Psychometrics without the Psycho-babble
For some, the terms 'psychometric test' or 'personality assessment' sends a shiver down the spine, conjuring up ideas of mind-reading and scary assessments carried out by faceless psychologists. So at Mendas we want to provide some clarity about the use of psychometrics, explain from our experiences what the benefits and limitations of their use are and also to provide some suggestions for alternatives to the typical 'off the shelf'-type psychometric test.
Personality/Psychometric - What's the difference?
The term psychometric is used to describe something which offers a structured, standardised and validated way of measuring a particular set of skills or attributes. Psychometric tests can be clustered into 2 categories: ability tests and personality measures, so a personality test is just one type of psychometric.
Ability tests (sometimes called aptitude tests):
Measure a specific skill set (e.g. numeracy) or focus on a more general construct (e.g. general intelligence). They are concerned with identifying how skilled a person is in a particular area in comparison to others.
Have right and wrong answers.
Compare a person's performance to an average group to determine how this individual's performance sits in relation to comparable others. A good psychometric should have a variety of 'norm-groups' available which allow you to compare like with like; for example, you would not look at a child's performance and compare it with the performance of a group of adults.
Results usually take the form of a numerical score or rating and feedback can be structured around how a person's performance compares to others in a similar position, age range or status.
Some examples of ability tests include: IQ tests and tests of Numerical, Logical and Inductive, Abstract or Diagrammatic Reasoning. An example of a numerical reasoning test question is illustrated in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Example the type of question asked in a numerical reasoning test
What is the missing number in this sequence? 1 4 9 ? 25
a) 15 b) 16 c) 17 d) 18 e)19
The answer to this question is 16.
Personality measures:
Are designed to look at individual differences in interpersonal style and predict a person's likely behaviour across situations.
Do not have 'right' or 'wrong' answers as such (this is why we refer to them as 'measures' not 'tests'). Rather a person's preference for a certain type of behaviour can be assessed to create a profile which in turn allows us to predict how they might respond to different situations.
Results usually take the form of a personality profile which describes how a person's responses to the questionnaire might reflect how they tend to behave across different situations. Depending on the nature of the tool, it is likely to focus on different aspects of personality and consider how these might relate to one another.
In general, no particular personality profile is any better or worse than another. However, certain profiles may be more or less suited to particular professions, jobs or tasks. This is why personality profiling can sometimes be useful when selecting people into roles. They can also be a useful tool in developing individuals and teams. They provide respondents with insights of how personality can influence factors in their personal and work life, increasing self awareness and aiding understanding.
Feedback usually forms a vital part of the personality profiling process as it is most effective when the respondent is given the opportunity to discuss their findings with a trained psychologist. Feedback discussions can help a respondent make sense of the information in the context of their own work or personal life, and provide them with insight into what results might mean for them.
Some examples of personality measures include the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Occupational Psychology Questionnaire (OPQ), WAVE and 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PFQ). An example of the type of questions asked in a personality instrument is shown in the table below. There are no right or wrong answers.
When can Psychometrics be used?
Psychometric tools can be useful in any situation when you are looking to gain insight into a person's ability or behavioural style. The team of Occupational Psychologists at Mendas often utilise psychometrics to help inform selection decisions or to help provide insight when supporting a development programme for individuals or teams.
On the one hand, psychometrics offer an objective and standardised measure of a person's ability or personality. They are easy to score and do not rely on subjective interpretation, they are also straightforward to administer and can often be taken online. On the other hand, we also recognise that such tools offer a fairly narrow insight into a person's full skill set or likely workplace behaviours. There is likely to be a complex mixture of knowledge, skills and ability, and personality, motivation and values which interact to influence a person's actual behaviour in the workplace.
Therefore, at Mendas, whilst we often turn to psychometric tests to help inform selection and development processes, we advocate combining these with other methods such as interactive exercises, role-play simulations or interviews, as this allows for a more rounded picture of the individual to be achieved.
Clients often come to us for advice on how to resolve problems associated with large application numbers which can require lengthy and costly sifting techniques. Ability tests can be useful in the early stages of assessment processes, as they allow a fairly quick, easy, robust and cost effective way of managing large candidate numbers.
However, care should be taken when these tools alone are used to sift out candidates during the application stage because they offer a rather blunt measure of a person's overall ability. As such, there is a higher risk that a person who may be suitable for the job is rejected. However there are ways of reducing this risk by ensuring that the choice of psychometric is fit for purpose.
How do I make sure I choose a Psychometric which is fit for purpose?
Before choosing to use a psychometric tool, especially in a selection context, it is important to make sure it is measuring an attribute or ability which is actually required for the job in question. For example, it would be inappropriate to use a test of numerical reasoning if selecting candidates for a position where numerical reasoning skills were not required to be effective in the job.
There are various reasons for this; firstly, a candidate is unlikely to be receptive to a test unless they can see a clear link between the job they are applying for and the test they are asked to take and; if the test is not measuring attributes relevant to the job it is likely it will result in poor selection decisions and costly recruitment mistakes.
Therefore, if psychometrics are to be used as part of a selection process an employer should be able to clearly articulate why the particular tool has been chosen. This is especially important if the tool will be used to make decisions in isolation (for example, if an ability test is used as a pre-screen before application sifts are conducted.)
In the case of personality measures, they do not assess a person's ability to do the job, but rather they predict likely workplace behaviour (e.g. how an individual might go about undertaking tasks, rather than their ability to complete the task). It is for this reason that recruiters tend to avoid using personality measures as part of a selection process unless they are considered in conjunction with ability tools and techniques. We suggest that if personality measures are to be used to inform selection decisions then they should be combined with a follow-up discussion between the respondent and psychologist to explore the findings and validate the profile. This allows recruiters and candidates to determine what the findings might mean for that individual in a particular job role or context.
Another thing which should be considered when using psychometrics (ability or personality) for selection or development processes is the reaction of the respondent. As previously mentioned, people can often feel uneasy about completing a psychometric test so steps should be taken to reduce any concerns or anxiety.
The following are some steps which should be considered when asking someone to complete a psychometric:
Clearly articulate the reason for the use of the tool in the context of the selection or development process.
Detail how the results or information will be used and how it will be stored.
Explain if any feedback will be available, when this will be provided and what form it will take.
Take steps to ensure the environment in which the tool is taken is appropriate (e.g. clear instructions are provided, the respondent is given the opportunity to practice and ask questions, and the environment is free from distractions). Note: if the tool is administered online these things can be trickier to control so it is even more important to ensure clear written instructions are provided.
Are there any alternatives to Ability Tests and Personality Measures?
A form of psychometric test which has become increasingly popular in recent years and which sits somewhere between an ability test and a personality measure is a Situational Judgement Test (SJT). In these tests a respondent is required to consider a hypothetical and challenging situation and then choose how they would respond to this from a set of options (an example of a Situational Judgement Test question is shown in Table 3 below).
The response mechanism can vary, for example it may be necessary to rate a set of courses of action, choose the most and least preferred action or allocate ratings between different options. However, the objective is to gain insights into how a person might respond to challenges faced in a given job role. In this respect, each situation/question taps into a variety of skills, ranging from problem solving and decision making to interpersonal skills and therefore can be considered to measure skills more closely related to jobs than ability or personality tools which do not account for the interaction between ability, personality and other traits.
In addition these types of test have been shown to reduce levels of adverse impact, by gender and ethnicity, they directly assess job relevant behaviours and they tend to be more acceptable and engaging to candidates since the situations are based on real incidents related to the role. They also have the added benefit that the test itself acts as a kind of realistic job preview for a candidate (i.e. it shows the type of challenges a candidate may actually deal with in the role and a candidate may choose to deselect themselves from the process if they do not enjoy dealing with the type of challenges.)
Table 3: Example of a Situational Judgement Test question
You notice that one of your colleagues is taking on more work than they can manage. They are struggling to deliver their work to time and you are concerned that they will miss crucial deadlines. You are also very busy and working to tight timescales. What would you do?
a) Go to their line manager to discuss your concerns
b) Confront you colleague and tell them that they should not be taking on additional work
c) Discuss your concerns with your colleague
d) Take the additional work away from your colleague and complete this yourself
Is there an alternative to 'off the shelf' psychometric tests?
Whilst there are many well constructed psychometric tests available from a wide variety of suppliers, it is also possible to design a bespoke psychometric which can more closely replicate the skills or attributes required of a specific job role. To do this, it is necessary to first gain an understanding of some of the key skills or attributes which are necessary to perform effectively in the role, so that a decision can be made about what to measure in the test.
The test questions can then be constructed to measure these specific skills or attributes. Finally, a trial version of the test should be piloted to check that the test measures what it is supposed to without discriminating unfairly against any groups of individuals.
At Mendas, we have seen an increase in clients requesting the use of psychometric tests to assess more specifically the skills required in the role or organisation. We have recently designed a Financial Reasoning test that assesses how candidates consider, analyse and interpret financial information. The Financial Services Authority have used this test as part of their graduate selection process. This has enhanced the selection process as not only does it more accurately measure the skills necessary for the job (i.e. Rather than just having a strong mathematical ability, an FSA graduate needs to be skilled in dealing with financial information in context), but it has also improved the candidate reaction as they can understand more clearly why they are being asked to complete the test.
Finally, an added benefit to this type of approach to psychometrics is that the test itself acts as a job preview for a candidate (i.e. if a candidate applying for the FSA graduate scheme does not enjoy dealing with financial information then they are unlikely to be well suited for the job and could 'self-select' themselves out of the process thereby reducing costs associated with assessing un-motivated applicants.)
At Mendas we are always trying to find ways to improve selection and assessment processes and we believe psychometric tests have the potential to do this. However, we also feel that rather than rely on off the shelf tools, it can be beneficial to consider the design and development of bespoke solutions, especially if the skills or attributes required for the job are particularly unique or distinctive. It is also important to remember that psychometrics can be used much more widely in the workplace than just in selection and assessment. For example, we have found them to be extremely useful when looking to develop or support individuals and teams.
If you would like to discuss the use of psychometrics for selection or development, or you would like more information about our bespoke solutions, please contact helena.murray@mendas.com or call 0207 0149 440.
Article written by Helena Murray, Psychologist, Mendas Ltd
