Why am I required to take a test?

It is often said that people are hired because of their formal competences, but fired because of their personality. Psychological factors are important for how people work, collaborate and develop as part of an organisation, however they are often overlooked. Assessments can highlight such factors, and create awareness of personal strengths and pitfalls. Ideally this awareness benefits you and the employer alike.

What is the purpose of testing people?

Well constructed psychological tests create objective information about an individual or group, in matters that are usually difficult to quantify. Tests can be used for a variety of purposes. The more common ones are:

 

Personality: Personality questionnaires usually highlight personal preferences on a number of factors such as whether a person focuses more or less on details, prefers to work alone or with others etc. Results of such questionnaires may used for recruitment or personal development.

 

Ability: These kinds of tests specifically focus on the mental potential of the individual - the ability to reason logically and analytically. These tests highlight the level of mental complexity that a person can grasp in relation to the job. This is important decision making and handling situations with many influencing factors.

 

Assessment centers: These may include any one or both of the above combined with interviews and/or group exercises where the individual participant is rated by assessors on competencies required for the job.