Psychometric Testing - What does it really do?

Earlier this year, the ABC wrote an article on Psychometric Testing in the workplace, which we shared across Social Media. To many of the uninitiated, psychometric and psychological testing can be a daunting prospect, much like prospective employers “peering into your head” or “checking to see if you’re a psycho”.  

We found the ABC article to articulate the benefits of the testing quite well: “a scientifically validated way of assessing certain competencies and mental capabilities, and even working styles” and also as "another piece of the puzzle in assembling the jigsaw that is any job applicant”.

At its core, psych testing is an instrument used to predict how candidates may react to situations, respond to authority, their work ethic and other related facets of their personality and cognitive ability. Predict is an important word there, as a psych test cannot be 100% accurate; self-bias, changing personality patterns and clerical errors can all have an impact. As many scientists will tell you, there are no facts – only theories.

What psych testing can do is give both us and you, as an employer, more information about the person you’re considering hiring, their suitability for specific aspects of their role and their cultural/personality fit within the company.

If you had further questions on this, or were interested in discussing psych testing further, give us a call on (07) 4659 7400. We’ve included a link to the ABC article below.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-26/psychometric-testing-and-why-it-is-worth-better-understanding-it/11493020

Lachlan Kraak