational tests

These are about your values, drive, energy and engagement. They may be used by an organisation to provide an understanding of what drives and motivates a person to perform effectively in work.

Situational judgement and work-style preferences 

These are often about assessing judgement skills and competencies in relation to challenging workplace scenarios.Tests may often involve ranking options or selecting the best to worst or the most important to least important options (for example, A to D or 1 to 5)

Mechanical reasoning tests

These types of test tend to measure your knowledge of mechanical and physical concepts such as gears, pulleys, levers and circuits. Some of the questions may require basic knowledge of maths, fractions, ratios, percentages and averages.

Games-based assessment

A candidates aptitude and/or personality traits are assessed whilst playing online games designed with the role and organisation in mind.

Used by employers as an alternative to standard psychometric tests, they are easy to access and do not require any experience in playing games.

You may have a physical, sensory, cognitive, speech impairment, dyslexia or a broken arm. 

The first thing to do is let the organisation know as soon as possible about your needs. Employers will almost always make reasonable adjustments and, in some instances, be able to provide an alternative type of test or assessment method.

We can adjust the time available to you for taking practice tests on Graduates First – contact your faculty Careers team for more information.

1. Practise different types of tests using freely available resources like Graduates First
2. Try to find out the types of tests being used for the job or organisation you are applying to – many will openly publish this kind of information
3. Practise your weakest tests more!
4. Practise under timed conditions
5. Ensure you have a good internet connection – since many tests are now administered online
6. Read questions carefully before making a choice, looking at any detail, options and instructions. The ideal answer may not be there, so what might be the best action to take?
7. Keep to time – if you get stuck on a question, move on and aim to go back to it if you have time at the end
8. Only use the information provided – don’t assume information that isn’t described
9. For scenario based questions, think about what you should do, not what you would do
10. Be prepared. Aim to complete any tests in a comfortable environment and where you won’t be disturbed 

• Self-belief is known to have an effect on scores
• Avoid stereotyping yourself (‘I’m no good at numbers’, ‘I’m not as good as…’ ‘I’ll never get into…’)
• Talk to others about their experience of taking tests – share the challenges they have
• We have developed an online module all about making career choices and applying for jobs which you can access at any time – there is a useful section on psychometric tests as part of the materials