Skills Assessments and Psychometric Tests
Selection testing divides into aptitude tests measuring reasoning ability, and personality or behavioural questionnaires describing preferences. They should be approached differently.
Aptitude tests
Typically numerical, verbal and logical reasoning, delivered under time pressure with more questions than most people can complete.
Practice improves performance measurably, primarily through familiarity with question formats and time management rather than through improved reasoning.
Practice tests are widely available, and many test publishers provide official examples. Doing several under timed conditions is the highest-value preparation available.
Technique matters: work out whether the test penalises wrong answers, decide whether to guess, and learn to abandon a question quickly rather than losing time.
Numerical reasoning specifically
Usually tests interpretation of data rather than arithmetic ability. The skill is extracting the relevant figure quickly from a table or chart.
Calculators are frequently permitted. Practise with the type allowed, since fluency matters under time pressure.
Percentage change, ratios and simple proportions account for a large share of questions, and revising those specifically pays off.
Personality questionnaires
These describe preferences rather than ability, and there are no right answers in the same sense.
Attempting to present an idealised profile generally backfires. Many instruments include consistency checks that detect inconsistent responding, and a profile flagged as unreliable is worse than an honest one.
Answering as your work self rather than your home self is legitimate, since the instrument is assessing workplace behaviour.
Answer reasonably quickly and consistently. Overthinking produces inconsistency.
Situational judgement tests
Present workplace scenarios and ask what you would do. These assess alignment with the organisation's values and expected behaviours.
Researching the organisation's stated values before taking one is genuinely useful, since responses are scored against a defined model.
Practical points
Take the test in conditions matching the instructions: quiet, uninterrupted, reliable connection, and using the recommended device. Technical problems mid-test are stressful and sometimes not retakeable.
Ask whether adjustments are available if you have a disability or condition affecting performance, including extra time. Employers are generally obliged to consider reasonable adjustments and cannot act on a request you never make.
Ask for feedback on results, which many employers provide and which is useful regardless of outcome.
Where a test is failed, ask whether and when you may reapply, since policies vary.
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