Understanding the different types of psychometric tests and their uses

Psychometric testing solutions are available for companies and recruiters to make hiring processes indispensable. These solutions work to provide valuable insights to employers regarding different candidates. Using a psychometric test during hiring, companies can derive information about interpersonal and cognitive skills. The data presented by this test craft a general overview of applicants’ abilities. In short, the test brings an evaluation of the intellectual abilities of applicants in numerical value. The psychometric testing aims at:

•   Identifying competencies, traits, and behaviours

•   Detecting potentials and weaknesses 

•   Screening suitability of candidates to match with work culture

•   Distinguishing competencies of job applicants

Know the types of psychometric tests.

Having an explicit and complete evaluation of employees’ abilities is easier now with psychometric testing. Recruitment procedures of companies should include this phenomenon to meet desired standards. However, this testing has different types that need to be executed for deriving specific outcomes. So, let’s explore those types below.

•       Intelligence test

You can also consider this test as an aptitude test, which measures a person’s intellectual skills. Thus, it measures the potential of employees by engaging them in a test comprising of questions. It consists of equations relating to verbal, numerical, and strategic reasoning. So, this form of psychometric test tells employers if the intelligence of a candidate matches a specific job role. Thus, employers can make good predictions about the cognitive skills of job applicants. They can seek out if the candidates can perform well in the workplace. 

•       Personality/behaviour test

In order to comply with the culture of a specific workplace, employees need to pass a personality test. Thus, this psychometric test uses data to assess human personality. It comprises questions that represent different situations of the workplace to the examinees. Thus, it gives valuable insights into the thoughts, feelings, and behaviour of the candidates. It highlights how the candidate can tackle stressful conditions at the workplace. Moreover, it indicates the ability of a person to work as a member of a team for a common goal. 

•       Situational judgement

In this case, candidates need to differentiate between the best and worst decisions for a difficult situation. It assesses the ability of candidates to think inversely about handling tasks. So, it helps employers to make selection more translucent by seeking one’s abilities to handle stress. 

•       Mechanical reasoning

Mechanical psychometric tests can understand the abilities of a person in case of a fault in machines. It checks how a person can act or perform in case of faulty machine operation. Typically, this test is executed in the case of technical and mechanical fields of operation. 

FAQ: Can participants fail in psychometric testing?

Generally, the test focuses on assessing the cognitive, behavioural, and personality traits of candidates. So, every person may have specific skills that psychometric testing can reveal. So, it doesn’t actually pose a label of failure on someone. But gives the ability to select the best candidates as per work and job expectations. 

To sum up

A psychometric test is easy to customise as per specific requirements. So, every employer should set a test to measure the abilities of applicants to fit job profiles. Types of this test indicate results related to the behavioural and intelligence of candidates. But every psychometric evaluation should be predictive, non-discriminatory, and goal-oriented.