#5 Crucial Reflections of a Test that may Change Your Mind!

Have you ever had the feeling after an interview that you answered fairly well, but your words were not too impressive? We all know how that feels. Although I am taking the example of an interview in this case, I am sure this applies to many more life situations. In this article I will be discussing psychometric tests and their impact.

Hiring mistakes can have multiple adverse effects on business. In my professional career, I remember one such incident where a senior management employee could not handle his team and deliver what was expected, on account of a sheer lack of leadership abilities. This scenario was never anticipated during the multiple rounds of interviews conducted during the hiring process. One such hiring mistake for the role of a key leader could lead to many problems for a company – loss of momentum, team demotivation or even exits of key team players, financial losses.

The slip-up, in this case, was that the pre-hiring psychometric analysis of the candidate had been omitted. Mostly such tests are conducted prior to the interview, enabling the interviewer to prepare aptly with questions that ratify the test observations.

An impressive resume that meets the job description is not enough for a job seeker to succeed in interviews. Many people do not anticipate interview questions and are not prepared to handle them. The interviewer frames questions with suggestions mentioned in the psychometric tests. 95% of job seekers are either unaware or do not attach importance to this crucial factor and keep wondering about the reasons for failing an interview.

But before you start thinking about cracking psychometric tests, let me explain what these tests are. Understanding the analysis of a psychometric test requires reading the report multiple times to find the science behind it. The test comprises simple multiple-choice questions to tap various faculties of your mind, behaviour, and attitude. Similar questions may appear multiple times to ensure that your responses are no different and you are not faking it. Modern-day psychometric tests are AI-enabled and intelligent enough to cull out exact strengths and shortcomings.

Simply put, such tests are meant to dissect the mental ability and competence of job seekers to suggest if the person is an ideal fit for the role. The key factors that the test deals with are detailed hereafter.  

“An impressive resume that meets the job description is not enough for a job seeker to succeed in interviews”

Simply put, such tests are meant to dissect the mental ability and competence of job seekers to suggest if the person is an ideal fit for the role

Personality Profile

Personality tests measure individual traits such as your emotional state, reaction to pressure, factors that motivate you, attitude, and interpersonal relations.

Personalities develops over time as you age. It becomes increasingly difficult to alter a negative behaviour or attitude with age. Mostly, people do not recognize or accept such shortcomings. In case the test reveals a detailed analysis of such negative traits, you can consciously suppress them, if not change them. Of course, positive behavioural aspects are used effectively to score better in interviews. 

Reasoning Ability

Positive decision making depends on how reasonable you are and how much you can support it with logic and reasons. If your reasoning ability is good, it will be much easier to convince others in single attempt. Many people cannot build a logical framework to support their decisions.  

Generally, logical reasoning tests measure your non-verbal abilities. You need to answer correctly from a set of questions that track your logical and abstract reasoning and your mental ability to form reasons.

Motivation Quotient

Motivational Quotient, also called MQ, signifies the inner drive of a person to achieve goals, grow and realize success. If anyone lacks in MQ, the person will never be able to carry forward the company’s mission, despite being diligent and knowledgeable. Again, multiple situational questions need to be answered to decode the motivational quotient of a candidate. You can find out yours if you take the right type of test that deals with MQ.

Ability tests include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, and critical thinking, to name a few; while personality tests include tests of motivation and situational judgment.

A candidate’s skills and abilities can be assessed with such tools. These should ideally match what you have mentioned in your resume. Your abilities are ratified with multiple questions that judge your problem-solving and communication abilities.

Achievement Potential 

The name suggests the purpose. The potential of every individual varies based on their experience, determination, and risk-taking ability on any job. It is one of the most critical abilities that determine the future performance of the candidate. It analyses the past learning over the present performance. It also measures how a person understands and masters a particular knowledge to maximize success at present state.

My purpose in detailing this subject is to raise awareness among job seekers, to take such tests to get insights on their own psychological and mental parameters. If you take this test, you will find your strengths and weaknesses and it will enable you to prepare well for any interview. Interviews are like stage shows, no replay, no second chances! If you miss such a golden opportunity to impress the interviewer, perhaps you lose it for life.