Psychometric tests are designed to test a candidate not only for their intellectual levels but also for their behavioural attributes as well. There are various types of psychometric tests available in the market online, which ensures that you get to make a data-driven decision for your recruitment needs. Psychometric tests aren’t something which is new to this industry. They have been in and around since the beginning of 20th century and was originally developed for educational psychology.
In the recent times, with recruitment soaring into the digital era, psychometric tests are being used by over 80% of the Fortune 500 companies in the U.S and by over 75% of the Times Top 100 companies in the UK. Starting from management consultancies, financial institutions, civil services, armed forces, etc. everyone has started utilizing psychometric tests extensively due to its unlimited advantages.
As psychometric tests give an inside look into the candidate’s personality, preferences, and abilities they are one the best sources to hire personnel who will match your company culture to the best. As one of the selection tools used by the recruiters, these tests can be applied right away at the early stages of recruitment to screen candidates who are unlikely to fit the job.
Because of their importance and insight into personnel decisions, psychometric tests have become vital among the recruiters to be included in the selection process to produce accurate results based on standardized methods and statistical principals and methods. However, within the psychometrics, there are different types of tests which cater to different needs as per the requirement of the industry. In this article, we will try and give insights into the various types of psychometric tests available to help you ease your recruitment process.
Aptitude Tests:
Aptitude tests also known as ability tests measure a candidate’s ability to grasp knowledge and information and the time taken to process the same. The main goal of aptitude tests is understanding the cognitive abilities of the assessee. They essentially evaluate a prospective candidate on their:
- Numeric reasoning,
- Verbal reasoning,
- Abstract reasoning, and
- General aptitude test which comprehensively tests a candidate based on their verbal, logical and numerical abilities all at once.
Achievement Tests:
This test tries to measure a candidate’s’ level of knowledge based on their formal education, training, and instructions. A given population is selected and the candidate’s grasp on that specific knowledge background is tested and measured as per the industry standards.
These following subcategories of achievement tests are used in various HR scenarios:
- Survey Battery: This is a junior level test that helps the recruiter in evaluating the candidate’s basic knowledge and to evaluate those enrolled in beginners’ courses.
- Single Survey Achievement Test: This test specifically focuses on a single area of expertise.
- Diagnostic Achievement Test: This test helps you in assessing an individual’s achievements right from the beginner level to subject level expertise.
Attitude Tests:
Before we try and define attitude tests we need to understand what do we specifically mean by attitude. The attitude of a person reflects their thought and understanding and empathy levels towards others. Attitude refers to the way a person reacts to a situation and tries to reach a conclusion. Attitude varies from person to person, two people cannot be similar. However, when you are hiring someone you try to think whether they will fit into the organizational culture that you have going on in your organization.
Attitude test gives the recruiter a peek into the thoughts of the prospective candidates and the way they approach a situation or a person.
Types of Psychometric Tests Used In Recruitment
Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator / Jung Typology Test:
This self-introspective test was created by the mother-daughter duo, Katherine Cook Briggs, and Isabel Briggs Myers, and is based on Carl Jung’s classification of personalities. It is scientifically backed and has set the bar for psychological assessments of personality. The test aims to classify the candidates according to four pairs of dichotomies – sensing or intuition, feeling or thinking, introversion or extroversion and judging or perceiving. This helps recruiters understand the way in which candidates perceive what’s around them. The tests results make recruiters aware of the candidate’s shortcomings and strengths. Self-actualization is an indispensable part of learning which is the main reason recruiters incorporate this personality test. Over 70% of the Fortune 500 Companies use the Myers-Briggs Test.
The Caliper Profile
Used by thousands of businesses worldwide, the Caliper Profile is the psychological assessment quiz that has been structured by the talent management company, Caliper. With over 150 questions and two hours writing time, employers have a more comprehensive personality profile of their applicants. The profile is a scientific instrument which provides concrete results on a candidate’s potential to grow, motivators and natural strengths. Created nearly half-century ago, the caliper profile analyzes more than 25 personality traits relating to job performance thereby providing conclusive results that examine both the positives and the negatives of the candidate objectively.
Employee Personality Profile
The Employee Personality Profile or EPP is used for gauging a candidate’s personality for any position, on the basis of how well they interact with various elements of the workplace ( colleagues, clients, management etc) as well as their work style. The test is essentially an inventory that measures twelve personality traits of the candidates which are:
Assertiveness, Achievement, Competitiveness, Conscientiousness, Self-Confidence, Managerial, Extroversion, Motivation, Cooperativeness, Openness, Stress Tolerance and Patience. It takes 15 minutes to complete the test, which consists of 140 items.
The EPP test results have been compared with the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire proving its construct validity.
DISC
The DISC assessment is a tool that is used to analyze behaviour on the basis of a theory proposed by William Moulton Marston. Walter Clarke took this theory and developed the first DISC assessment which identifies four different behaviour traits namely:
- Dominance (D),
- Inducement (I),
- Submission (S) and
- Compliance (C).
The results generated by this personality test help to better understand the temperament and interpersonal relations of the candidates. The test scores participants in all the behaviour categories which provide the recruiters with a comprehensive profile of the same. DISC assessments provide outcomes which maker hiring efforts more foolproof and beneficial in the long run.
Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire
The Sixteen Personality Factor or 16PF is a personality inventory developed by Raymond B Cattell. Supported by intensive empirical research this test identifies 16 normal ranged personalities used commonly by companies as well as academicians. With personalities ranging from warmth to sensitivity, the test consists of around 170 questions that gauge the candidate’s potential in a professional set up. The test contains situational questions that examine candidates on their ability to make decisions in the workplace.