Psychometric tests and assessment centres

Many graduate employers use psychometric testing and assessment centres during the selection process.

Psychometric tests

Psychometric tests can be used by graduate employers to identify your personality, skills and knowledge and they can help recruiters to test out if you're a good fit for the role and the organisation. They can form part of an assessment centre or be the first stage of the recruitment process. The main thing to do with these tests is practice.

What type of tests are there?

Personality Tests - Used to assess areas of your personality and see how you would respond or behave in certain scenarios. They look at your individual personality traits to analyse your suitability for an organisation.

Aptitude Tests - Assess your skills, reactions and performance, this allows an employer to determine what a candidate is capable of.

Read more about the types of tests you may face by visiting Prospects Psychometric Testing.

Online practice tests

Graduates First - We have established a partnership with Graduates First for practice aptitude tests, which includes:

• Seven verbal reasoning tests
• Seven numerical reasoning tests
• Seven logical reasoning tests
• A work style personality questionnaire
• Interview Question Identifier tool
• Situational judgement test
• Assessment centre exercises

Graduates First offer a variety of psychometric tests and other job assessment preparation solutions for students including detailed step-by-step guides to over 100 top graduate employer's recruitment stages and hints on how to pass their assessment process.

Register using your University email address at free aptitude tests from Graduates First.

Assessment centres

Assessment centres are common in graduate recruitment, they involve candidates in groups of around 6-8, taking part in set tasks and activities. Some examples of what to expect are group discussions, written tests, role play, in-tray exercises and/or presentations, which are all designed to test your suitability for the job. They can last for a few hours up to a full day.

What are employers looking for?

Employers want to see whether you are the best candidate for their role, they will be scoring you throughout the day against a selection of desired competencies, skills and qualities that are essential to the role.

Preparation is key

• Read all invite communications carefully so you know the running order and expectations.
• Make sure you have engaged with the job description and person specification, so that you understand which competencies the employer is looking for.
• Do your research and find out as much as you can about the company, competitors and strategy.
• If you are unsure what activities you will be asked to do then contact the recruiter to check.
• Practice as much as possible.

On the day

• Focus on showing an employer the competencies they are looking for, rather than trying to compete against the other candidates.
• Plan how you are going to approach the task as a team, give yourself a structure to follow.
• Keep to the given time frame and task at hand.
• Listen to, encourage and allow others to contribute – avoid overpowering.
• Ensure that you participate, let your opinions and ideas be heard.

Read our guide to Preparing for an Assessment Centre to give yourself a head start on the day.

More information on assessment centres is available on Prospects: Assessment Centres.