psychometric test.
Contrary to widespread misconceptions, YOU CAN PREPARE AND IMPROVE YOUR TEST RESULTS! Just like any other test you completed at school or university, practice can lead to improved performance (read the evidence). Even just one day is plenty of time for us to help you to excel in your test, impress your prospective employers and land your dream job!
The Institute of Psychometric Coaching (IPC) is a world leader in preparing job seekers for psychometric testing and assessment centres. We are experienced registered psychologists with an extensive understanding of selection and career development processes. We offer online practice tests (aptitude tests and personality test), short online psychometric courses, personal coaching and free psychometric guides. Some of the organisations we are preparing candidates for include:
Aptitude Tests
An aptitude test is one of the most popular methods employers use to measure your work-related cognitive ability. Aptitude tests are always timed, as the key to these tests is how quickly you can finish answering the test. Aptitude test questions only have one correct answer and the test is designed so that only 5% of the population can answer all the questions in the given time frame. The aptitude test helps employers measure your intelligence; your ability to effectively solve problems; and your ability to think strategically and quickly draw accurate conclusions. Employers will look at your aptitude test results to determine your ability to handle work-related challenges
Psychometric Testing
Psychometric testing is commonly used to assist employers when deciding whether candidates are suitable for specific roles. Psychometric testing is designed to find job-relevant information about you which an interview wouldn’t be able to do. Psychometric testing typically includes a combination of aptitude and personality tests online which measure your job-relevant cognitive abilities and personality. The combination of psychometric tests given to you depends on the requirements of the job you have applied for. Our extensive experience led us to conclude that candidates often underperform in their psychometric testing due to stress, pressure and the unfamiliarity of the situation. Therefore, preparation is important to ensure that you pass your psychometric testing with flying colours.
Personality Tests
Personality tests are used by employers to assist them in gauging your personality and behavioural style as they relate to the job you have applied for. For example, personality tests will offer employers information about your ability to work under pressure, work with others, manage tasks and take personal responsibility. The type of personality test you will be given and the way your personality test results are interpreted depends on the context of the job you have applied for. Using our practice personality tests and personality test courses online, you can ensure that you demonstrate to your employers your full potential.
Practice Psychometric Test
Most of the skills and knowledge required to successfully complete your psychometric test can be obtained by taking our practice psychometric test and hands-on psychometric test courses online. Practice psychometric tests have been proven to improve your actual psychometric test score. You should be careful to ensure that when you undertake a practice psychometric test, you do so in the same time and under the same conditions as you would take the normal test - this is the best way to ensure that you succeed. Your practice psychometric test should also be suitable for the job level for which you are applying. You will receive much-needed feedback with great explanations and recommendations based on your practice psychometric test results that will help improve your scores and ensure that you demonstrate your full potential in your real psychometric test.
Practice psychometric tests - recent trends:
Practice psychometric tests - online versus paper versions
Given that psychometric tests are increasingly being conducted online, rather than the traditional paper-and-pencil format, research in psychometrics has looked at measuring the differences between these two modes of psychometric tests on candidates' performance. Psychometric test developers attempt to ensure that these different modes of delivering psychometric tests produce the same results. However, there are inevitable differences in these modes that can lead to differences in the results of candidates' psychometric tests. Read more…
Practising for CAT based psychometric tests
Evolving computer technologies, which have led online psychometric tests to become common practice in employee recruitment today, have now enabled the usage of computerised adaptive testing (CAT) methods in administering psychometric tests. Psychometric tests which are based on CAT include aptitude tests such as abstract reasoning tests, verbal reasoning tests and numerical reasoning tests. Recently, the CAT method has also changed the way personality tests are offered to candidates. CAT-based psychometric tests include test questions which are very similar to those in traditional tests. Nonetheless, the important differences are in the length of tests and the uniqueness of test questions. Read more…
How employers use psychometric tests to select candidates
Recent trends in organisations highlight that the fit between employees and an organisation has become, and is becoming, more and more important. Employers want you to share similar characteristics to their organisation, and they use psychometric tests (aptitude tests and personality tests) to assess how you fit with the organisation, the ability to which the employer and employee will be able to meet each other's needs. Organisations assess aspects such as general intelligence through aptitude tests and personality traits through personality tests to provide an indication of person and organisation 'fit'. Read more…
Practice leads to improved performance on your psychometric test
Over many years, psychometric test developers have claimed that there is no use preparing for the psychometric test, as it doesn't measure acquired knowledge but only intellectual and natural intelligence.
These claims were proven to be wrong. Researchers have found that success in the psychometric test is not only dependent on applicants' natural intelligence but also on their studies and their past experience in completing psychometric tests. Preparing for the psychometric test has been proven to improve applicants' results by removing elements such as pressure, stress and ambiguity of tasks which hinder test outcomes. Read more…
A person's age impacts his/her performance on a psychometric test
It has been well documented that there is a general decline in psychometric performance as a person advances in age. For example, a particular study by Samuel Granick titled 'The Effect of Education on the Decline of Psychometric Test Performance with Age' back in 1967 showed that this was more significant in psychometric tests relating to cognition, attention, perception and visual-motor coordination. While this can be fairly alarming to candidates who have finished school or university a while ago, the good news is that there is a large amount of research which shows that older candidates can significantly improve their performance on their psychometric test through good old-fashioned practice. Read more…
Job specific psychometric tests
Whilst there are many different types of psychometric tests, the most important thing to realise as a job applicant is that psychometric tests are highly job specific. What this means is that employers use psychometric tests which assess job applicants' attributes that are relevant to the job you are applying for. Therefore, when preparing for the psychometric test, it is important that you practice job specific psychometric tests online. In contrast, general psychometric tests, which are offered by the majority of websites and organisations offering online practice psychometric tests, are not tailored to the job you are applying for and are unlikely to mimic the real psychometric test. Practicing job specific psychometric tests will prepare you for how to answer questions designed to measure the knowledge, skills and abilities required by the job you are applying for. You will therefore be able to prepare for the psychometric test far better than you would by practicing with the general, non job-specific psychometric test offered by most sites. Read more…
Practice aptitude tests & intelligence
Aptitude tests are a fundamental component of a psychometric test. They attempt to measure trait intelligence (IQ) and cognitive ability, which is indicated by your efficiency in information processing. There are different types of intelligence, namely fluid and crystallised intelligence (Kaufman & Kaufman, 1993). Cyrstallised intelligence involves verbal or language-based accumulated knowledge developed mainly through your education and other life experiences. In contrast, fluid intelligence refers to your adaptability and flexibility in the face of novel experiences that do not permit automatic reasoning. For example, aptitude test items which measure fluid intelligence require psychometric test-takers to demonstrate deductive logic or reasoning. To give you an idea, you would need deductive logic to identify common logical rules among a group of shapes. This logic would assist you to identify the odd shape (in an 'odd one out type of question) or the next shape in a sequence. Read more…
How to cope with psychometric test anxiety
Many job applicants find the psychometric testing situation to be extremely stressful. If you are feeling stressful, and are anxious and worrying about the prospect of sitting psychometric tests, it is important that you understand the effect that this can have on your psychometric test results.
A major interest in psychometric test anxiety research is how to cope with this anxiety and uncertainty. The aim is to have test takers control and eliminate the negative emotions in order to strengthen and promote adaptive, positive thoughts and emotions, and thus encourage successful psychometric test performance. Findings in this area of research have revealed that proactive coping methods, such as preparation and practicing online psychometric tests, are significantly related to psychometric test taking anxiety and psychometric test performance. That is, practicing online psychometric tests has been shown to decrease test anxiety and improve test results. Read more…
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