Psychometric Test before formal job offer

[season2]

I've had two strong interviews and I'm told by the recruiter they're very keen to offer but first require me to complete psychometric testing. I'm looking for any experience or reassurance as I'm feeling quite nervous. Should I search for relevant practice tests or jump straight in?

I've been asked to complete the following:

1. The Quest Profiler
2. Numerical reasoning
3. Inductive reasoning
4. Verbal reasoning

Ok,
So when it comes to profiling, please look at the job description, think about the qualities that are important for the job and reply accordingly.

As for the rest, do the best you can! If you’re nervous then try some out before. I actually think it’s rare that they get you to do the tests post interview so you must be to expected standard of some kind. Good luck!

I have done practice tests before and definitely showed improvement, so I would advise you to practice if you can. There are plenty of books on Amazon that you can download which have practice tests.

That's great advice thank you. I've got a few days to have them completed so will do some practice and revisit the JD.

I'm trained in these tools and have been recruiting 20 years.

Advice from PP is wrong - the profile tool is a psychometric test. You don't need to do prep for this, it's a range of preset questions for you to give your natural response to. You don't give different answers depending on the job description, you're asked to tell them how like you that the statements are. As with any of these tests (Saville Wave, SHL OPQ, Arctic Shores etc), they are as accurate as you are self aware. They should be used to gather information and there should be a follow up session to present the report to you and allow for rationalisation / further exploration where there is an extreme compared to the norm. It's odd for this to be bolted on at the end of a process especially as there is no right or wrong.

The other tests look at your cognitive skills. There's no real way to falsify the results - but there is a technique to them which you can work in through practice questions online. They compare your abilities to the general population so if you do well you'll be above 50th percentile. On these, a "pass" mark can be set by the employer so less surprised about these being at the end of the process although I don't know what importance they're putting on the result.

Hope this helps.

Thanks @nutellamagnet appreciate your advice. I have throughout my career completed various personality tests but never as part of a job interview. I agree with your comment regarding your level self-awareness and recall how surprised I was with the results from my first one many years ago. They were the complete opposite of how I perceived myself at the time and it was quite confronting but actually very helpful I the end. I'd like to think as I've matured I'm much more aware of my strengths, weaknesses and preferred ways of working and communicating now.

My company does this- Can be during the interview process or at the end.
We would generally give examples/access to practice as well though- have they given details as to the tests so you can see if there are examples/practice?

Do the practice tests and don't answer honestly, answer how it will give a desirable result. Some people (especially recruiters) will say there is no right answer - 99% of the time this is a lie. The Quest Profiler for example matches you again the "ideal" profile for the job.

I work in HR and use these tests between first and second interviews so that candidates get a chance to discuss the results. We use SHL’s OPQ instead of Quest Profiler - it’s built to make sure people answer honestly / are consistent and shows behavioural preferences rather than ‘personality’. I use the results like this - if someone showed a strong preference towards a certain behaviour eg following the rules, I would ask how this plays out in their work and also ask for a time when they have adapted this behaviour with good results (ie thought outside the box to get something done).

I would definitely recommend practicing the other tests you mention, to get the hang of how questions are asked and to avoid wasting time in the real thing (when you’ll be answering under time pressure). Good luck!

I'd answer honestly. I did the Quest one before an interview and when I turned up, they asked me to do a paper copy. Took me completely by surprise. It made me wonder if they were comparing the two to see if I'd answered honestly the first time (thankfully I had).

Thanks all. Glad I did the maths revision and practice they weren't easy. I had a nightmare during the profiler questionnaire with connectivity issues ie taking 2-3 mins to load between questions and crashing as well Covid lockdown announced where I live. I actually had to abort and come back to it (no timer on this one). I was very stressed and let them know as I think it will have impacted my answers.