Aptitude Test

Showing posts with label psychometric-tests. Show all posts

How to Improve at Test Taking: The Benefits of Practice - JobTestPrep's Blog

Testing is becoming increasingly common in all forms of application and recruitment processes. Each time you take a test you are up not just against a pass score, but also the other applicants for the job. Added to that, you usually only have one chance to take the test. Practice is the key to improving your psychometric test score, and here we will look at some of the research that tells us so.

If you are applying for a job, the chances are you will come up against a series of tests in which you need to score well. By testing we mean not just quantitative standardised tests such as numerical or verbal reasoning tests, but also softer assessments such as interviews and assessment centres. Ahead of any one of these assessments, you need to think about how to get better at taking them. Studies have shown that practising ahead of taking these tests can have positive impacts on your score (Schleicher et al). Many studies have also looked at how preparing for tests thoroughly can reduce the gaps in achievement between different groups (De Soete et al; Sackett et al; Hausknecht et al). However these studies have also shown that everyone benefits from practice when it comes to taking (or retaking) tests (Sackett et al). So, in short, if you are asking yourself how to improve your test taking skills, the answer is to practice.

Why should I practice, what good can it really do?

Many studies have looked at the impact of preparing for resitting exams. But when you are applying for a job, you usually only have one chance to take these tests, so you need to prepare before you take it. One study even goes so far as to put numbers on to how much better you can get through practice. According to Schleicher and co, applicants who scored in the 50th percentile the first time they took a test could move up to the 60th percentile the second time they take the test, and the 71st percentile the third time. In other words, from a starting point below the cut off point to be hired, by taking and retaking tests, you can move up to a far more competitive score compared with other candidates.

How can practising make me better at taking psychometric tests?

Hausknecht et al have given five ways in which to explain the impact of practice. These are:

Reduced anxiety
Memory of previous responses (when sitting an identical test)
Actual development of abilities
Enhanced test taking strategies
Regression to the mean (or aligning to the average the more times you take a test).

By becoming more at ease with the tests you are taking, and more familiar with the process of being tested, you are able to work through quantitative and analytical problems more quickly, which ultimately will lead to a higher score (Hausknecht and co). For many of you, the biggest benefit of practise is to teach you how to work better under time pressure.

Whilst many tests are aimed at assessing your ability, practising ahead of taking the test will benefit everyone but in different ways. Schleicher and others identified five features of tests that impact on how much difference practice will make for people who are not academically inclined. These are:

The extent to which the test is based on cognitive ability testing. The study found that cognitive ability stays stable (although as discussed above, familiarity with tests can help improve scores).
How new the test is to the person taking it. If you have never done a type of test before, every part of the test will be a learning experience, and you can learn a lot about what to do better next time.
How fakeable the test is, i.e. how far you can plan in advance your reaction to the test, where your plans can be based on previous experience of taking the test or thinking about what it involves.
Whether the test you are taking is identical to the forms you have taken before or practiced, or simply parallel.
Whether or not the recruiters are looking for signs of potential through the tests rather than a score against a sample group.

The Practice Debate

There are debates about whether or not you can improve your cognitive ability through practice. Some employers will even tell you that there is not much you can do to prepare for their tests. This debate is carried out in the academic sources. Schleicher et al feel that cognitive ability is fairly static and as such practice will have limited effect. However, Hausknecht et al found in their analysis that empirical studies have shown that improvements can be made in cognitive ability, but that you as the individual have to put effort into doing so. This effort can be practice on your own, or more formal instruction or coaching.

However, your attitude towards the preparation you are doing will impact on how effective your practice is. Reeve and Lam (as quoted in Schleicher et al) in a study of undergraduates in the US found that performance in tests was affected by the students’ belief in the tests and their own motivation when preparing for and taking the tests. In other words, you will do better in tests if you take them seriously. Attitudes towards tests can be influenced by whether or not you as the applicant feels that the test is relevant to you, or to the job you are applying for (Krumm et al).

And another warning: don’t simply take test after test without thinking about what it is that is going wrong. In order for you to improve between tests, you need to think about what it is that you are doing wrong, and how you can solve the problem to get it right the next time (Schleicher et al).

Practising for Interviews and Assessment Centres

As mentioned above, practice can improve your performance in less-defined tests such as interviews and assessment centres as well. In fact these tests can be a great leveller as success is not defined by ability alone. Whereas improvement in written tests (such as numerical or verbal reasoning) can be impacted on by ability, the closer a test is to mimicking a real-work situation, the less ability impacts the result (Schleicher et al).

So, should I just take my chances at an interview or assessment day?

Absolutely not. Schliecher et al found as a by product of their analysis that the more novel or fakeable a test is (i.e. the newer or more unusual a test is for the applicants, or the more chance there is for candidates to plan their approach in advance), the more practice ahead of time can help you achieve a better outcome on the day.

In Summary

Practice is a good thing. Everyone can benefit from practice. It is not just about how to improve your overall score, but even improve your score against others. Practice is key to improving your confidence, developing your abilities, and improving your test taking strategies. Practice can improve your performance in not just aptitude tests, but also interviews or assessment centre tests. It all depends on how seriously you take your practice, and how much effort you put in. But warning, there is a fine line between preparing to optimum efficiency, and doing too much. Be careful you don’t reach a point where you start getting diminishing returns from the preparation you are doing.

The sources used:

De Soete, B., Lievens, F., Druart, C. (2012). An Update on the Diversity-Validity Dilemma in Personnel Selection: A Review. Psychological Topics 21.3 399-424.

Krumm, S., Huffmeier, J., Dietz, F., Findeisen, A., Dries, C. (2013). Die Akzeptanz von kognitiven Leistungstests: Entwicklung und erste Validierung des Reasoning Ability at Work Test. Journal of Business and Media Psychology August 20/2013.

Hausknecht, J.P., Halpert, J.A., Di Paolo, N.T., & Moriarty Gerrard, M.O.M. (2007). Retesting in Selection: A Meta-Analysis of Coaching and Practice Effects for Tests of Cognitive Ability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 373-385.

Ployhart, R.E., & Holtz, B.C. (2008). The Diversity-Validity Dilemma: Strategies for Reducing Racioethnic and Sex Subgroup Differences and Adverse Impact in Selection. Personnel Psychology, 61, 153-172.

Sackett, P.R., Schmitt, N., Ellingson, J.E., & Kabin, M.B. (2001). High-Stakes Testing in Employment, Credentialing, and Higher Education: Prospects in a Post-Affirmative-Action World. American Psychologist, 56, 302-318.

Schleicher, D.J., Van Iddekinge, C.H., Morgeson, F.P., & Campion, M.A. (2010). If At First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again: Understanding Race, Age, and Gender Differences in Retesting Score Improvement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 603-617.

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

How to pass CEB's SHL Verbal Reasoning Tests – JTP's experts explain! - JobTestPrep's Blog

If you are being assessed by SHL you will often be asked to complete a Verbal Reasoning test. Unfortunately, for many, this is the first time they have seen such a test, and simply do not know how to approach this test.

Let’s look at how to approach SHL verbal reasoning tests in two stages:

Research the exact test details

Before you take the test, make sure that you are about to be assessed by SHL and find out the test type according to your job level. Graduates and managers are usually given a True/False/Cannot say (Verbal Critical Reasoning) test, the most common SHL Verbal Reasoning test. Senior managers will face a Verbal Analysis test or a verbal application test. Operational staff will likely face Verbal Comprehension or Verbal Usage tests.

Make sure you learn & practice

Scoring 90/100 doesn’t necessarily mean you have done well. You need to do better than other candidates to ensure you get the highest possible result. You can reach your full potential by learning and practicing.

Learning - you need to learn how the test’s format “works”. For example, if you are going to sit a True/False/Cannot say test, you need to learn how to differentiate between a ‘false’ statement and a ‘cannot say’ statement. You need to learn how to ignore prior knowledge and regard the passage only, and to identify words and phrases that define the relationship between parts of the statement. You can learn Verbal Reasoning with JTP’s videos, study guides and hundreds of detailed explanations.
Practicing - Practicing will help you increase your speed and accuracy and reduce your stress on the real test. In addition, it will help you choose the solving strategy that fits you best (reading the passage first vs. reading the statement first). Practise SHL specific and level specific tests rather than generic tests. A specific test helps you prepare specifically for the test format and difficulty you will encounter on your assessment.

Remember! You have to combine learning and practicing since none of the two is sufficient alone. practicing without learning may only strengthen bad strategies and logical failures whereas only learning may not be implemented in a time limited, stressful test.

False vs. Cannot-say – the secrets of how to beat an SHL Verbal Reasoning Test revealed on JTP’s video tutorials!

We mentioned above that True/False/Cannot-say is the most common SHL verbal test type. On this test, you need to determine if a statement is true or false according to a given passage, or logically impossible to infer. Particularly confusing to many people is to determine when 'cannot say' is the correct answer and when to answer 'false'. In order to answer ‘false’ you need to reach a high level of certainty that the passage is contradicted by the statement. Check out our video to see how you can learn more.
Inside our practice area you will find, in addition to our tutorials, all the relevant practice tests.

Get the best SHL Verbal Reasoning Practice Tests
You can learn and practice all different types of Verbal Reasoning tests with JobTestPrep. We have excellent SHL-style tests specifically made for graduate, senior managerial and operational level candidates, and great study guides and video tutorials to help you learn basic principles and solving strategies.

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

Since CEB acquired SHL in July 2012, not much has changed from the perspective of job candidates. Other than the new co-branded logo, SHL is still SHL, and the huge range of SHL assessments remain unchanged.

Here at JobTestPrep we have noticed that many of you are now searching for CEB tests, CEB-SHL tests or SHL tests. We are considering the best way to help you access the resources that you need ahead of your SHL tests. Here are some examples of popular and less popular (but awfully funny) search terms that brought people to our website lately.

ceb + shl test | ceb deductive reasoning test | ceb shl talent measurement average score numerical test | how to ace on ceb shl talent measurement | ceb numerical reasoning test which mine produce the greatest amount of electricity before it runs out of electricity (LOL)

The above examples reflect the acquisition's results; the emails that are sent to candidates to take online CEB-SHL tests have changed to include the co-branded name, and candidates turn to search engines to help them understand what this means.

Conclusion: Want to Practice CEB tests? Practice SHL-style tests

Apart from this name change, the assessment tests provided by SHL have not changed. JobTestPrep's SHL-style practice resources are still relevant for any candidate who is in search of CEB SHL tests. We expect that as you become more familiar with the concept of CEB-SHL-style tests, we will move towards renaming our own pages, so watch this space.

Good luck on your 2014 job application journey!

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

Video Tutorial for Inductive Reasoning Test - JobTestPrep's Blog

Our inductive reasoning practice pack, which is the largest practice resource for non verbal reasoning tests web-wide (over 670 Q&A), has just received a serious upgrade: a 20-minute video tutorial that provides in-depth analysis of popular inductive reasoning questions. The video includes worked solutions to some tricky questions, time saving tips, pattern recognition solving strategies and more.

Inductive reasoning tests are a popular assessment tool that measures general intelligence. All assessment companies publish these tests and many employers use them in the preliminary phases of the application process.

The video tutorial will be available in all inductive/abstract packs as well as in bundle packs that include the inductive reasoning section.

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

Computerised adaptive testing (CAT) is a form of computer-based test that adapts to the examinee's ability level.

CAT successively selects questions for the purpose of maximising the precision of the exam based on what is known about the candidate from previous questions. Generally, the adaptive tests start by selecting an item of medium, or medium-easy, difficulty as the first item. The difficulty level of the next question presented will be based on the candidate’s previous response.

From the candidate's perspective, the questions seem to tailor themselves to his or her level of ability, continually challenging them. For example, if a candidate performs well on an item of intermediate difficulty, he/her will then be presented with a more difficult question. Or, if one performed poorly, he/her would be presented with a simpler question.

Adaptive testing Vs. non adaptive

Adaptive testing is of course different to static multiple choice tests which presents the candidate with a fixed set of items in a variety of difficulty levels. Usually the adaptive tests require fewer test items to arrive at equally accurate scores. As a result of adaptive administration, different examinees receive quite different tests.

Which assessment companies use adaptive technology?

Most assessment companies these days do not use adaptive testing yet. Adaptive tests are seen in the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) and are also offered by:

Talent Q as part of their ability testing series, Elements and Aspects.
SHL-style tests
Kenexa tests

How should I prepare for adaptive tests?

Many people wonder how should they prepare for Adaptive tests. The answer is that adaptive testing should not change candidates’ preparation methods, since it is merely a tool for the test publisher and employer.

When preparing for any test, we want to make sure that we know the basic concepts that lay the foundations for a certain topic. In addition, at some point of our study journey, we need to face more difficult challenges, to make sure we have also understood the non-trivial aspects of that topic. This preparation rational is also true for adaptive testing. One should always prepare himself for a multitude of difficulty levels, allowing him to tackle easy and advanced level questions at the same time.

How can Jobtestprep help you prepare for adaptive testing?

We currently offer tailored practice packs for GMAT and are the only preparation institute that offers tailored Talent Q-style tests. We made it our goal to expose each candidate to the full range of difficulty levels the candidate may encounter. Thus, each test session includes a range of difficulty levels (basic to advanced), that follow closely the characteristics of adaptive testing.

This way even weaker candidates can practice solving medium and hard difficulty level questions and stronger candidates can familiarise themselves with a variety of questions helping each candidate reach their full potential.

Check our Talent Q Elements practice pack and GMAT practice pack.

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

Talent Q, SHL, Kenexa and GMAT are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with JobTestPrep or this website.

Inductive- Diagrammatic Reasoning Test Example

Throughout your job search you may encounter diagrammatical or spatial reasoning tests. There are some similarities between them but in actual fact they are aimed at two distinctly different groups. In this blog we will explain what they are, their target audience, and the difference between the two of them.

Diagrammatical Reasoning Tests

Diagrammatic Reasoning Test Sample Exercise

There are many types of diagrammatical tests and they are used in many different contexts. Many assessment companies use this name to describe quite different tests, however they all have one thing in common - they are non-verbal reasoning tests.

For a list of different types of SHL Diagrammatical reasoning tests see our page on the SHL Diagrammatical reasoning tests.
For Cubiks diagrammatic reasoning go here.
For Saville diagrammatic reasoning go here.

In a broad sense diagrammatic reasoning tests are used in assessing your ability to understand different rules and draw correct conclusions from them. This conclusion may be in the form of working out the next image in a sequence or using the rules that have been formed throughout the question to select a correct output of a particular sequence. Hence, these tests are a true assessment of General Mental Ability (GMA). For example, you may be given a set of instructions that cause the output to change, i.e. a square changes the sequence and rotates it 180 degrees and a circle causes the image to rotate 90 degrees clockwise.

In general, there are three different skills that candidates are assessed on in a diagrammatical reasoning test and these are outlined below. They are the ability to:

Identify different causes to understand missing inputs of a logical sequence.
Understand logical rules.
Infer a set of rules from a chart and to apply these rules to new situations.

The diagrammatical reasoning tests can be utilised for a wide range of job positions as they are a test of a candidates’ ability to think in a logical manner. However, they are at their most useful in the assessment of candidates applying for jobs in the IT sector such as system analysts and system designers. This is because the rules governing such jobs are often in a different form than that of other, managerial type jobs.

Spatial Reasoning Tests

Spatial tests are more specialised in their approach and are closely linked with the job being applied for. For example, someone working as an engineer needs to understand complex diagrams in both 2 and 3 dimensions and use them to create or fix a structure. Hence these tests are used for those applying to “hands on” jobs such as mechanics, engineers, and those working with Computer Aided Design, CAD. There are also used for design jobs such as architects. Another important need for spatial recognition is in the medical field, particularly for surgeons. There are three main skills assessed in these spatial reasoning tests, they are:

The ability to estimate lengths and angles,
The ability to rotate shapes mentally, and
The ability to understand the correlation between two and three dimensional shapes.

For example, you may be presented an image such as a box that has been “unwrapped” and rotated in various ways. You need to use your spatial awareness skills to correctly decide which one of the complete boxes is the 3D image.

In summary

We have seen that there are similarities and differences between diagrammatical reasoning tests and spatial reasoning test. Both of these tests measure cognitive abilities and are non-verbal tests. Moreover, both of these tests could be used to hire a single candidate for a single position. However, whilst diagrammatic reasoning tests are used in a more general sense, assessing candidates’ logical thinking ability and are used in the main by those working in a computer based environment, spatial reasoning tests are used in more “hands on” positions such as engineers.

How can we help?

At JobTestPrep we have a plethora of resources covering diagrammatical reasoning tests as well as spatial reasoning tests. These tests can be taken in a timed test environment or in an untimed manner giving you the opportunity to fully think through your answers before tackling a timed test. What this means for you is that when you actually come to take the tests you will be fully prepared both in terms of content and with the ability to work fast under time pressure.

With our help and guidance we are sure that you will be able to perform your best in your next job application. Looking forward to hearing your positive reply after using our products. Good luck!

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

What are finance recruiters testing when they ask you to take psychometric tests?

Companies in the finance sector, especially investment banks, are infamous for making extensive use of numerical, verbal and psychometric tests as part of their recruiting process. However, there are many aims to the tests used in financial recruitment and psychometric tests are not only used to test your mathematical ability. Here is the real purpose of those tests:

« Those tests are an easy "first cut" evaluation of general intelligence »

Clearly, the banks do not have the resources to interview every candidate that applies for a graduate job. An easy and inexpensive way to make a first cut in the applicant pool is to give what is basically an IQ test and select the best performers. While a high IQ doesn’t necessarily mean you will be a great employee, an above average IQ is often a prerequisite for most jobs in finance that typically require strong numerical abilities.

Tests show your ability to work well under time pressure and in a competitive environment

Many applicants are very smart but can unfortunately crumble in the face of competition and pressure. The ability to think fast is a skill that is critical and that is also measured in those tests. This is particularly important for banks because finance is a fast-paced industry where many decisions need to be taken under time pressure.

Basic business and common sense is also tested

Many of the questions in the verbal or numerical tests will be related to economics or current affairs. Therefore, the tests will also measure your basic understanding of the business world and business jargon.

Psychometric tests aim to see how well rounded you are

Psychometric tests are really about evaluating your interpersonal skills: will you be able to handle conflicts, work well in teams, get along with your peers, are you a well balanced individual (i.e. not a work alcoholic or bookworm, for example), etc.

Motivation, Hard-work and Preparation skills

Finally, recruiters expect applicants to come well prepared. They know that a wide range of resources are available at the school career centres and on the Internet, therefore they believe that there is no excuse to come unprepared and get poor scores in tests. If someone is motivated enough they will make sure they practice.

Employers want to test many skills in financial recruitment and psychometric tests are a good way of assessing both abilities and motivations.

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About the author: AskIvy.net is run by a team of bankers, private equity and venture capital professionals that provide quality advice to students and junior professionals that want to make a career in the competitive fields of Investment Banking, Private Equity and Venture Capital in Europe.

~ JobTestPrep Team ~

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