Aptitude Tests Blog

How do you objectively compare applicants under the same standard? How do you screen out the cheats and the liars from the rest of the pack? How do you check if the skills claimed are current or long forgotten? To answer these questions and more recruiters are now turning to aptitude tests in droves.

An applicant might look very presentable at the interview but perform poorly under stress. There are times where it is not possible or convenient to check references.

How do you compare diplomas from different universities locally and overseas?

So are aptitude tests the answer? Yes and no. Tests can be used to corroborate your opinion about an applicant. Ultimately taking up employment has risks for both parties. Tests should not be used to discriminate on social or cultural background. Senior workers may fail tests that rely too much on memory when in the workplace the required information is readily available. A perfect parrot never makes a good employee. An applicant who passes test with flying colours might in fact be utterly bored in the job because there is nothing new to discover...

It is an art to craft a test which hones in a given topic from different angles to avoid guessing and misunderstanding.

The Myers-Briggs personality tests are cloaked in controversy as people are of two minds as to what it is they are actually measuring. Only 50% of people retested within 9 months will return the same results!

Ultimately if you blindly rely on the results of personality tests during the recruitment process it puts your leadership qualities into question. If you cannot trust your judgment in selecting people who will work under your authority what do they have left to look up to?

Aptitude tests will bring together four types of folks. People who want to practice as they re-enter the job market, candidates sponsored by an employer to undergo a series of tests prior to being called for an interview, recruiters who use online aptitude tests as a benchmark to screen applicants down to a shortlist and finally experts in a given field who give out some of their knowledge by writing a test.

There is an issue whether or not you should allow someone to sit again for the same test. To avoid this some tests providers change the order of questions at random or pick a subset of questions from a larger pool. In that case when we compare the scores of several candidates we are not comparing people who were given the same experience.

So at the end of the day aptitudes tests are neither good or bad - it's how you use or misuse them that makes them one or the other. In a world where everything revolves around Key Performance Indicators and Return On Investment the lure of aptitudes tests gives you the appearance that you have done due diligence. What about sitting down with somebody over a cup of coffee and getting to know that person?

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I have been a professional in my field for 20 years yet I have flunked several tests with recruitment agencies. So either I am not a professional or the tests are wrong.

I know what I can do and my resume is there to prove my track record - so I would claim that the tests are wrong. They set the bar so high that all they can demonstrate is how someone in their twenties can cram their head with useless information that will be obsolete in two years time because technology would have moved on from where it is today.

So why do recruiters use stupid tests in the first place? Two reasons: lack of trust and discrimination.

People fudge their job application to get an advantage. Recruiters can't believe anything and everything their read in resumes. Integrity is gone out the window. They could use a lie detector during the interview or they can connect across databases of candidates to check if two versions of your resume contradict each other.

Today any claim you make in a job application has to be proven or demonstrated. Recruiters have so much choice they are not going to take any chances. To minimise their risk of hiring the wrong person they always like to award the position to someone who is already in the workforce employed by a competitor rather than someone who needs a job because there is a family to support.

Senior workers are being discriminated against. There is this fad of the forever young and attractive person spread throughout advertising and the media. The only time you will see actors or models clearly well over their fifties is when they try to sell you a pension fund or a retirement home... Get real. Maybe the reason the country is going to the dogs is that we have forgone the collective wisdom of our elders. Try to tell that to an employer who is 15 years younger than you. Age discrimination has at its roots in the rebellion of the current generation. Because things change so fast people believe the lie that experience counts for nothing. Yes technology moves on at a breath taking pace but certain things in life also remain the same. It takes maturity to know which is which.

Job fulfilment is at an all time low because workers feel constrained in a straight jacket - unable to release their true potential because there are not being trusted. An unspoken corporate culture promotes best practice but it's all public relations spin applied within. Those who succeed in business are those who break the rules and don't fit into any mould. Bill Gates would never be hired by today's Microsoft because he didn't finish his course at Harvard College.

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Hate them or love them, you are bound to come across some psychometric tests in your job hunting. To avoid the effect of surprise and perform well under the stress of time-limited tests your only option to pass this next hurdle is practice.

The last thing you want in recruitment is to be treated like a commodity. People would measure up your brains if they could and this last mode of selection is the last straw in the job search obstacle course you're going through.

Do not despair - hope is at hand. Besides, you are not competing against computers or machines but other human beings who will also have to sit for the same test.

Look at it from the employer's point of view for a minute if you will. These days trust and honesty are in short supply. People have no shame in lying, fudging and stretching things to get a foot in the door. An aptitude or knowledge test might in fact be your saving grace as it is an unbiased way to see how all candidates perform without any prejudice.

At the end of this article you will find a link to a resource that will give you a chance to practice at home those types of tests before you are faced will the real thing.

A good test is designed in such a way that answering multiple choice questions at random will render an abysmal result. Since guessing is not the way to go, you'd better get the best return on your limited time by moving across to the questions you do know about.

Also remember that the same question is often asked multiple times in slightly different ways in order to eliminate chance.

Having practiced beforehand will cancel out the effect of surprise. Of course the tests you will face when applying for a job will be proprietary to that company but you will be confident that you've been there, done that...

Rather than hitting aimlessly at all jobs that you can find, this selection process will in fact force you to specialise in a given field. As the saying goes: "Jack of all trades, master of none." As you start to focus on a given industry or job classification you will find that your knowledge of that field increases - a definite plus when being screened for an interview. You will also find that doing your homework to find out what you need to know about a company you are aiming to work for will deepen your grasp and increase your confidence.

It's not the number of times you fail that matters, it's the number of times you get back on your feet and have another go. Go for it - you deserve it, you and the people you love.

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How current is your knowledge of procedures and systems in your industry? You might use that stuff in your trade on a daily basis or just look it up on the internet if need be. Nevertheless it can be used as a selection criterion to cut down a long list of job applicants to a shortlist for interviews.

As you get older your memory is not as supple as it used to be. You also learn not to remember things that can readily be referenced.

Unfortunately that's not a good situation if you get screened through a battery of aptitude or knowledge tests. This is exacerbated by the fact that some people have spoiled it for everyone else by making false claims in their resume.

In recruitment you are presumed a liar until proved dependable - through a test that is. This sets a fair but high standard for everyone.

It will be difficult to assess someone's experience and seniority through a test (that's what face to face interview are supposed to determine). In a world where everything is standardized or packaged there is no room for giving someone a go. You deliver the skills or we look at the next person.

Nobody is interested in what fresh insight you can bring to the firm. All they want to know is that they don't need to waste time on your training or induction. You are deemed to pick up the ball running. All what is required is to obey the procedures manual and whoever can do it the cheapest will get the job.

Only once you're in, can you flex your problem solving skills and be flagged for a promotion. Another hurdle here: If your strategy is to enter at a low position and move through the ranks you might find you have to compete with outsiders poached straight out of competitors. They have done exactly for the last 5 years what the job description calls for, while you lag behind and can't show evidence of any management skills.

The whole concept of aptitude tests can be overused to coerce people into pigeon holes they don't want to belong to. But if you want to get the job and pay the bills and support your family what choice do you have?

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In this world people unashamedly lie about their qualifications and work history. Aptitude tests are being used to screen candidates worth calling for an interview.

Psychometric tests can be taken online wherever you can log onto the internet. Make sure you are not being distracted and that your laptop battery will not run out.

On the positive side you can see that it is a fairer system where all candidates are judged on the same criteria. On the negative side it can be a humbling experience to fail a set of 50 or 100 questions administered by some computer out there in cyberspace.

Young adults would be accustomed with the practice as IQ tests or others are being routinely administered on campuses. Mature workers can stand at a disadvantage for being exposed to this type of selection. Do not despair. There is hope. Like everything else in life, you can prepare yourself for such an encounter.

We live in an increasingly categorised world where even the most mundane of tasks have been documented and it won't be long before you can apply to study at the Advanced Tertiary Institution of Performing Janitors.

Aptitude tests are here to stay - so just get over it! It is a game of mental gymnastics and with the appropriate preparation you will be able to demonstrate your aptitude - no more no less.

A well written test will get cheats undone by repeating the same question in slightly different ways to cancel out random right answers.

Tests can be used to assess your problem solving skills, your behaviour under pressure (tests must be completed within a given amount of time). Other tests can check your knowledge of procedure manuals and regulations. Tests can check your fluency in a foreign language, your grasp of computer programming, your math skills and a whole range of abilities.

Tests are only as good as the person who wrote the test in the first place. Of itself a test can be questionable but when the performance of many candidates is rated the results are obvious. You can tell those who understood the questions from those who fudged their answers. You can tell those who have a relevant background from those who stumble along.

Whether you get the job or not you should ask for the results of your test if possible. How you rated across the batch of other candidates that day can also be helpful information.

Aptitude Tests is an online service to prepare yourself for aptitude, knowledge and IQ tests.

Resume Digest is an online service to customize your application for each job you are responding to.

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