Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Generalities
Critique
External References
Generalities
OPQ measures between 6 and 32 personality traits. There are different versions of the test; OPQ
Image, OPQ Customer Contact, OPQ Factor, OPQ Work Styles, OPQ32. At its origin the OPQ
was built on a four factor model which content is close to the Big5 dimensions: Feeling,
Relating, Thinking and Energies domains. The test is distributed by SHL. It is translated in 30
languages.
The version FS5.2 of OPQ comprises 136 items with a five value scale (from strongly disagree
to strongly agree). It takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. The characteristics of the test
are well documented and available on SHL web site. The test is proposed in ipsative (forced
choice) and normative formats. The ipsative version is proposed by SHL for selection. The
normative version is proposed for counseling, development and training. Different reports are
available for documenting different questions managers and HR might have in the work place:
leadership style, management competency. The test can be taken online or in paper/pencil mode.
Critique
SHL has invested considerable time in working with faculties to make its tests sound, well
researched and validated by the academic field. The OPQ test is popular among HR personnel. It
measures traits which are commonly asked in work situations by managers. Do people have
leadership? Answer from OPQ
But the labels of the measured dimensions suggest some meanings which cannot be common
between individuals or even among test editors. This is a natural problem with personality tests
that measure a large number of dimensions like OPQ. The contents of the dimensions - as
revealed by factorial analysis - are strongly overlapping, suggesting that fewer dimensions would
be enough and that all the dimensions measured are indeed abstract and far from what they
would suggest.
OPQ is an HR tool and is not meant to be used by managers. There is no approach to qualify a
position and then to compare people’s characteristics with the positions. OPQ is complex to
interpret and long to take.
External References
To access the website of the distributor : click here. Examples of reports and the reliability and
validity documentation can be downloaded from the web site.
Version 1.2 last modified by Frederic Lucas-Conwell on Mar 17, 2009 at 17:57 PDT. Initially
created by Frederic Lucas-Conwell.
Tags: OPQ
Why 360º? Because this performance management system comes at your organisation from
every angle... with the intention of turning it right around.
Provide a 'gap analysis' between personal perception and others' perceptions of individual and
team performance.
Aptitude and ability tests are designed to assess your logical reasoning or thinking capabilities. They
consist of a number of multiple choice questions and are strictly timed.
You may be asked to answer the questions either on paper or online. The advantages of online
testing include immediate availability of results and the test can be taken at an employment
agency or even at home. This makes online testing particularly suitable for initial screening as it
is very cost-effective.
Aptitude and ability tests can be classified as speed tests or power tests. In speed tests the
questions are relatively straightforward and the test is concerned with how many questions you
can answer correctly in the allotted time. These tests tend to be used in selection at the
administrative and clerical level. A power test on the other hand will present a smaller number of
more complex questions and tend to be used more at the graduate, professional or managerial
level.
There are at least 5000 aptitude and ability tests on the market and every year new tests are
devised and added to the already huge number of tests available. Every company that produces
tests needs to differentiate their own test from those of other companies. This has produced a
bewildering range of test names and acronyms. However, all of the tests you are likely to come
across can be clasified into six basic types:
Spatial ability questions often involve the visual assembly and the disassembly of objects that
have been rotated or which are viewed from different angles or objects that have different
markings on their surfaces.
Ideally, your score will then be compared with the results of a control group which has taken the
tests in the past. This control group could consist of other graduates, current job holders or a
sample of the population as a whole. Your reasoning skills can then be assessed in relation to this
control group and judgments made about your ability.
More commonly, your scores will be compared to the other candidates who took the test at the
same time. Whilst this does not represent 'best practice', due to the small size of the sample, it is
often what happens in real life.
Aptitude Test - Understanding Different Types of Scoring Systems
Whenever you take a psychometric test either as part of the selection process or as a practice exercise you
will usually see your results presented in terms of numerical scores. These may be; raw scores, standard
scores, percentile scores, Z-scores, T-scores or Stens
Raw Scores
These refer to your unadjusted score. For example, the number of items answered correctly in an
aptitude or ability test. Some types of assessment tools, such as personality questionnaires, have
no right or wrong answers and in this case, the raw score may represent the number of positive
responses for a particular personality trait. Obviously, raw scores by themselves are not very
useful. If you are told that you scored 40 out of 50 in a verbal aptitude test, this is largely
meaningless unless you know where your particular score lies within the context of the scores of
other people. Raw scores need to be converted into standard scores or percentiles will provide
you with this kind of information.
The illustration above shows the relative heights of a large group of people. As you can see, a
large number of individual cases cluster in the middle of the curve and as the extremes are
approached, fewer and fewer cases exist, indicating that progressively fewer individuals are very
short or very tall. The results of aptitude and ability tests also show this normal distribution if a
large and representative sample of the population is used.
Standard Deviation
The standard deviation is the most commonly used measure of variability. It is used to describe
the distribution of scores around the mean.
The value of the standard deviation varies directly with the spread of the test scores. If the spread
is large, the standard deviation is large. One standard deviation of the mean (both the plus and
minus) will include 66% of the students' scores. Two standard deviations will include 95% of the
scores.
Standard scores indicate where your score lies in comparison to a norm group. For example, if the
average or mean score for the norm group is 25, then your own score can be compared to this to see if you
are above or below this average.
Percentile Scores
A percentile score is another type of converted score. Your raw score is converted to a number indicating
the percentage of the norm group who scored below you. For example, a score at the 60th percentile
means that the individual's score is the same as or higher than the scores of 60% of those who took the
test. The 50th percentile is known as the median and represents the middle score of the distribution.
Percentiles have the disadvantage that they are not equal units of measurement. For instance, a
difference of 5 percentile points between two individual’s scores will have a different meaning
depending on its position on the percentile scale, as the scale tends to exaggerate differences near
the mean and collapse differences at the extremes.
Percentiles can not be averaged nor treated in any other way mathematically. However, they do
have the advantage of being easily understood and can be very useful when giving feedback to
candidates or reporting results to managers.
If you know your percentile score then you know how it compares with others in the norm group.
For example, if you scored at the 70th percentile, then this means that you scored the same or
better than 70% of the individuals in the norm group.
This is the score most often used by organizations when comparing your score with that of other
candidates because they are so easily understood they are very widely used when reporting
results to managers.
The characteristic way that test scores tend to bunch up around the average and the use of
percentiles in the interpretation of test results, has important implications for you as a job
candidate. This is because most aptitude tests have relatively few questions and most of the
scores are clustered around the mean. The effect of this is that a very small improvement in your
actual score will make a very substantial difference to your percentile score.
To illustrate this point, consider a typical aptitude test consisting of 50 questions. Most of the
candidates, who are a fairly similar group in terms of their educational background and
achievements, will score around 40. Some will score a few less and some a few more. It is very
unlikely that any of them will score less than 35 or more than 45.
Looking at these results in terms of percentiles is a very poor way of analyzing them and no
experienced statistician would ever use percentiles on this type of data. However, nine times out
of ten this is exactly what happens to these test results and a difference of three or four extra
marks can take you from the 30th to the 70th percentile. This is why preparing for these tests is
so worthwhile as even small improvements in your results can make you appear a far superior
candidate.
Z-scores
To overcome the problems of interpretation implicit with percentiles and other rank order
systems various types of standard scores have been developed. One of these is the Z-score which
is based on the mean and standard deviation. It indicates how many standard deviations above or
below the mean your score is.
Z = standard score
X = individual raw score
M = mean score
SD = standard deviation
The illustration shows how Z-scores in standard deviation units are marked out on either side of
the mean. It shows where your score sits in relation to the rest of the norm group. If it is above
the mean then it is positive, and if it is below the mean then it is negative. As you can see from
the illustration, Z-scores can be rather cumbersome to handle because most of them are decimals
and half of them can be expected to be negative.
Since T-scores do not contain decimal points or negative signs they are used more frequently
than Z-scores as a norm system, particularly for aptitude tests.
Stens have the advantage that they enable results to be thought of in terms of bands of scores,
rather than absolute scores. These bands are narrow enough to distinguish statistically significant
differences between candidates, but wide enough not to over emphasize minor differences
between candidates.
The rank-ordering of test results, the use of cut-off scores, or some combination of the two is
commonly used to assess the test scores and make employment-related decisions about them.
There are essentially three approaches that can be taken.
Rank Ordering
Firstly the organization could simply select the top scorers. This would seem to be the most
obvious approach, but is does have a major drawback, at least where ‘ordinary’ jobs are
concerned. In times of high unemployment the job is likely to attract some candidates who are
too ‘high-powered’ and who will probably get bored quickly and more on as soon as they can.
Alternatively, if unemployment is very low then all of the candidates may have poor scores and
may not be up to the job. Neither of these represents a successful outcome for the organization.
Cut-off Score
The second option is to shortlist candidates who achieve more than a minimum acceptable score.
This is more flexible than the above approach as it ensures that candidates who are not up to the
job are excluded whilst giving the interviewer or decision maker the option to exclude candidates
they feel are too high powered.
Profiling
The third option is to use a minimum acceptable score in conjunction with profiling.
This approach first excludes unsuitable candidates on the basis of minimum score and then takes
into account the relative strengths of each suitable candidate in all of the areas in which they
have been tested. This is then used to produce a profile map which can be compared to the ‘ideal’
profile for the job. This profile will be based on a job specification compiled by an occupational
psychologist, or qualified personnel professional.
Skills – are specific skills needed. For example, typing 150 words
per minute, ability to operate CNC machine, etc. This will often be
decided on the basis of recognized qualifications but will be
influenced by previous job experience.
Psychometric tests have been used since the early part of the 20th century and were originally developed
for use in educational psychology. These days, outside of education, you are most likely to encounter
psychometric testing as part of the recruitment or selection process. Tests of this sort are devised by
occupational psychologists and their aim is to provide employers with a reliable method of selecting the
most suitable job applicants or candidates for promotion.
Psychometric tests aim to measure attributes like intelligence, aptitude and personality. They
provide a potential employer with an insight into how well you work with other people, how well
you handle stress, and whether you will be able to cope with the intellectual demands of the job.
Most of the established psychometric tests used in recruitment and selection make no attempt to
analyze your emotional or psychological stability and should not be confused with tests used in
clinical psychology. However, in recent years there has been rapid growth (particularly in the
US) of tests that claim to measure your integrity or honesty and your predisposition to anger.
These tests have attracted a lot of controversy, because of questions about their validity, but their
popularity with employers has continued to increase.
Psychometric testing is now used by over 80% of the Fortune 500 companies in the USA and by
over 75% of the Times Top 100 companies in the UK. Information technology companies,
financial institutions, management consultancies, local authorities, the civil service, police
forces, fire services and the armed forces all make extensive use of use psychometric testing.
As an indicator of your personality, preferences and abilities, psychometric tests can help
prospective employers to find the best match of individual to occupation and working
environment. As a recruitment and selection tool, these tests can be applied in a straightforward
way at the early stages of selection to screen-out candidates who are likely to be unsuitable for
the job. They can also provide management with guidance on career progression for existing
employees.
Because of their importance in making personnel decisions it is vital that the tests themselves are
known to produce accurate results based on standardized methods and statistical principles.
Non Discriminatory: It must not disadvantage any group on the basis of gender, culture, ethnicity,
etc.
Psychometric tests fall into two main categories. Personality questionnaires, which try to
measure aspects of your personality, and aptitude tests which try to measure your intellectual and
reasoning abilities.
Personality Tests
The principle behind these tests is that it is possible to quantify your personality by asking you
about your feelings, thoughts and behavior in a variety of situation both at work and outside of
work.
You will be presented with statements describing various ways of feeling or acting and asked to
answer each one on a 2 point, 5 point or 7 point scale. The number of questions you are expected
to answer varies from about 50 to 200, depending on the duration of the test.
A) True B) False
There have also been significant changes in the past 20 years in the way that organizations
operate. For example, management styles tend to be less autocratic and there are usually fewer
levels of management than there were. The move towards more knowledge based and customer
focused jobs means that individuals have more autonomy even at fairly low levels within
organizations. In addition, most organizations expect to undergo frequent changes in the way that
they operate in order to remain competitive. All of these factors have contributed to your
personality being seen as more important now than it was in the past.
Aptitude Tests
There are at least 5000 aptitude and ability tests on the market. Some of them contain only one
type of question (for example, verbal ability, numeric reasoning ability etc) while others are
made up of different types of question. If you are unsure what types of question to expect then
ask the human resources department at the organization you are applying to. This will not count
against you as you have a right to prepare yourself for any tests you are asked to sit.
Aptitude tests consist of multiple choice questions and are administered under exam conditions.
They are strictly timed and a typical test might allow 30 minutes for 30 or so questions.
Verbal Ability - Includes spelling, grammar, ability to understand analogies and follow detailed
written instructions. These questions appear in most general aptitude tests because employers
usually want to know how well you can communicate.
Numeric Ability - Includes basic arithmetic, number sequences and simple mathematics. In
management level tests you will often be presented with charts and graphs that need to be
interpreted. These questions appear in most general aptitude tests because employers usually
want some indication of your ability to use numbers even if this is not a major part of the job.
Abstract Reasoning - Measures your ability to identify the underlying logic of a pattern and then
determine the solution. Because abstract reasoning ability is believed to be the best indicator of
fluid intelligence and your ability to learn new things quickly these questions appear in most
general aptitude tests.
Spatial Ability - Measures your ability to manipulate shapes in two dimensions or to visualize
three-dimensional objects presented as two-dimensional pictures. These questions not usually
found in general aptitude tests unless the job specifically requires good spatial skills.
Fault Diagnosis - These tests are used to select technical personnel who need to be able to find
and repair faults in electronic and mechanical systems. As modern equipment of all types
becomes more dependent on electronic control systems (and arguably more complex) the ability
to approach problems logically in order to find the cause of the fault is increasingly important.
Data Checking - Measure how quickly and accurately errors can be detected in data and are used
to select candidates for clerical and data input jobs.
Work Sample – Involves a sample of the work that you will be expected do. These types of test
can be very broad ranging. They may involve exercises using a word processor or spreadsheet if
the job is administrative or they may include giving a presentation or in-tray exercises if the job
is management or supervisory level.
The same thing applies to numerical ability. Most people who have been out of education for
more than a few years will have forgotten how to multiply fractions and calculate volumes.
While it is easy to dismiss these as 'first grade' or elementary maths, most people simply don't do
these things on a day-to-day basis. So, don't assume anything - it's better to do some practice
tests and then you'll know for sure.
Psychometric Testing
VSS Consultants offers psychometric testing for all types of applications. We administer and
interpret all standard psychometric tests for various purposes. We also offer our expertise in
projective testing and conduct:
TAT (Thematic Apperception Tests)
WAT (Word Associations Tests)
SRT (Situation Reaction Tests)
We also administer and interpret through our qualified and experienced experts, all common
instruments and inventories such as:
MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Inventory)
16 PF
FIRO-B (Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation - Behaviour)
FIRO-F (Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation - Feelings)
Recruitment Testing
We also offer our expertise in recruitment testing. We design, administer and score recruitment
tests. Our tests can include the following:
Reasoning Ability Tests
Numerical Ability Tests
Verbal Ability Tests
Quantitative Aptitude Tests
General Awareness tests
Clerical Speed & Accuracy Tests
Test of English
We also have the expertise, experience and ability to conduct and score recruitment tests in large
volumes. Our tests are fully customised to your needs and particular situations. Our use of the
OMR (Optical Mark Reader) technology enables us to handle large volumes of tests accurately
and in a very short time frame.
There are only three questions the employer really has to answer during the selection process: Firstly, do
you have the right skills and experience? Secondly, do you have the required enthusiasm and motivation?
Finally, are you going to fit in, in terms of your personality, attitude and general work style?
Personality has a significant role to play in providing answers to the second and third of these
questions. In most working situations it’s the personality of your co-workers and managers that
affect the day-to-day success of the organization. If the team doesn't work well together or a
manager can’t motivate their staff, then productivity and quality of service will suffer.
The way that most organizations operate has also changed in the last 30 years. There are usually
fewer levels of management than there were and management styles tend to be less autocratic. In
addition, the move in the western world at least, towards more knowledge based and customer
focused jobs means that individuals have more autonomy even at fairly low levels within
organizations. The effects of these changes means that your personality is seen by a potential
employer as more important now than it was in the past.
There is a historical association with academic and occupational psychology which gives the
personality testing industry a degree of credibility that it does not always deserve. Many of the
well established companies who provide personality tests do operate to the highest ethical and
professional standards. However, it is inevitable that such a growth industry with low barriers to
entry and little official regulation has attracted entrants with varying degrees of competence and
integrity.
This situation is made more difficult since most of the companies that produce personality tests
are very secretive about their methodologies and refuse to make public crucial information about
how their tests were developed or how well they work, claiming that this information is
‘proprietary’. The usefulness and accuracy of even the most well established tests, (for example,
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - first published in 1962 and the subject of thousands of
research papers), remain highly controversial among psychologists. For more information on this
topic see - Personality Tests - Understanding the Industry.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - assessment is a personality test designed to measure
preferences in how people see the world and make decisions. The MBTI was originally
developed in the 1940’s by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, who
thought that an understanding of personality preferences would help women who were entering
the workforce for the first time to identify the sort of war-time jobs which would suit them best.
By the early 1960’s, the initial questionnaire had become refined into the MBTI.
The MBTI uses a series of forced choice questions in which the individual has to choose only
one of two possible answers to each question. The choices are a mixture of word pairs and short
statements and are chosen to reflect opposite preferences. Participants may skip questions if they
feel they are unable to choose. The current North American English version of the MBTI
includes 93 forced choice questions and there are 88 questions in the European English version.
The SHL OPQ32r - This test measures aspects of behaviour that are crucial to performance
potential, which cannot easily be identified by other techniques, such as reading CVs and
interviewing. The OPQ32r provides a clear, simple framework for understanding the impact of
personality on job performance.
The OPQ32r is available in more than 30 languages and is administered online. The
questionnaire takes the majority of people less than 30 minutes to complete and a range of
reports are available, providing clear, concise, graphical summaries of performance against job
competencies. Most of these reports are designed for use by line managers.
Results can be processed immediately with no human input. The test administration software can
produce very detailed and impressive looking reports. See Example.
There has been a growing acceptance of personality testing among the general public. Many
people quite happily complete online personality profiles in their own time outside of the
recruitment process.
There are now more suppliers producing a greater variety of tests. This has driven costs down
even further and increased the choice of tests available to recruiting organizations.
Personality has a significant role to play in deciding whether you have the enthusiasm and motivation that
the employer is looking for. It also determines how well you are going to fit in to the organization, in
terms of your personality, attitude and general work style? In most working situations it’s the personalities
of the people involved that affect the day-to-day success of the organization. If a manager can’t motivate
their staff or the team doesn't work well together, then quality of service and productivity will suffer.
There have also been significant changes in the past 20 years in the way that organizations
operate. For example, management styles tend to be less autocratic and there are usually fewer
levels of management than there were. The move towards more knowledge based and customer
focused jobs means that individuals have more autonomy even at fairly low levels within
organizations. In addition, most organizations expect to undergo frequent changes in the way that
they operate in order to remain competitive. All of these factors have contributed to your
personality being seen as more important now than it was in the past.
The companies that produce personality tests and the human resources staff who use them
invariably refer to these tests as personality ‘questionnaires’ rather than ‘tests’. This is done to
avoid giving the impression that there are right and wrong answers and that the test can be either
passed or failed. Obviously, no one type of personality is necessarily better or worse than any
other. However, remember that you are being given this test for a reason, the employer is plainly
looking for something otherwise they would not be investing time and money on the testing
process.
“The particular pattern of behavior and thinking that prevails across time and contexts, and
differentiates one person from another.”
In trying to understand these behavior patterns, psychologists attempt to identify and measure
individual personality characteristics, often called personality traits.
A personality trait is assumed to be some enduring characteristic that is relatively constant. This
is opposed to the present temperament of that person which is not necessarily a stable
characteristic. Consequently, trait theories are specifically focused on explaining the more
permanent personality characteristics that differentiate one individual from another. For example,
things like being; dependable, trustworthy, friendly, cheerful, etc.
Modern personality theory is a relatively new field and really began in the 1920’s. There have
been many attempts to define personality traits and some psychologists have developed models
with hundreds of traits. Whilst others believe that there are as few as three. In 1990, the
psychologists Costa & McCrae published details of a '5 trait' model. This has received significant
support from other research and is now widely accepted among psychologists. These 5 aspects of
personality are referred to as the 5-factors or sometimes just ‘the Big 5’.
Each of these 5 personality traits describes, relative to other people, the frequency or intensity of
a person's feelings, thoughts, or behaviors. Everyone possesses all 5 of these traits to a greater or
lesser degree. For example, two individuals could be described as ‘agreeable’ (agreeable people
value getting along with others). But there could be significant variation in the degree to which
they are both agreeable.
People who score high on this factor like to work in cooperation with others, are
talkative, enthusiastic and seek excitement. People who score low on this factor
prefer to work alone, and can be perceived as cold, difficult to understand, even a
bit eccentric.
Those who score high on this factor are usually co-operative, can be submissive,
and are concerned with the well-being of others. People who score low on this
factor may be challenging, competitive, sometimes even argumentative.
People who score high on this factor are usually productive and disciplined and
“single tasking”. People who score low on this factor are often less structured, less
productive, but can be more flexible, inventive, and capable of multitasking.
People who score low on this factor are usually calm, relaxed and rational. They
may sometimes be perceived as lazy and incapable of taking things seriously.
People who score high on this factor are alert, anxious, sometimes worried.
People who score high on this factor are neophile and curious and sometimes
unrealistic. People who score low on this factor are down-to-earth and practical and
sometimes obstructive of change.
All 5 personality traits exist on a continuum rather than as attributes that a person does or does
not have. Each of these 5 traits is made up 6 facets, which can be measured independently.
Agreeableness Trust
Morality
Altruism
Cooperation
Modesty
Sympathy
Conscientiousness Self-Efficacy
Orderliness
Dutifulness
Achievement-Striving
Self-Discipline
Cautiousness
Neuroticism Anxiety
Anger
Depression
Self-Consciousness
Immoderation
Vulnerability
Verbal reasoning questions are not designed to measure your facility with the English. They are
designed to test your ability to take a series of facts expressed in words and to understand and
manipulate the information to solve a specific problem.
Employers use verbal reasoning questions to gain an insight into whether you have the key
intellectual skills that are the foundation for success in a managerial position. Consequently,
these questions are usually restricted to graduate and management level tests.
1. Pedro goes either hunting or fishing every day. If it is snowing & windy then Pedro goes hunting.
If it is sunny and not windy then Pedro goes fishing. Sometimes it can be snowing and sunny.
2. The cost of manufacturing tractors in Korea is twenty percent less than the cost of manufacturing
tractors in Germany. Even after transportation fees and import taxes are added, it is still cheaper
to import tractors from Korea to Germany than to produce tractors in Germany.
B. Importing tractors into Germany will eliminate twenty percent of the manufacturing jobs
in Germany.
C. The costs of transporting a tractor from Korea to Germany is more than twenty percent of
the cost of manufacturing the tractor in Korea.
D. The import taxes on a tractor imported from Korea to Germany is less than twenty
percent of the cost of manufacturing the tractor in Germany.
E. It takes twenty percent less time to make a tractor in Korea than it does in Germany.
3. In 1695 about 11,400 doctors who had treated plague sufferers died and about 23,670 doctors
who had not treated plague sufferers died. On the basis of these figures, it can be concluded that it
was more dangerous for doctors not to participate in the treatment of plague sufferers than it was
for them to participate in it.
Which of the following statements would cast most doubt on the conclusion above?
A. Expressing the difference between the numbers of deaths among doctors who had treated
plague sufferers and doctors who had not treated plague suffers as a percentage of the
total number of deaths.
B. Examining the death rates for doctors in the years before and after 1695.
C. Separating deaths due to natural causes during the treatment of plague suffers from
deaths caused by other causes.
D. Comparing death rates per thousand members of each group rather than comparing total
numbers of deaths.
E. The figures quoted may vary by plus or minus ten percent from the actual figures.
4. There are 900 bottles to be filled. Jim and Molly working independently but at the same time take
30 minutes to fill the bottles. How long should it take Molly working by herself to fill the bottles?
Statement 1 -
Molly fills half as many bottles as Jim.
Statement 2 -
Jim would take 45 minutes by himself.
C. Both statements together are sufficient, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
5. Of the teams competing in the world archery championships, twenty percent are from Europe.
Half as many are from the United States and one twentieth are from Africa. What fraction of
teams are from neither Europe, the US or Africa.
A. 13/20
B. 15/20
C. 13/15
D. 17/20
E. 13/17
It is not always easy to assess whether someone has the ability to interpret information in an
analytical way and to make sound judgments based on their conclusions. This is particularly true
if individuals are applying for their first management job and do not have a track record of
successful decision making. Critical reasoning questions require you to demonstrate your ability
to make logical decisions and even to recognize that insufficient data has been provided for a
definitive answer to be reached, as would be the case in many real-life situations.
Power Tests
Personality tests focus on aspects of our preferences and developed habits. The importance of an
individual's personal qualities and manner in which they interact with others is increasingly
recognized. As a result the use of psychometric or psychological tests has grown enormously in
the last few decades, so much so that if you apply for a job in a medium to large organization, the
chances are three to one that you will be required to take a psychometric test at some stage
during the selection process.
Psychometric tests attempt to objectively measure aspects of your mental ability or your
personality. They are used to provide employers with a reliable method of selecting the most
suitable job applicants or candidates for promotion.
If you are currently applying for a job then the chances are that you will need to sit a recruitment
and selection test as part of the process.
Employee selection tests provide a potential employer with an insight into whether you will be
able to cope with the demands of the job.
Psychometric assessment can be applied to screen-out candidates who are likely to be unsuitable
for the job or to provide guidance on career progression to existing employees.
If you are wondering whether practicing for aptitude tests will help, the answer is a very definite
‘yes’. Now, you may have heard that it is very difficult to significantly improve your scores on
these tests. This view is debatable, but even if it were true you do not need to achieve a
significant improvement – a marginal one will do!
Everyone, if they practice, can improve their test scores. The biggest gains are achieved quite
quickly and result from becoming familiar with the types of question and from getting ‘into the
groove’ of answering them.
You can influence your scores in these tests significantly by understanding the question types and
practicing them.
Can I prepare for personality questionnaires?
The only sensible way to prepare for personality questionnaires to learn enough about how
personality tests work to make an informed decision about which approach to take.
If you are going to take a psychometric test, aptitude test or ability test as part of the recruitment
process then you should download free psychometric tests from this website and work through
them before you do the real thing.
Cognitive ability is a generic term describing the process of information processing (perception,
conceptualization, problem solving, etc.); the term is frequently used in psychological
assessment as a synonym for intelligence.
Verbal ability tests are designed to measure your ability to understand concepts framed in words,
your ability to find commonalities among different concepts and to manipulate ideas on an
abstract level. They assess both your knowledge of English and your reasoning ability.
Verbal aptitude tests evaluate your ability to spell words accurately, use correct grammar,
understand word meanings, understand word relationships and analyze detailed written
information.
They are designed to test your ability to take a series of facts expressed in words and to
understand and manipulate the information to solve a specific problem.
Numerical ability tests are used by employers to measure your ability to perform tasks involving
numbers. The questions range from simple arithmetic operations like addition and subtraction to
more complex questions where you need to interpret numerical information presented as tables,
diagrams, and graphs.
Numerical aptitude tests are administered under exam conditions and strictly timed, a typical test
might allow 30-40 minutes for 30-40 questions.
Numerical reasoning tests represent a particular type of numerical ability or aptitude test.
Numerical series tests are a type of numerical aptitude test which require you to find the missing
number in a sequence. This missing number may be at the beginning or middle but is usually at
the end.
If you are going to sit an aptitude test as part of the job selection process then it will almost
certainly include a numeric reasoning test.
Numerical reasoning ability tests assess your ability to use numbers in a logical and rational way.
The questions require only a basic level of education in order to successfully complete and are
therefore measuring numerical reasoning ability rather than educational achievement.
What are abstract reasoning tests?
Abstract reasoning tests show a series of figures arranged in a pattern or sequence and you are
required to identify the missing figure or the next in the sequence.
Diagrammatic reasoning tests are closely related to abstract reasoning tests. They are used to
select information technology specialists who need to work through complex abstract problems
in an analytical way.
Spatial ability is required in production, technical and design jobs where plans and drawings are
used, for example; engineering, architecture, surveying and design.
A spatial aptitude test measures your ability to manipulate shapes in two dimensions or to
visualize three-dimensional objects presented as two-dimensional pictures.
Mechanical reasoning tests measure your knowledge of straightforward mechanical and physical
concepts.
Modern mechanical comprehension tests often include fault diagnosis questions which are used
to select personnel for technical roles where they need to be able to find and repair faults in
electronic control systems.
Clerical aptitude tests are designed to identify candidates who can work quickly and accurately
in administrative roles.
Technical aptitude tests are designed to identify suitable candidates for technical roles within the
emergency services and military as well as for craft and engineering jobs.
Data Checking tests present you with a various items of information which must be checked
against each other. These tests are used to select candidates for clerical and data input jobs,
particularly where accuracy is important.
Concentration tests are used to select personnel who need to work through items of information
in a systematic way while making very few mistakes.
Why not try our personality questionnaire and get a free feedback report?
Other examples:
Verbal reasoning
Numerical reasoning
Inductive reasoning
Motivation questionnaire
I am organised
/w EPDw UJODY3
In each example given below, you will find a logical sequence of five boxes. Your task is to
decide which of the boxes completes this sequence. To give your answer, select one of the boxes
marked A to E. You will be told whether your answer is correct or not.
Questions
Question 1
A B C D E
Question 2
A B C D E
Question 3
A B C D E
Question 4
A B C D E
Numerical reasoning examples
In a numerical reasoning test, you are required to answer questions by using facts and figures
presented in statistical tables. In each question you are usually given a number of options to
choose from. One, and only one, of the options are correct in each case. If necessary, use a rough
sheet of paper and/or a calculator. However, it is important to note that the use of a calculator
may not be permitted in all tests.
For each question below, click the appropriate button to select your answer. You will be told
whether your answer is correct or not.
Newspaper Readership
Readership Percentage of adults reading each paper in
(millions) Year 3
Daily Newspapers
Question 1 - Which newspaper was read by a higher percentage of females than males in Year 3?
The Daily
The Tribune The Herald Daily News Daily Echo
Chronicle
Question 2 – What was the combined readership of the Daily Chronicle, the Daily Echo and The
Tribune in Year 1?
Question 3 – In Year 3, how much more than Italy did Germany spend on computer imports?
650 million 700 million 750 million 800 million 850 million
Question 4 – If the amount spent on computer imports into the UK in Year 5 was 20% lower
than in Year 4, what was spent in Year 5?
1,080 million 1,120 million 1,160 million 1,220 million 1,300 million
Aptitude Tests > Diagrammatic Reasoning
Tests
The term diagrammatic reasoning is often used interchangeably with abstract reasoning. Some
of the companies who produce psychometric tests refer to abstract reasoning tests as
diagrammatic reasoning tests. This is presumably because abstract tests use diagrams or pictures
rather than words or numbers. If you are told that you need to sit a diagrammatic reasoning test
then it may be just another name for an abstract reasoning test. Or it may not.
If you are applying for a job in information technology then you may be faced with questions
which test your abstract reasoning ability in a very specific way. These are referred to on this
web site as diagrammatic reasoning tests to differentiate them from 'normal' abstract reasoning
tests.
These diagrammatic reasoning tests measure your ability to infer a set of rules from a flowchart
or similar diagram and then to apply those rules to new situation. These questions are often found
in tests aimed at selecting information technology specialists who need to work through complex
problems in an analytical way.
Example Questions
1) The functions 'M' and 'S' transform the input shapes in a certain way. You need to use the
diagram to determine what effect each of these functions has. Apply them to the input shape in
the question to arrive at the correct output.
Another type of question that appears in these tests measures your ability to follow a set of
logical instructions. In the next example, the operators are defined in the first diagram. Each
operator acts on the figure that it is attached to. The sequence of operations is from top to
bottom. Use this information to answer the questions.
In the street plan above, for example, Shakespeare Road is one-way between Cole Street and
Trenchtown Road. This means that if you were driving south on Trenchtown Road you could not
turn right into Shakespeare Street.
2) Which figure results from the operations shown?
Answers
1. B - Function 'M' inverts color (black > white and white > black). Function 'S' rotates
shape anticlockwise through 90 degrees.
2. B - Work from top to bottom, making a note of the effect of each operator at each stage.
3. D - Remember some of the operations involve changing the relative position of figures.
Remember, you are unlikely to be asked questions if this type unless the job calls for a high level
of analytical abstract reasoning skills. These types of question are usually restricted to technical
jobs in information technology but may also be used to select for technical jobs in the finance
industry.
If the employer has made any mention of diagrammatic reasoning then you should ask them to
clarify exactly what they mean, and if possible to supply some example questions.
RATING STATEMENTS
You may be asked to rate yourself on a number of phrases or statements. After reading each
statement you would mark your answer according to the following rules:
In the example below, the first statement has been completed: The person has agreed that 'I enjoy
meeting new people' is an accurate description of him/herself. Try rating yourself on the other
example questions. Remember there are no right or wrong answers.
In the example below, the first statement has been completed: The person has indicated that they
most like organising people and least like seeking variety. Try choosing which statements are most and
least like you in the following example questions. Remember that there are no right and wrong
answers.
M L
C Relaxes easily
D Seeks variety
M L
B Feels calm
M L
C Is talkative
Another variation of this format type gives you a block of three statements: A, B and C. Just as above
your task is to choose one statement which is most like your behaviour in work situations and one
statement which is least like your behaviour. You should indicate your choices by clicking the
appropriate button in the columns marked ‘M’ for Most and ‘L’ for Least.
The first statement below has been completed: The person has indicated that they most like trying out
new activities and least like understanding the underlying theory. Try choosing which statements are
most and least like you in the following example questions. Remember that there are no right and
wrong answers.
M L
1 A I try out new activities
M L
M L
3 A I conceal my feelings
M L
Verbal reasoning
A – True (The statement follows logically from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
B – False (The statement is logically false from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
C – Cannot Say (Cannot determine whether the statement is true or false without further information)
In the example below, give your answer to each question by clicking on either A, B or C. You will be
told whether your answer is correct or not.
“Many organisations find it beneficial to employ students over the summer. Permanent staff often wish
to take their own holidays over this period. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for companies to
experience peak workloads in the summer and so require extra staff. Summer employment also
attracts students who may return as well qualified recruits to an organisation when they have
completed their education. Ensuring that the students learn as much as possible about the
organisation encourages interest in working on a permanent basis. Organisations pay students on a
fixed rate without the usual entitlement to paid holidays or sick leave.”
Statement 1 - It is possible that permanent staff who are on holiday can have their work carried out
by students.
Statement 2 – Students in summer employment are given the same paid holiday benefit as
permanent staff.
Statement 3 – Students are subject to the organisation’s standard disciplinary and grievance
procedures.
Statement 4 – Some companies have more work to do in the summer when students are available
for vacation work.
Numerical reasoning
For each question below, click the appropriate button to select your answer. You will be told whether
your answer is correct or not.
Newspaper Readership
Daily Newspapers Readership (millions) Percentage of adults reading each paper in Year 3
Year 1 Year 2 Males Females
Question 1 - Which newspaper was read by a higher percentage of females than males in Year 3?
The Daily
The Tribune The Herald Daily News Daily Echo
Chronicle
Question 2 – What was the combined readership of the Daily Chronicle, the Daily Echo and The
Tribune in Year 1?
Question 3 – In Year 3, how much more than Italy did Germany spend on computer imports?
650 million 700 million 750 million 800 million 850 million
Question 4 – If the amount spent on computer imports into the UK in Year 5 was 20% lower than in
Year 4, what was spent in Year 5?
1,080 million 1,120 million 1,160 million 1,220 million 1,300 million
Verbal reasoning
A – True (The statement follows logically from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
B – False (The statement is logically false from the information or opinions contained in the passage)
C – Cannot Say (Cannot determine whether the statement is true or false without further information)
In the example below, give your answer to each question by clicking on either A, B or C. You will be
told whether your answer is correct or not.
“Many organisations find it beneficial to employ students over the summer. Permanent staff often wish
to take their own holidays over this period. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for companies to
experience peak workloads in the summer and so require extra staff. Summer employment also
attracts students who may return as well qualified recruits to an organisation when they have
completed their education. Ensuring that the students learn as much as possible about the
organisation encourages interest in working on a permanent basis. Organisations pay students on a
fixed rate without the usual entitlement to paid holidays or sick leave.”
Statement 1 - It is possible that permanent staff who are on holiday can have their work carried out
by students.
Statement 2 – Students in summer employment are given the same paid holiday benefit as
permanent staff.
Statement 3 – Students are subject to the organisation’s standard disciplinary and grievance
procedures.
Statement 4 – Some companies have more work to do in the summer when students are available
for vacation work.
Inductive reasoning
In each example given below, you will find a logical sequence of five boxes. Your task is to decide
which of the boxes completes this sequence. To give your answer, select one of the boxes marked A to
E. You will be told whether your answer is correct or not.
Questions
Question 1
A B C D E
Question 2
A B C D E
Question 3
A B C D E
Question 4
A B C D E
The questions which follow are examples of the type of question you may come across in personality
questionnaires.
There are three formats to personality questionnaires. In one format, you are asked to rate yourself.
In the other two, you are asked to choose between different statements, which look at different
aspects of personality.
Rating Statements
You may be asked to rate yourself on a number of phrases or statements. After reading each
statement you would mark your answer according to the following rules:
In the example below, the first statement has been completed: The person has agreed that 'I enjoy
meeting new people' is an accurate description of him/herself. Try rating yourself on the other
example questions. Remember there are no right or wrong answers.
Making Choices
This is the second format widely used with personality questionnaires. You are given a block of four
statements: A, B, C and D. Your task is to choose one statement which is most like your behaviour in
work situations and one statement which is least like your behaviour. You should indicate your choices
by clicking the appropriate button in the columns marked ‘M’ for Most and ‘L’ for least.
In the example below, the first statement has been completed: The person has indicated that they
most like organising people and least like seeking variety. Try choosing which statements are most and
least like you in the following example questions. Remember that there are no right and wrong
answers.
M L
C Relaxes easily
D Seeks variety
M L
M L
B Feels calm
C Likes to understand things
M L
C Is talkative
Another variation of this format type gives you a block of three statements: A, B and C. Just as above
your task is to choose one statement which is most like your behaviour in work situations and one
statement which is least like your behaviour. You should indicate your choices by clicking the
appropriate button in the columns marked ‘M’ for Most and ‘L’ for Least.
The first statement below has been completed: The person has indicated that they most like trying out
new activities and least like understanding the underlying theory. Try choosing which statements are
most and least like you in the following example questions. Remember that there are no right and
wrong answers.
M L
M L
3 A I conceal my feelings
M L
Motivation questionnaire
In the example questions below, you are asked to rate each statement as to how it would affect your
motivation to work. You are then required to choose the appropriate option (A to E) to complete the
sentence.
Try the example questions below and remember, there are no right or wrong answers.
Options:
For example:
A B C D E