What are Psychometric Tests

What are Psychometric Tests - With the ever so dynamic and evolving global job scenario it is all the more natural and inevitable to get confused about what you would like to pursue as a career, which career will get you the kind of fortune you are looking for, what job will give you a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle like you have been dreaming of and many other similar questions. While there is plenty of guidance available by our elders and peers, how often do you feel like their advice strikes a chord with you?

Well the truth is that more often than not their advice is coloured by biases or experiences of their own. Therefore, it becomes imperative for a student to instead fall back on standardized assessments to get an objective and holistic understanding of his/her personality before deciding upon a life-altering career. These standardized assessments are known as psychometric tests.

The following article will take you through what does Psychometric Test mean, what are the different types of psychometric tests, and what are psychometric tests used for. Stay on this page to know more.

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What are psychometric tests- Definition

So, what does a Psychometric test mean? Psychometric tests are psychological tests that measure attributes that are not easily observable like personality, aptitude, intelligence, attitude, values and beliefs. As for students, these tests are extremely helpful when it comes to stream selection and making a career choice as these tests match your abilities and interests with your personality. Psychometric tests are administered on prescribed guidelines on an individual or a group and offer objective and impartial judgments devoid of any personal biases.

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What are the different types of psychometric tests?

Now that we have a little idea of what does Psychometric Test mean, let us discuss what are the different types of Psychometric Tests.

What are the different types of psychometric tests- Aptitude Test

Aptitude is the natural tendency or natural ability or a special ability or a cluster of abilities possessed by an individual. Aptitude test determines a person’s natural tendency to acquire certain skills or their suitability to a particular vocation or career. It is extremely helpful in making educational and career choices.

Examples of aptitude test- David’s Battery of Differential Abilities (DBDA), The Differential Aptitude Test (DAT)

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What are the different types of psychometric tests- Interest Test

Interest Tests help determine a child’s inclination towards a certain type of career. A child chooses from a wide range of career options given- responses used to arrive at a list of careers that shall be the best match.

Examples of interest test- Career Interest Schedule (CIS), Kudder’s Preference Record

What are the different types of psychometric tests- Intelligence Test

Although there is no standard definition of what exactly constitutes intelligence, it is known to be the ability to recognize problems, solve them, and learn from experience through acquisition, retention and application of knowledge. Intelligence tests measure these various intellectual abilities of the test taker.

Examples of intelligence test- Stanford-Binet IQ Test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence test (WAIS), Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM)

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What are the different types of psychometric tests- Personality Test

A Personality Test assesses the different constituents of one’s personality, and the results are used for understanding oneself better and thereby working upon areas that need attention as well as finding suitable jobs.

Examples of personality test- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF)

What are the different types of psychometric tests- Achievement Test

Achievement tests assess the developed knowledge and/ or skills. They are used to measure the knowledge gained in a particular grade. Its aim is to assess the proficiency and understanding of both general and specific areas of knowledge gained.

Examples of achievement test- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), American College Test (ACT)

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What are the different types of psychometric tests- Emotional Intelligence Test

Emotional quotient (EQ) has been proven to be more important than intelligence quotient (IQ) to achieve success in one’s professional and personal lives. Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, use and manage one’s own emotions in order to empathize with others as well as adjust emotions to adapt to the environment.

Examples of emotional intelligence test- Global Emotional Intelligence Test (GETI), The Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI), Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)

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What are psychometric tests- Uses in career planning

After having got an understanding of what does psychometric test mean, and what are the different types of psychometric tests, let us narrow down to what type of psychometric tests are used specifically for helping people in career planning.

Interest test- helps determine a child’s inclination towards a certain type of career. In this test, the student is supposed to choose from a wide range of career options given and the responses are used to arrive at a list of careers that shall be the best match suited to his/her capabilities.

Some examples of career interest areas are- visual arts like photography or painting, performing arts like music or dance, sports, travelling, writing, social work, cooking and baking to name a few.

Aptitude test- assesses abilities like verbal reasoning, numerical aptitude, language aptitude, mechanical reasoning, spatial aptitude, logical/abstract reasoning, clerical and perceptual aptitude. It helps students, counselors and parents explore career pathways and make a joint decision.

Personality test- assesses the different aspects of your personality and help match your personality type with the qualities required for a particular profession.

The results of the aptitude test, interest test, and personality test together help in deciding the most suitable stream and the career prospects it entails. The scores of psychometric tests are seen in relation with your academic scores to arrive at the best career options.

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What are psychometric tests- Understanding their utility in career planning through a case study

We have the hypothetical case of a boy called Abhinav.

Abhinav was in utter dilemma about stream selection after class 10. Like many others, he was uncertain what’s best for him. He was an avid reader and loved doing photography but didn’t know how to make a career out of it. This is where the role of a Career Counselor came into play because he needed comprehensive counseling and guidance with regard to choosing a stream and the career prospects thereof. The situation called for a thorough career planning in order to help him set and achieve his goals.

Consequently, he approached a Career Counselor and this is what happened-

• The counselor administered 03 standardized psychometric tests on Abhinav, one after another viz. aptitude test, career interest test and personality test.

• The results of these tests were then seen together with his academic scores, achievements, likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses as recorded in the initial round of discussion with him.

• Through the aptitude test he was assessed on various abilities namely verbal, numerical, mechanical, spatial, clerical, closure, psychomotor and reasoning. Abhinav scored very well on verbal, spatial, closure, psychomotor and reasoning abilities and fairly well in numerical ability.

• His interest test also indicated his inclination towards art and entertainment based careers.

• Moreover, the personality test implied that he was a sociable, adaptable, creative and an innovative individual which made him a good fit for a vocation concerning interpersonal, communication and creative skills .

• Academically also, his scores in English, Mathematics and Social Sciences were better than other subjects.

• The counselor thoroughly examined all the information and guided him for Humanities with Maths and/or Fine Arts in class 11.

This subject combination allowed Abhinav to not only perform his best in the academics but also facilitated him to build a mental framework around his desired career. It also prepared him for his journey after school as he went on to pursue a Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication with a vision of specializing in Photojournalism.

So here we saw how a comprehensive career planning not only helped Abhinav perform well in his 12th grade but also helped him lay solid foundations for a career around what he was passionate about as well as had the aptitude and personality for.

We saw how psychometric tests can inform and guide you about your interests and abilities. Knowledge of these aspects is of immense significance to students who are confused with regard to stream selection and career options in the future. Psychometric tests not only facilitate your career planning but also help you achieve your career goals.

So next time you find yourself in a dilemma about stream selection or career choice, get a psychometric assessment done by a Career counsellor to arrive at the best possible solutions.

Also read-

• Which is the best career option to choose in today's times?

• Best professions in the world

• Career guidance after 12th

Author- This article is written by Anindita Nandy, who is a Psychologist, with expertise in Career Counselling of high school students.