I use interviews and other methods; why should I replace them with tests?

You shouldn’t! Tests provide part of the picture; interviews, for instance, provide information tests can’t reach.

But research shows that interviews, references and application forms are very bad at predicting whether people will succeed. Interviews are particularly dangerous because you will be hugely influenced by your prejudices, likes and dislikes without realising it.
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So, what exactly is “psychometrics”

 

This could get long and complicated! Put simply, psychometrics is a set of techniques used to ensure, among other things, that:

• you are actually testing what you think you are testing. A written test of mathematics should be testing maths, not writing for instance.
• your test gives the same results if its given to the same person twice or administered by different people
• it’s fair to everyone Read more

What do psychometric tests measure and what are they used for?

If you are a parent, your children take them at school in between examinations to check their progress and predict their results. They sometimes highlight particular strengths and areas that need more teaching.

If you have entered work on a graduate recruitment scheme, you’ve probably taken one during the milk round. And you may well have sat one when you went for your first or subsequent jobs.

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Eenie meenie miney mo?

How to pick a Psychometric Test.

Selection testing has been around for decades and the range of instruments and providers seem endless. Teresa Russell from Human Resources Magazine (Australia) looks at some offerings in the market and looks at how companies use different tailored testing instruments to great effect.

Users of The McQuaig System & other psychometric tests in Australia are quizzed about what the look for when selecting the right test.

Read the full story here.