Personality & Psychometric Tests


Were they Good or Useful ?

Most of us would have faced a Personality / Psychometric test sometime in our employment career; either when changing jobs or some time else. It has applicants (working managers in their own right) sitting at tables in a large room, reminiscent of taking the +12 exam. Some would have struggled after discovering that if you were less honest in the early questions, later ones were catching you out.

This style of the test- answering a series of questions to assess personality or ability is still in wide use. Educationists and Psychologists say that although the test carries a scientific look, it has several drawbacks and was  unsatisfactory even then, and still is.

A number of faults are cited …
(1) The tests help to entrench and perpetuate the present style of management – which may be poor,
(2) They discriminate by assuming that the candidate has some prior knowledge of how they have to work in that organisation,
(3) When about half the applicants are women they discriminate against them, because it was designed by a masculine culture.

These types of tests are designed by persons, who puts in questions, which look for persons who replicate his values. Suitability of a candidate is then just duplicating the persons already working there. A traditional test mostly is built up using data drawn from the company’s personnel, and it chooses recruits compared to that data base. So, persons with new and fresh ideas (which every management boasts that it welcomes) are systematically pushed out.

It can mean that few decades ago, when customer service was not so important, and was not emphasised; the same shall be duplicated by the tests. Such test ironically shall strengthen a poor management and prevent entry of fresh thinking persons into the organisation.

Such tests as discussed above, are Static tests. A newer variety called Dynamic tests has come along, which measure a candidate’s ability to improve and learn during the test. The reason companies are still using the old static tests is costs. Tests are made to order and the newer Dynamic tests are expensive.

The internet is providing several affordable tests, some even free, but there is no way of distinguishing the good from the bad. There is no quality control as it needs an expert to spot whether the test is good or bad; or even if it is useful or not. Whether it is reliable or not, is overlooked if you do not wish to spend any money on it.

Consumers or users of psychometric tests should be aware of the dangers of selecting and using a bad test. The result can damage a career or a business.

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