Psychometric Testing
Many employers use psychometric tests, also known as aptitude tests, as part of the recruitment process. They're common in the first stages of recruitment for graduate jobs, graduate schemes, work placements and internships. Psychometric tests are used as a predictor of future performance measuring ability, including verbal, numerical, spatial reasoning and critical thinking aptitude tests. The tests also include personality questionnaires examining your preferences, situational judgement assessments where you are asked to make judgements based on diverse work-relevant scenarios and game-based assessments.
As a candidate, your score or performance will be evaluated against the ‘Norm Group’. This may be recent graduates or a number of the company’s current staff working in related roles. This helps the organisation to calibrate the process to their own needs, and candidates can try to estimate the needs based on commercial research into the organisation.
You can significantly improve your scores in aptitude tests by practicing the types of questions that you will face.
Psychometric Testing Resources
Psychometric Testing Events – Use Handshake to search for University of Exeter workshops and external employer conducted events to help you understand why Psychometric Tests are used in the recruitment process and how you might improve your performance.
Graduates First has a wide range of psychometric tests including - numerical, verbal, logical, spatial, diagrammatic, situational, personality, gamified, Watson Glasser and coding. The site allows all University of Exeter Students, from any discipline and year, to select an industry including consulting, finance, law, healthcare, technology and access relevant tests, assessments and video interviews focused on a sector of your choosing for free.
If you’re applying for spring insight weeks, summer internships or graduate schemes, you’re very likely to face some form of verbal reasoning test. To help you to prepare, take a look at our Verbal Reasoning Tests information page.
If you’re applying for spring insight weeks, summer internships or graduate schemes, you’re very likely to face some form of numerical reasoning test. To help you to prepare, take a look at our Numerical Reasoning Tests information page.
This is an Internationally recognised psychometric test that assesses critical thinking and is very popular in law firms, with each employer defining and changing their own threshold year-on-year. There are typically 40 questions (randomly drawn from a large bank) with a 30 minute time limit and there are 5 sub-tests assessing: Inference, Recognise Assumptions, Deduction, Interpretation and Evaluation arguments
The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal is based on the RED model of critical thinking:
- Recognised Assumption -> Evaluation Assumption -> Draw Conclusion
Hogen Lovells (International Law Firm) only exclude those that receive a low score (20%). Research by Hogan Lovells have found strong correlations between those that get high scores in their Watson Glaser test and those that receive a distinction in their LPC.
Practice and familiarity the key to improving performance (12-20 hours of practice is recommended). The following resources are available to practice this test: Graduates First has Watson Glasser, as does JobTestPrep, the Lawyer Portal and Assessment Day.
Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) are a measurement methodology designed to assess judgement in work relevant situations. Commercial awareness of the organisations vales is essential to do well in these tests and for the interview.
The Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT) is an online situational judgement test. Before taking the Civil Service Judgement Test, you should get used to what the test looks like by taking the CSJT Practice Test so you are fully familiar. It measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours, which have been selected as important for success in your chosen job.
Further free practice tests can be accessed with Jobtestprep and AssessmentDay and NortonAssessment.
Wikijobs Free Practice Aptitude Tests - This link takes you to some free aptitude practice tests for numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, diagrammatic reasoning, inductive reasoning, situational judgement and Watson Glaser.
Test Partnership offers free sample tests in Numerical reasoning and Verbal reasoning and Critical thinking.
Game-based assessments are psychometric tools to measure workplace-relevant skills through a gamified format. They employ game mechanics, behavioural incentives, and animations to address the known disadvantages of traditional pre-employment testing and enhance candidates’ recruitment experience; improving selection processes overall.
- The graduate job hunter's guide to game-based assessment by Target Jobs.
- Graduates First includes practice gamified assessments
- Gamified Assessments by Assessment Day.
Next steps
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You should make your own decision about which types of questions to practice. You could either concentrate on your weakest area or you could try to elevate your score across all areas.
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Prior to a potential test search up the test provider and get familiar with the format of the questions and keep practicing. Because of the way that aptitude tests are marked, even small improvements to your raw score will have a big influence on your chances of getting the job.
Need more help? Contact the Career Zone.