COUNSELLING STUDENTS FOR

SELECTION OF RIGHT
ACADEMIC PATH TOWARDS
MEANINGFUL CAREER
Mr. Devajit Kalita and Dr. Joy Mukhopadhyay

SEPTEMBER 8, 2019
Counselling Students for Selection of Right Academic Path towards
Meaningful Career
By
Mr. Devajit Kalita and Dr. Joy Mukhopadhyay

Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
Research Question.................................................................................................................. 2
Literature Review ................................................................................................................... 2
Research Objectives ............................................................................................................... 2
Research Methodology ........................................................................................................... 2
Background of the Study ........................................................................................................ 3
Tools for selection .................................................................................................................. 4
Tools for curriculum support ................................................................................................... 4
Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 5
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 6
Recommendations .................................................................................................................. 6
Limitation ............................................................................................................................... 6
Scope for Further Research ..................................................................................................... 6
References:............................................................................................................................. 7
Introduction

The new education policy which is getting implemented by the Government of India is to
streamline education according to the need of the society. It is a welcome change though the results
will be understood only after a few years.

However one of the core problems of the students, remains unsolved in spite of the new education
policy. The problem pertains to selection of courses in higher studies by a student.

This problem can be solved to a great extent by conducting psychometric tests on students.
Psychometric tests are a standard and scientific method used to measure individuals' mental
capabilities and behavioral style. Psychometric tests are designed to measure candidates' suitability
for a role based on the required personality characteristics and aptitude (or cognitive abilities).
They identify the extent to which candidates' personality and cognitive abilities match those
required to perform the role. Employers use the information collected from the psychometric test
to identify the hidden aspects of candidates that are difficult to extract from a face-to-face
interview.

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Research Question

How to develop suitable Psychometric Tests for Students in India and how to conduct and interpret
the results?

Literature Review

There are a few articles in journals and media regarding Psychometric tests.

The existing literature can be classified in two categories.

i) Literature from psychological perspective: They deal with different types of tests and
their applications.
ii) Literature from business perspective: They deal with how to train people for scoring
well in these tests.

However, there are no reports specifically with the perspective of guiding students according to
the tests results.
Research Objectives

The research objectives of this research were:

a) To understand the present scenario of students opting for different streams in higher
education
b) To suggest some new ideas

Research Methodology

The research methodology adopted was empirical in nature. It was quantitative research and
statistical analysis was performed. This research is based on secondary data and primary data. The
primary data consists of real Psychometric Tests conducted on a large sample of students.

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Background of the Study

One of the core problems of the students, remains unsolved in spite of the new education policy.
The problem pertains to selection of courses in higher studies by a student. In majority of the cases,
a student finishing class 10 or even 12 cannot decide his choice of courses rationally. A student
typically is under tremendous parental and peer pressure without realizing his potential. For
example, India produces a few lakhs of engineers every year and according to different surveys, a
overwhelming majority is not employable as engineers. There are different reasons for this sorry
state of affairs. The fundamental reason is students who do not have aptitude and desire to study
engineering joined the course under pressure. What went missing was psychological testing at the
right age to advise students regarding their potential.

Psychometric tests are widely used in business schools, in engineering institutions, and in some
universities. On top of that, they are also frequently used to select students for short-term programs
for technical diplomas. Due to the increase in interest for such tools, their use will strongly grow
in the years to come. In the US, for example, there is not a single university that does not use them.
Most of the French institutions use them as a part of their entrance examination, but more and
more, schools are also using them for the purpose of curriculum support.

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Tools for selection

Psychometric tests are mainly used by institutions to select students. The types of tests used vary.
IQ tests, English language tests, and general knowledge tests are the most commonly used. But
some institutions also administer personality tests, emotional intelligence tests, career orientation
tests or even critical thinking tests. Some schools also order tests on demand depending on their
area of specialization.
As for aptitude tests, every school can have its own cut-off score, below which a student is not
admitted. On the other hand, personality tests and orientation tests are used as supporting tools
during the interview. The results are then discussed with the candidate and are eventually helpful
for making the final decision.

Tools for curriculum support

Some schools administer language tests, Emotional Intelligence tests or personality tests at
different stages over the course of the programme. This allows students and their professors to
supervise the student's progress and to better identify areas that need improvement.
Another useful method for youngsters is to conduct personality tests at the end of the program in
order to prepare them for the corporate world. Some big business schools in fact administer tests
to help their students identify their strong points and their areas of interests. Therefore, these young
graduates acquire a better understanding of their objectives and of their worth. As a result, they
will appear structured and confident and will be better equipped to convince a recruiters of their
abilities.
In India, the tests are largely unknown and seldom conducted in a professional manner.

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Results and Discussion

Psychometric tests were developed for students keeping the points mentioned above. They were
conducted for a sample of students and the results are discussed below.

The assessments were conducted on 500 + students over a period of 3 years. The results discussed
with the parents, and students showed a very high correlation (0.98) of showing the real career
paths which a student should follow. The parents in all the cases agreed that the suggested career
best suits the student with all the abilities, and personality traits of the student.

*Sample test result for a student.

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Conclusion

Our results showed that such tests were vital in helping the students select their courses and
eventually achieving right career goals.

Recommendations

1. Govt. of India should streamline certain policies considering aptitude of students.

2. Schools should conduct such tests and counsel their students.
3. Institutes of Higher Education should conduct such tests for advising students in selection
of their specializations.
4. Institutes of Higher Education should derive their curriculum based on the needs, and
ability of individual student rather than going for “one size fits all”.

Limitation

The main limitation of this research was the time and resources available at hand.

Scope for Further Research

There is a great scope for further research. This research can be extended to a longitudinal study
involving many students and tracking their higher education paths and subsequent career paths.

This research can be extended to studies in

a) Different geographical regions

b) Different age groups of students
c) Different educational institutions

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychometrics
https://www.psychometricinstitute.com.au/psychometric-
guide/introduction_to_psychometric_tests.html
https://www.centraltest.com/article/psychometric-tests-student-selection-and-support
http://www.mapmytalent.in/career-assessment
https://idreamcareer.com/psychometric-career-test