Chapter 13

Psychometric and aptitude tests

Most readers will be familiar with the idea of psychometric and aptitude tests, even if you haven’t necessarily been subjected to one yet. In this chapter I’m going to give you a brief outline of the various different types of test an employer is likely to roll out. These types of tests are surprisingly common – and their popularity is on the increase. Indeed, The CV Centre® has recently introduced aptitude testing as a way of helping us to shortlist when recruiting.

STATISTIC

Over 75 per cent of FTSE 100 companies use some form of psychometric or aptitude testing in their recruitment processes.

Chances are you will experience one test or another during your career, and for the unprepared candidate such tests can present significant challenges. So it is important to have an idea of what to expect.

The main types of psychometric and aptitude (also known as ‘ability’) tests I’ll be talking about are:

  • Personality tests/questionnaires
  • Verbal reasoning
  • Numeracy/numerical reasoning
  • Spatial and diagrammatic reasoning
  • Clerical and data checking

General tips

Most tests will be delivered under ‘exam conditions’, with a specific time limit set for their completion. I’m not saying you should rush though; keeping your cool and avoiding silly mistakes are essential. And if you manage your time to allow for checking of your work at the end you will probably do better than if you go very slowly, as you will then probably be better able to go back and focus on questions you were unsure of.

As in any exam, carefully observe any instructions you are given and, most importantly, make sure that you read each question carefully!

EXAMPLE

You have 10 minutes for this test, which consists of 8 questions.

  1. I always enjoy meeting new people.
    1. True
    2. False
  2. I am always methodical and organised when meeting a deadline.
    1. True
    2. False
    3. Can’t say
  3. I like to check my work in detail.
    1. True
    2. In between
    3. False
  4. I don’t suffer fools gladly.
    1. Strongly agree
    2. Agree
    3. Neither agree nor disagree
    4. Disagree
    5. Strongly disagree
  5. If I go to a party I…
    1. get into the spirit of things quickly and am often the centre of attention.
    2. tend to look for any familiar faces and start talking to someone I know.
    3. stand in a quiet corner and observe things for a while.
    4. approach someone who looks shy and start talking to them.
  6. Which of these two statements describes the way you more usually think or feel?
    1. You find it easy to keep a conversation going in almost any situation.
    2. You find it easy to keep a conversation going only with people you know well.
  7. Do you usually get on well with people who are:
    1. full of common sense?
    2. imaginative?
  8. From the alternatives given below choose the one that describes you most and the one that describes you least.
    1. I like to relax with friends.
    2. I prefer to spend my spare time alone.
    3. Some people see me as reserved.
    4. I like to make work fun.

Personality tests/questionnaires

A personality test is normally a series of multiple-choice questions, which assess you on how you respond to – or feel about – a given situation. They’re carefully designed so that you can’t ‘game’ them, i.e. identify which of the responses is ‘right’ – and you shouldn’t see such tests in terms of right and wrong anyway. Everybody has a different personality. The employer simply wants to gain some deeper insight into your own personality – the goal being to judge how close a match you are to the needs of the role for which you are applying. My advice is to always answer all questions as truthfully as possible.

Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning tests are designed to assess how well your brain handles, understands, processes, analyses and interprets language. They will include questions testing your spelling and grammar, as well as questions which identify whether you can spot synonyms, antonyms, analogies etc.

EXAMPLE

You have 5 minutes for this test, which consists of 10 questions.

Answers can be found at the end of this chapter.

For the following words, choose the one from the alternatives given that is closest to it in meaning.

  1. dogged
    1. determined
    2. lazy
    3. tenacious
    4. ruthless
  2. impudent
    1. cute
    2. cheeky
    3. reckless
    4. childish
  3. porcelain
    1. china
    2. crockery
    3. earthenware
    4. tea service

    For each of the following words, choose the one from the alternatives given that is most nearly opposite to it in meaning.

  4. giant
    1. large
    2. pygmy
    3. elf
    4. troll
  5. dear
    1. beloved
    2. elk
    3. cheap
    4. costly
  6. quickly
    1. rapidly
    2. urgently
    3. lazily
    4. slowly

    Choose the word from the alternatives given that best fits the gap in each sentence.

  7. Ted was small, but very noisy and chatty, so he made his …………….. felt.
    1. opinions
    2. presence
    3. voice
    4. conversation
  8. Had it not been for the …………….. arrival of reinforcements the battle would have been lost.
    1. general’s
    2. late
    3. timely
    4. urgent
  9. Martha gave her grandson a …………….. when he passed his exams.
    1. smile
    2. present
    3. certificate
    4. telling-off
  10. I am going to the match too, so would you like a …………….. in my car?
    1. seat
    2. trip
    3. lift
    4. journey

Numeracy/Numerical reasoning

Numerical reasoning tests are the numerical equivalent of verbal reasoning tests. You’re not expected to have studied mathematics to a high level; the concepts involved are all relatively simple and certainly shouldn’t require a calculator. You will be expected to perform simple mental calculations and identify patterns and sequences. Other questions may give you a graph or chart and probe your understanding of it.

EXAMPLE

You have 5 minutes for this test, which consists of 8 questions.

Answers can be found at the end of this chapter.

Select the correct answer from the alternatives given.

  1. 83 − 17
    1. 66
    2. 47
    3. 56
    4. 100
  2. 242 ÷ 11
    1. 32
    2. 22
    3. 31
    4. 42
  3. 1.8 − 7.2
    1. 9
    2. 54
    3. −5.4
    4. −5.6
  4. How many 30 centilitre bottles can be completely filled from a 100 litre container?
    1. 300
    2. 3,000
    3. 330
    4. 333
  5. What number comes next in the series 2, 4, 8, 32, 256?
    1. 512
    2. 820
    3. 8,192
    4. 524,288
  6. What number is missing from the series 1, 8, 512, 4,096?
    1. 2
    2. 129
    3. 128
    4. 64
  7. Rounded up to the nearest whole number, what is the average speed of a barge which travels 3 km in half an hour and 2 km in the next quarter of an hour?
    1. 5 kph
    2. 6 kph
    3. 7 kph
    4. 4 kph
  8. If a passenger tells a taxi driver to keep the change when they give them a £20 note for a fare of £18.36, what is their tip as a percentage of that £20?
    1. 10.1%
    2. 8.9%
    3. 8.0%
    4. 8.2%

Spatial and diagrammatic reasoning

Spatial and diagrammatic reasoning is classic IQ test territory. You will be shown a variety of different shapes and patterns, and be expected to identify differences, commonalities and/or deduce matching members of a set. Questions frequently include 3D images represented in 2D and are designed to test how able you are to visualise an image (to project the image in your mind’s eye) and to then manipulate that image. On a more practical level, questions could test your ability to follow a map or street plan.

EXAMPLE

You have 5 minutes for this test, which consists of 5 questions.

Answers can be found at the end of this chapter.

For each of the following questions, choose the pattern from the list of alternatives, a–d, which continues the sequence in the line above.

  1. boximage
  2. boximage

    For each of the following questions, choose the alternative, a–d, which fits in with the set in the line above.

  3. boximage
  4. boximage
  5. boximage

These questions are reproduced from Edenborough (2009): Brilliant Psychometric Tests, Prentice Hall, © Pearson Education Limited 2009.

Clerical and data checking

You are naturally most likely to encounter these sorts of test if you are applying for clerical or data entry/control positions. The principle behind them is that they measure accuracy since this is clearly a very important consideration in such roles, from taking down a phone number to entering product codes on order forms. You will not be faced with complexity in such tests, just a series of similar, quite simple, questions.

EXAMPLE

You have 5 minutes for this test, which consists of 10 questions.

Answers can be found at the end of this chapter.

Read the following passage and answer the questions which follow it.

X-Ray Airlines have just taken over their rival, Hainault Skyways. The routes are not being changed yet, but many of the flight numbers are being changed. All of the X-Ray numbers below 381 are to be changed so that the first digit is now 7, but otherwise unaltered, and all of the Hainault numbers are to be changed to X-Ray numbers, applying the same rule to numbers below 381. Indicate which of the flight numbers in the following chart have been correctly and which incorrectly changed.

Old

New

1

XR297

XR797

2

HS481

XR781

3

XR442

XR442

4

XR552

HS552

5

HS228

XR728

6

HS403

XR403

7

XR242

XR742

8

HS181

XR181

9

XR555

XR555

10

XR382

XR782

1

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

2

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

3

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

4

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

5

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

6

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

7

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

8

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

9

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

10

(a)   right

(b)   wrong

Getting in some practice

As you can see from the examples in the previous pages, the best way to prepare for psychometric and aptitude tests is to actually practise them. The CV Centre® has put together a set of free online tools which will help you to get some practice on all these different types of test. Please visit: www.jamesinn.es

Further reading

Psychometric and aptitude testing is a popular subject that goes way beyond the scope of this book. All of the examples above are excerpts from four different books which I’d strongly recommend you read if you would like to learn more about these sorts of test.

Brilliant Psychometric Tests

Brilliant Tactics to Pass Aptitude Tests

Brilliant Numeracy Tests

Brilliant Verbal Reasoning Tests

You can order copies via our website: www.jamesinn.es

Answers to the example tests

EXAMPLE

Verbal reasoning

  1. c
  2. b
  3. a
  4. b
  5. c
  6. d
  7. b
  8. c
  9. b
  10. c

EXAMPLE

Numeracy/Numerical reasoning

  1. (a) 66
  2. (b) 22
  3. (c) −5.4
  4. (d) 333
  5. (c) 8,192
  6. (d) 64
  7. (c) 7 kph
  8. (d) 8.2%

EXAMPLE

Spatial and diagrammatic reasoning

  1. (d) The shapes move clockwise and alternate between image and image.
  2. (a) The sequence moves progressively from left to right.
  3. (a) There are six shapes each time, drawn from the same set. One or more of those might appear twice or more each time.
  4. (c) There are three shapes in each top line, a square in the second or third line and a triangle in the fourth line.
  5. (b) There are two image shapes and two image shapes, which may be rotated in each case.

EXAMPLE

Clerical and data checking

  1. a
  2. b
  3. a
  4. b
  5. a
  6. a
  7. a
  8. b
  9. a
  10. b
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