How Do You Know If A Psychometric Test Is Reliable?

There is a host of career counselling service providers that offer psychometric testing, career counselling sessions, coaching for entrances, course admissions, internships, profile building, score enhancements, and more. How do you know which service provider to choose? What psychometric properties should you be aware of when you choose to go in for psychometric testing? What factors add to the credibility of a service ? Are there any criteria? This article shares some inputs specifically on psychometric testing to facilitate better and more informed decision-making among students and their parents when they wish to avail a service like this.

What Is A Psychometric Test?

The word “psychometric” is derived from the Greek words for “mental” and “measurement”. As the words indicate, these are tools used to measure mental abilities like verbal ability, mechanical aptitude, interests, values, etc. They have been used since the early 1900s and the first few psychometric tests focussed on measuring intelligence and IQ. Today, there are hundreds of psychometric tests available that are used in educational, clinical, and organisational settings. Each psychometric test has psychometric properties, which is the reliability and validity of psychometric tests. A test with good psychometric properties is reliable and valid, and is developed over years with great rigour and attention to detail, by qualified psychologists and psychometricians. Some tests go through statistical rigour, while some are verified repeatedly by experts to make sure they have good psychometric properties.

Why Psychometric Tests Are Helpful

The career or course you choose will have a significant impact on your life and overall satisfaction. You may have all come across people who dislike their jobs or display very high levels of work stress. Some may not even be skilled for their work or may have no interest in learning the required skills.

Align Choices With Personhood

The tests that are used in schools and colleges to help students choose careers typically include measurements of abilities, aptitudes, personality types, values, and motivational profiles. You will be much happier if the career(s) you choose are a good match for your temperament, personality, skills, and values. This is where tests with psychometric properties become useful. They help you understand your preferences better so you can choose a career that aligns with how you are as a person.

Carl Jung (1875 – 1961), a Swiss Psychologist, had explained in the early 1900s how you can predict differences in people’s behaviours if you know how they prefer to use their minds. Over hundred years of research has revealed that certain job profiles are more suited for certain personality types. For example, good media and communications professionals are usually extroverted, have strong verbal and written communication skills, and enjoy a hectic pace of life. In contrast, an engineer often likes to work quietly, has good mechanical and spatial skills, and may even enjoy working with their hands as they fix circuits and assemble parts. It is individual differences like these, that make a person more or less suited for a specific role or job, that a psychological test can help you gauge and measure.

Prevent Choices Basis Trends

You can develop greater self-awareness about how you think, your skills, abilities, learning styles and how they are related to courses and careers. So, instead of just guessing that a career or a course might be better – or choosing it based on parameters like “hot career of today”, “money”, “lifestyle”, “what my family wants”, etc. – psychometric tests help you to choose based on what your talents and inner calling are. This makes psychological tests with psychometric properties very helpful.

How To Check Test Credibility

Off late the utility of psychological tests has been questioned as there are many free and unreliable tests available online. Very often these tests have not been developed with the rigour needed for reliable testing. So, how do you figure out the reliability of psychometric tests?. Let's look at a few points:

Parameters For Standardisation

A good test would have been carefully constructed by experts and would be statistically tested on samples of individuals who are the intended audience for the test. They usually come with published manuals and detailed guidelines for administration and interpretation of the test results. However, these tests are expensive, and the population on which they are checked may not be similar to the student population in India. In addition, a good test needs to be repeatedly checked for statistical coefficients of reliability and validity. This process is tedious and expensive, and hence such tests are hard to purchase and used by the student community.

Over the years, good adaptations of the tests have been developed by more contemporary psychologists and testing centres. For such tests, it is important that the process of test construction and the content of the questionnaires are well-matched with what they are measuring. Some suggestions to check the reliability of psychometric tests are listed below.

Also Read | 5 Psychometric Tests Every Student Must Take

Check For Content | If you get scores on mathematical ability, please check if there are questions or problems that help gauge mathematical aptitude. Similarly, if you are attempting a test to check your aesthetic ability, there would be items on colour, form, texture, design, etc. See if the test being administered includes these aspects since these ensure high reliability in psychometric testing

Check Number Of Parameters | Most good tests are detailed and like to measure the same aspect through multiple questions. This ensures high reliability in psychometric testing.

Check Interpretation | The results of a test often give you an ‘aha!’ moment to help you understand yourself better or clarify something that you were struggling with for long.

However, despite these guidelines, it is hard for a student or layman to check reliability of psychometric tests and also interpret scores and results accurately as these require rigorous training and certifications.

Who Can Administer These Tests?

A professional with a master's degree or higher in Psychology is the most well- equipped to help you interpret test results, so you get more clarity on the road ahead. Further, work and real-life experience go a long way in giving you a balanced and realistic view of possible courses and careers.

Professionals To Be Wary Of

In the past few years, there has been a growing trend of completing brief certifications of a few hours to a few weeks or months to become a career counsellor. If the professionals have a prior background in psychology or behavioural sciences, these certifications serve the purpose well. For others from varied backgrounds, a lot depends on the credibility of the certifying organisation and the conscientiousness of the professional. Usually, the quality and depth of knowledge is much lesser than that of trained psychologists who have completed four to eight years studying the subject.

Also Read | How Do You Know You Need A Career Counsellor: Signs To Help You Evaluate

Ideally, a professional with a master's degree or higher in Psychology should administer psychometric tests.

How Can You Take Charge?

To ensure that you are in the hands of the right career counsellor, it is ideal to put a few checks in place. Some of those should be the following:-

Know Counsellor Credentials | Check the credentials of the professionals or counsellors you are working with and choose Psychology degree holders from reputed universities.

Ask For Test Details | Ask details about the psychological tools or tests that will be used and their psychometric properties, so you understand their need and relevance. This will help you ensure good reliability in psychometric testing.

Understand Fee Structure | Understand the fee structure and services you are receiving as testing and counselling are expensive and time-intensive processes, and professionals who are focused on helping you will charge a fair fee.

Follow Your Instinct | Check the vibe of the counsellor or psychologist you are working with and make sure it is someone you trust. Seek professionals who are focussed on helping you find a right career match more than admissions counselling to courses and universities.

Referrals Facilitate Trust | Go through a reliable referral network or understand the work of the psychologist and career counsellor before you choose to consult them to see if they address your needs.

The truth is that there are many professional psychologists and counsellors who are keen to help and reach out to students. Psychological testing done by a professional is one step in the right direction as your course and career is often based on this assessment.

Also Read | What Is The Right Time To Begin Career Planning For Students

Dr. Srividya is an Organisational Psychologist, Career, and Personal Growth Coach. She works with teens, parents, adults, and returning professionals, to help them align their personal and professional needs, desires, and overcome personal and professional challenges. She can be reached at www.lifevidya.in.