How and Why Organizations Can Use Online Psychometric Tests

Having the right employees is vital for any business organization to grow and succeed. The performance of a company usually depends on how competent and adept the employees are in executing the tasks and roles assigned to them. This makes the evaluation of the candidates that are seeking employment opportunities within the company an important factor.

There are many types of psychometric tests that may be used by some organizations to assess and determine the abilities, aptitude, intelligence, knowledge and personality traits of the candidates. Assessing the candidates with the psychometric tests usually allows the business organizations to hire the most suitable ones for specific job roles. Moreover, psychometric tests are generally administered online.

How Organizations Can Use Psychometric Tests

For using the psychometric tests, the test-takers may consider a few aspects related to their usage as mentioned below:

• Listing the skill sets and capabilities required for the job role

A business organization usually has different job positions each of which may have specific roles for the employee to perform while being employed in them. The area or the industrial domain that the organization specializes in typically determines the roles to be assigned to the employees. In order to excel, the employees should have specific skill sets and expertise in the domains related to the position they are allocated at the organization.

While seeking candidates for a specific job position, the company should establish the roles that an employee may be required to play in it and the skills and capabilities that they must have. By listing the skills, the company will become aware of the characteristics for which they can evaluate the potential candidates. This helps the company in determining the types of test to be conducted. Using psychometric tests without being aware of the measurement parameters required may not be beneficial to any company.

• Determining the types of tests to be conducted

As mentioned earlier, different types of online psychometric tests are to test different abilities and skills of the candidates. Depending on the requirement of the skills necessary for a job position and the measures to evaluate the candidates, a company can choose suitable tests and administer these to the job seekers. For testing the knowledge and intelligence of the candidates, there are multiple reasoning tests that include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, inductive and deductive reasoning, logical reasoning and diagrammatic reasoning.

Numerical reasoning tests usually help measure the arithmetic and mathematical skills of the candidates along with analysis and interpretation of charts and graphs. These may be used for job positions that require proficiency in the same. For jobs that require oral and written communicational skills, the potential employee’s comprehension ability and vocabulary skills may be evaluated using verbal tests. Logical reasoning tests may be administered for job positions that come with analysis and decision-making responsibilities.

Proper prediction of a candidate’s performance when at the job position may be made by making use of group, role-playing and situational judgment exercises. These exercises put to the test the candidate’s abilities by introducing them to simulated situations which they might encounter while working at the company. The candidates are given a problematic situation where they are required to find a feasible and efficient solution to tackle the same. Personality questionnaires may be employed if behavioral analysis of the candidates is needed, especially in domains such as police and fire departments, marketing, sales and customer representation. Determining the types of tests that need to be conducted may help the company sift through different tests publishers and choose the right one.

• Finding the right publishers

Multiple organizations are engaged in designing, developing and publishing psychometric tests. These organizations employ professional business psychologists who have an expertise in their respective domains for designing such tests. Psychometric tests are usually developed after years of research and trials on sample groups to ensure consistency and authenticity in their results. These tests may be based on models, such as the Big Five Personality Traits and Watson Glaser among others. Customized test solution services may be offered by the publishers that customize the tests based on the needs of the companies and the industrial domains they specialize in. A company may consider the test services offered by different publishers and choose the one that fits their needs. Caliper, CEB SHL, Cubiks, Saville Assessment, Gallup, Talent Q and TalentLens are a few popular psychometric test publishers available online.

Why Business Organizations May Use Online Psychometric Tests

Online psychometric tests may be beneficial for certain companies in many ways. Compared to print format tests, online tests can save both economic and personnel resources for any business organization. There is no need for separate infrastructure, as the test can be given by a candidate at their home on a computer if allowed. As the tests are usually administered online, the need for inclusion of the tests in an assessment center may also be eliminated. Online psychometric tests may be used for pre-screening candidates that may help in finding the most competent one suited for a job. Only the most suitable candidates may be invited to the assessment center to participate in practical exercises, such as group and role play exercises, situational judgment tests and/or interviews.

Moreover, a test publisher may conduct the psychometric tests online on behalf of a business organization. The publisher may generate a report based on the performance of each candidate for proper analysis, thus eliminating the need for sifting through the results of each candidate and evaluating them individually. The report may give a solid basis for determining how they performed against their peers and it may also highlight their strengths and weaknesses, making the task of selecting the right candidate easier. Thus, using the online psychometric tests may enable the business organizations to provide feedback to the candidates on their performances.