Qorrect Blog
While conducting the fifteenth interview that day, Mr. Mohammed wished he could somehow get deep into the mind and soul of the applicant sitting in front of him; to accurately assess his suitability for the job without hesitation!
Wow! Mr. Mohammed’s wish has come true!
The various types of psychometric tests in recruitment provide this criterion, which enables
companies to make an accurate and objective assessment of applicants for a job, to ensure the
exclusion of unsuitable people, and to select only qualified people.
What are the types of psychometric tests in recruitment? What do psychometric tests measure?
And how to use digital systems to administer the best psychometric tests in recruitment? Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
What are Psychometric Tests?
Psychometric tests are the type of psychological tests that assess an individual’s personal characteristics, skills, and abilities to learn and accomplish, as well as the values and motivations which determine how he/she interacts with his/her surroundings.
Psychometric tests can be used within business enterprises; to evaluate individuals applying for employment, or candidates for promotion.
However, they are more widely used in the initial stages of the recruitment process; To define the applicant’s suitability for the job and his consistency with the organization’s general philosophy and values.
In this way, psychometric tests help to rule out inappropriate candidates from the outset and guide the enterprises’ efforts toward more efficient and appropriate candidates.
History of Psychometric Tests
It cannot be said that psychometric tests are a modern concept, as they are rooted in many religions and civilizations throughout history.
The following is a summary of the major stages of the history of psychometric tests to what they are today:
Psychometric Tests in Ancient China
In ancient China, applicants for important positions were subjected to psychometric tests that assessed their financial status and skills in law, finance, and politics.
These tests lasted several hours and the pass rate was no more than 8% in the first phase and 3% in the second phase!
Galton and Cattell tests in the 19th century
In the 19th century, psychological tests were developed for the first time according to the standards of our time.
The famous psychologist Francis Galton introduced a psychological test that assessed IQ based on the sensory and motor skills of the examinee.
This model, later further developed by James Cattell, proved to be ineffective for the educational process.
Binet-Simon test in the 20th century
The Binet-Simon test refers to the intelligence test developed by Victor Henry, Tudor Simon, and Alfred Bennett.
It is the first psychological test to determine mental deficits in children based on a child’s verbal abilities.
This test represented a paradigm shift in psychology, as it was used to distinguish between mental illness and disability.
This psychological test, which retains its name to this day, has been revised several times, and its last version was published in 2003.
The 2003 version can be used to identify the obstacles to children’s thinking and mental development.
Psychometric tests in our modern age
Psychometric tests have evolved in form and content to suit the realities of our age.
They assess many psychological aspects of people in a way that provides an accurate measure of predicting a person’s functional performance.
Types of Psychometric tests in recruitment
Psychometric tests aim to provide accurate results through which an individual can be objectively assessed to determine his or her abilities and suitability for the concerned position, and whether their personality is compatible with the working environment.
And because they measure more than one side, the types of psychometric tests are multiple, as follows:
Personality Tests
These models of psychological tests include questions about behaviors, emotions, leadership potential, emotional intelligence, orientations, communication skills, coping with pressure, and so on.
To determine the applicant’s compatibility with the work environment and the enterprise’s vision.
For example: if the working environment supports openness and accepts all differences, should a very conservative employee be accepted?
Or if you have a genius manager in financial analysis who has fundamental problems controlling his anger, is his presence appropriate?
This pattern of psychometric tests thus plays its part in detecting personal traits that are not directly related to an individual’s functional competence, but naturally affect their overall integration and performance within the work environment.
Cognitive Tests
These tests evaluate an individual’s intellectual and logical skills; In an attempt to predict his ability to perform some kind of tasks, and his willingness to acquire new skills and knowledge.
In the recruitment process, companies rely on more than one type of cognitive tests, such as numerical reasoning, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, error checking, logical reasoning, mechanical thinking, and so on.
let’s take a look at the most forms that are used during the hiring process:
Numerical Reasoning tests
They assess an individual’s skill in handling mathematical data, and his or her ability to read, analyze and employ them in solving a problem or making a decision.
Verbal Reasoning tests
They assess an individual’s skill in dealing with texts, and how he/she reads and analyzes them in such a way as to help them decide or explore and solve a dilemma.
Mechanical Thinking
It assesses an individual’s knowledge of mechanical and physical foundations.
This type of psychometric test in recruitment is commonly applied in technical functions, such as engineering.
Mechanical Thinking test example
In the Personality Tests, there is no specific time to answer the question, and all answers are valid; since the person chooses the pattern of behavior or feeling expressed by him.
Unlike cognitive tests, there is a certain response time, and only one answer is valid!
Benefits of psychometric tests in recruitment
It is not a secret that the traditional recruitment method entails obstacles that affect the recruitment process efficiency, which negatively affects the quality of the company’s overall performance.
The most serious disadvantages of recruitment procedures that are based solely on receiving and sorting CVs and conducting interviews are the following:
- Emotional bias in the selection of candidates, even if unconscious, and this emotional interference can affect the fairness and efficiency of the recruitment process.
- A great possibility of deception, since CVs may contain experience and qualifications that the candidate does not possess.
- In addition, there is a lack of accurate assessment of the training content attended by job applicants.
- The inefficiency of the interview; as the sole criterion for evaluating the candidate’s performance.
In this way, businesses lose a large part of their resources both during the recruitment process and even after hiring the candidate, if he/she is an unqualified candidate!
Psychometric tests are therefore a practical mechanism that increases the effectiveness of the recruitment process and helps to recruit a qualified applicant for the job that suits him.
As they offer plenty of advantages, such as follow:
Accuracy
The different types of psychometric tests in recruitment evaluate more than one side, which helps in hiring the top appropriate candidates.
Psychometric tests measure an individual’s interests, values, attitudes, behavior drivers, and how one works and interacts with one’s surroundings.
They also can predict an individual’s functional competence and level of performance.
That’s why the types of psychometric tests in recruitment are considered to be more comprehensive and precise mechanisms than traditional ones.
Objectivity
The results of different types of psychometric tests in recruitment depend on standardized tests conducted by all candidates in uniform circumstances, ensuring that psychological bias is excluded.
The selection criteria taken into account in eliminating or selecting the candidate is his/her results in the test, which are extremely fair and neutral criteria
Based on the results, the applicants are compared and those who are most efficient and suitable for the job are selected.
Optimal use of the enterprise’s resources
Unlike a face-to-face interview, which can only be conducted individually, the largest possible number of applicants can be checked at the same time and from any location with psychometric tests.
In this way, psychometric tests help organizations save much time and money, especially as their results are faster and more accurate than the results of recruitment interviews.
They are also considered an early procedure in the recruitment process, that helps to eliminate candidates who were not eligible from the outset.
Versatile
Although psychometric tests are mainly used in the recruitment process, they also may be used in other aspects, such as follow:
- Promotion procedures: they are used to evaluate the candidate and determine their suitability for the functions of the new position and the ability to meet the required requirements.
- Performance development: By assessing staff personalities and capabilities, the organization can define weaknesses and strengths and develop appropriate development plans.
- Maintaining the stability of the working environment: Psychometric tests help predict the sources of disagreements, and thus the company can drain the sources of tensions and prevent them at the outset.
Best Psychometric Tests for Recruitment
Hiring someone who better meets all job requirements will provide you with optimal use of your company’s resources and a more flexible workflow.
It will also reduce the financial losses you may suffer due to the poor choice of newly joined people for the work.
In the previous lines, we have separated how different types of psychometric tests in recruitment ensure the selection of the most suitable candidate for the given job!
The question here is: what types of psychometric tests in recruitment should your company use?
The position type and its requirements will determine the types of psychometric tests you should use.
Companies often rely on different types of psychometric tests in recruitment to get a detailed picture of how candidates are expected to perform on the job.
And the most commonly used psychometric tests during the hiring process are as follows:
Numerical Reasoning
It assesses an individual’s skill in handling mathematical data, and his or her ability to read, analyze and employ them in solving a problem or making a decision.
Verbal Reasoning
It assesses an individual’s skill in dealing with texts, and how he/she reads and analyzes them in such a way as to help them decide or explore the ranks of a dilemma, and solve it.
Situational Judgment Tests
This type of psychometric test in recruitment is a fantasy scenario related to the vacancy, and there is more than one answer that fits the question.
The candidate chooses the response that expresses his personality, where each response refers to a different behavioral and personal pattern.
The candidate is selected according to the suitability of his character pattern to the job nature and the desired role.
The company selects the most suitable candidate for this position and can appoint a psychologist to assist them in this task.
They can also rely on an electronic system to help them obtain standard psychological reports on test results and the candidates’ performance like Qorrect Assessment system.
What Do Psychometric Tests Measure?
As part of the hiring process, various types of psychometric tests in recruitment are used to measure the applicant’s skills and abilities, as well as his/her fit with company values and the work environment.
Obtaining an effective assessment and feedback is the main benefit behind all types of psychometric tests in recruitment; to know what an applicant can offer to the job in terms of work tasks and integration into the work environment.
To achieve this goal, tests must meet the following criteria:
Validity
By creating tests that assess candidates based on the requirements of the job and the work environment, the tests are placed in an appropriate, rather than absolute, context.
Reliability
To provide accurate results that can be adopted, tests must be standardized in their context and circumstances.
Anti-discriminatory
Psychometric tests in recruitment shouldn’t contain any type of racism, or bias against any religion, gender, or others.
How to Prepare for a Psychometric test?
Recently, companies are increasingly focusing on the use of different types of psychometric tests in the recruitment process, which can cause some concern for the applicants!
Therefore, it is helpful to give your applicants some advice that will help them prepare for your psychometric test.
You can advise them to prepare for the test
This preparation may be adequate sleep or training for experimental models of psychometric employment tests, or just making sure to have all the necessary tools if the test will be online.
Make sure they read the instructions carefully
Reading all the instructions for the psychometric tests, whether it’s the type of test or the response time, and sticking to them, will help in passing the test with the best score.
Advise them to be themselves
Answering honestly, and avoiding guessing the answer the examiner expects or wants to see, would be golden advice!
In addition, dividing the exam time by question is necessary to answer the most questions as accurately as possible.
How to use Qorrect for setting up and managing different types of psychometric testing in recruitment?
Qorrect is an intelligent Assessment System that helps you create different types of e-tests, and connect them to the applicants through many platforms, such as desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones.
In addition, you can use Qorrect to automatically correct the tests and extract all the reports needed to measure the academic level, all in a few steps.
It should be noted that psychometric tests can be managed and recorded in paper or electronic form.
In conclusion, the various types of psychometric tests in recruitment are a fair and objective mechanism that helps various companies increase the efficiency of the hiring process.
This is because they provide an accurate prediction of an applicant’s performance when he or she starts the job.
In this way, they help companies reduce the time, effort, and financial resources needed to eliminate unqualified applicants and integrate suitable candidates into the recruitment process.
If you are looking for a professional system for creating and administering psychometric tests, you can check out Qorrect system.
Qorrect helps you prepare questions efficiently, correct them accurately, and provides you with detailed reports on test results; allowing you to develop them to fit your business needs!
Book a free demo now, talk to a Qorrect expert, and enjoy our professional test mechanization and correction features.
Resources:
Different Types of Psychometric Tests
Psychological testing
10 Unconscious Hiring Bias & How to Avoid Them
Psychometric Tests for Hiring: Advantages & Disadvantages
