Online Psychometric Tests

After submitting your CV, cover letter and personal details as part of an online application, you are then usually invited to sit a variety of online psychometric (or aptitude) tests. These include a logical reasoning test, a verbal reasoning test, a numerical test and a situational judgement test.

Psychometric tests are used by employers to objectively measure candidates cognitive abilities, attitudes, personality and knowledge. They are becoming increasingly popular in the recruitment process and are now prevalent in banking and finance job applications. These tests are believed to be a reliable method of assessing employability skills in a sense that they provide a source of meaningful and consistent insights over time, regardless the specificity of a discipline to which they are being applied.

Logical Reasoning Test

Questions in a logical reasoning test measure your ability to infer a set of rules from a flowchart or sequence of diagrams and then to apply those rules to a new situation. Looking at the example below, we can see that the black square is moving two spaces anti-clockwise on the outside of the polygon per image, as is the white triangle while the white circle is moving three spaces clockwise. The correct answer in this example is therefore A.

Verbal Reasoning Test

Verbal reasoning tests assess your understanding and comprehension skills. You will be presented with a short passage of text which you’ll be required to interpret before answering questions on. These are typically in the ‘True, False, Cannot Say’ multiple choice format, although there are a range of alternatives too. In the example below, we cannot say whether families with more than one child are common in China's rural areas. While the text suggests a one child policy is enforced in urban areas, it does not specifically address rural regions. We cannot make an inference based on information available such as "in provincial regions fines are imposed on families with more than one child". To be able to say 'True' or 'False' we need a concrete positive statement in the text that directly answers the question. The key is always to read the question first and then try to filter through the text based on the context of the question.

Numerical Reasoning Test

Numerical reasoning tests demonstrate your ability to deal with numbers quickly and accurately. These tests contain questions that assess your knowledge of ratios, percentages, number sequences, data interpretation, financial analysis and currency conversion. This is probably the most challenging test to the majority of applicants and thus requires the most practise. Get to know the ins and outs of your calculator, always have a pen and paper ready for working and practise these under time pressure. While the actual mathematics involved is usually not too complex, the average one minute per question may be off-putting. If you really do struggle with these questions, ask to go through them with someone who is more confident in the subject and have them explain to you which steps they took in arriving to the final answer. In the example below, we initially times the January Gross Profit by 1.5% to arrive at the February figure. We then write an equation with the new gross profit figure and proceed to add the costs to this profit figure, then divide by the tax rate to arrive at the final sales turnover (see working below).

36,521*1.015= 37,068.815

Gross Profit = Sales Turnover *(1-Tax Rate) - Labour Costs - Other Costs

37,068.815 = X *(0.86) - 166,000 - 36,000

239068.815 = X *(0.86)

239068.815 / 0.86 = 277986.994186

The answer is therefore B.

Situational Judgement Test

Situational judgement tests assess how you approach situations encountered in the workplace. They are built around hypothetical scenarios to which you would be expected to react accordingly. Based on your answers it will be verified how aligned you are with values and behaviours of a particular company.

Practise makes Perfect

As with with anything, the more time you spend practising and honing your skills the more likely you are to succeed in any given area. Most candidates tend to struggle in at least one online test, so spend time bringing up any weaknesses to a good level. You should be aiming for at least 80% in each test you take (some employers may require higher scores). A good way of practising is by signing up to the Assessment Day website and practising sample tests for free. By paying and subscribing to them, you are given access to a greater range of tests with feedback and analytics to review your performance.

https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/