Examples of psychometric testing

When considering the psychometric testing conjunction with certain theories, it can be used to identify the potential employees of the organizations. For example, McGregor’s theory X and theory Y can be used to identify the employees and managers inside the organizations who are willing to work and who dislikes to work. X type of people are always pessimistic and they dislike the work and little ambitious in work, while Y people are really motivated, willing to do the works and are reliable on their duties. As this theory is most accepted, the tests can be created in conjunction with this theory and assess the employee’s specific psychometrics (Griffin, 2010).

Table 1.0: McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

(Source: Griffin, 2010)

Certain organizations use different kinds of personality tests to assess the employees or candidates. As an example Heineken chose to evolve a pre-existing psychometric model which is named as Enneagram with their online recruitment campaign (Natividad,2016). One of the potential strengths of the Enneagram typology is its combination of explicit and implicit personality characteristics. Explicit personality is basically about aspects that are available to individual’s conscious awareness. It can be assessed by self-report questionnaire. With these self-reports, personality is always going to be analogous. But there is an unavailability of introspection (Asendorpf, Banse, & Muecke, 2002; Wilson & Dunn, 2004). Enneagram is a method to identify the workforce’s hidden potential and development needs. Therefore, it contributes to theoretical understandings of personality and practical applications.

The Myers-Briggs type indicator is another test that can be used to identify where an individual fall into four different oppositions which are sensing and intuition, thinking or feeling, Introversion or extroversion and judging and perceiving and comes with 16 different personality types. Around 80% of new hires of Fortune 500 companies have been administrated the MBTI in the past decade and so many other companies use this method. This method is designed to identify the individual’s innate preferences (Dullu, 2017).

Sixteen personality factor questionnaire which is known as 16PF devised in 1949 by psychologist Raymond cattell. There he speaks about 16 traits which we all possess in different degrees like warmth and tension. 16PF can give an employer a good idea on whether an individual can be counted on to finish the task or able to handle the high stress situations. This method basically focuses on practical situations rather than general personality traits (Dullu, 2017).

Anther theory is DISC theory which is based on normal behavior and a wellness model that is objective and descriptive rather than subjective and judgmental. This tool was developed by Industrial psychologist Walter Vernon Clarke and is based on the theory of psychologist William Moulton Marston. It focuses in identifying four different behavioral traits; dominance, inducement, submission and compliance. Based on the results, individuals may be categorized as either task oriented or people oriented. Therefore, the DISC is practical way to understand those employees in the organization (Dullu, 2017).

Figure 1.0: DISC Theory

(Source: Artificial intelligence ad workplace psychometric tests, 2017)

(Source: Practical Psychology, 2019)

 References

Asendorpf, J. B., Banse, R., & Muecke, D. (2002). Double Dissociation Between Implicit and Explicit Personality Self-Concept: The Case of Shy Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Dullu, S.D.(2017)The top five psychometric tests used in recruitment ;09 June 2017.Available at; https://indvstrvs.com/psychometric-tests/ (Accessed on 09^th December 2018)

Griffin, R. (2010) Management. South-Western Cengage Learning: Mason. Available at: https://books.google.lk/books?id=7_NuZvMEvdgC&printsec=frontcover (Accessed: 9 December 2018).

Natividad, A. (2016) ‘Heineken Made an HR Campaign That’s as Cool as Any Consumer Ads It’s Done’, AdWeek, 15 September. Available at: http://www.adweek.com/creativity/heineken-just-made-hr-campaign-thats-cool-any-consumer-ads-its-done-173289/ (Accessed: 09^th December 2018).

Wilson, T. D., & Dunn, E. W. (2004). Self-Knowledge: Its Limits, Value and Potential for Improvement. Annual Review of Psychology

Advantages and Disadvantages of Psychometric testing

Advantages of Psychometric testing

The use of psychometric testing has increased within the recent years (Bartram 2001; Taylor, Keelty and McDonnell 2002; Anderson 2005; Wolf and Jenkins 2006). There are several possible reasons that explain the vast usage of psychometric testing. First, the wide range of the resources spread through out the internet has reduced the cost of testing and ease of testing has been increased. Further, there is a growing awareness that the test is an integral part of best practice for selection (Guest et al. 2003). In addition, there is an improved awareness of predictive validity and reliability of the specific tests(Cascio and Aguinis 2005; Wolf and Jenkins 2006).Among the benefits of the test, it has unbiased approach which has no any favoritism  is involved and much more fair and simple. As these tests are doled out to the candidates in the groups, it saves lot of money and time for the company. If a candidate is not selected, it gives an opportunity to the concerned person to make a complete review about themselves and provide opportunity to rectify the mistake. With these tests, the right person to the right job is picked up. Further, it shows what individuals’ motives and mean time, applicants can find the right job which they love. Not only it improves efficiency, but also it can be used at any stage of the recruitment process (Reddy 2016)

It is argued in several occasions that this increased professionalism in Human Resources Management and their involvement in strategic decision making has implied that they have more influence in Organizations and this may have increased the use of psychometric testing (Wolf and Jenkins 2006; Farndale 2005). Use of psychological test is greater in organizations that have Human Resources specialist compared with that other do not (Hoque and Noon 2001; Wolf and Jenkins 2006).

Disadvantages of Psychometric Testing

Using the psychometric testing for the recruitment purposes offer clear recommendations about the general assessment issues such as reliability, validity, norm groups and feedback to the applicant (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) 2003). On the other hand the guidelines offer very limited practical advices and guidelines about how psychological testing data should be used to make selection decision.

Often, many companies are conned into buying the non-psychometric as the necessary psychometric, and as a result, many companies fail to achieve the desirable results (Reddy 2016).These tests can make the candidates nervous and if used with the conjunction with the other information, these tests are unable to produce the exact results as they are incompatible with the other tests in the same kind. There is no complete psychometric that is applicable to interviews in all kind and differs completely from one sector to another (Reddy 2016).Meantime, the base is a small population and there are cultural barriers. Another disadvantage is that the candidates tend to give fake answers (Reddy 2016).At the time of interview; they would try to diminish their negative thoughts and try to enhance their positive aspects, and get through the interview. The results of a psychometric test can label a person as an introvert, but in general, the specific person can be having both introvert and extrovert personalities. In this scenario, the results can be false. These psychometric tests are complex to be handled and the administration requires training to handle the same (Reddy 2016).

(Source - GCC Module Career Counselor, 2018)

References

Anderson, N. (2005), ‘Relationships between Practice and Research in Personnel Selection: Does the Left Hand Know What the Right is Doing?,’ in The Blackwell Handbook of Personnel Selection, eds. A. Evers, N. Anderson and O. Voskuijl, Malden, MA: Blackwell

Bartram, D. (2001), ‘The Development of International Guidelines on Test Use: The International Test Commission Project,’ International Journal of Testing

Cascio, W.F., and Aguinis, H. (2005), ‘Test Development and Use: New Twists on Old Questions,’ Human Resource Management

Farndale, E. (2005), ‘HR Department Professionalism: A Comparison between the UK and other European Countries,’ International Journal of Human Resource Management

Guest, D., Michie, J., Conway, N., and Sheehan, M. (2003), ‘Human Resource Management and Corporate Performance in the UK,’ British Journal of Industrial Relations

Hoque, K., and Noon, M. (2001), ‘Counting Angels: A Comparison of Personnel and HR Specialists,’ Human Resource Management Journal

Reddy C.(2016)Wise Step Advantages and Disadvantages of Psychometric Tests Available at: https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-psychometric-tests/ (Accessed: 07^th December 2018).

Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc. (SIOP) (2003), Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures (4th ed.), Bowling Green, OH: SIOP.

Taylor, P., Keelty, Y., and McDonnell, B. (2002), ‘Evolving Personnel Selection Practices in New Zealand Organizations and Recruitment Firms,’ New Zealand Journal of Psychology

Wolf, A., and Jenkins, A. (2006), ‘Explaining Greater Test Use for Selection: The Role of HR Professionals in a World of Expanding Regulation,’ Human Resource Management Journal

Types of psychometric tests

The British Psychological Society (2002), mentions that there are two main types of psychological tests that those which measure ability, aptitude and attainment and those designed to assess personal qualities which are believes, motivation and values. Number of various psychometric testing methods were used over the time by most of organizations on recruitment and selection process. International and local Organizations use common recruitment and selection methods to stay competitive in the securing optimal human resources (Bartram, 2004). Further, responsible assessment can benefit the recruitment and selection of the candidates from previously disadvantaged backgrounds as a part of a drive towards the equity in the workplace (van der merwe,2002).

(Source- HWWW Channel, 2019)

References

Bartram, D. (2004). Assessment in Organizations. Applied Psychology: An International Review

The British Psychological Society, A to Z of Psychology (2002) Available at : https://www.bps.org.uk/about-us/history-psychology-centre (Accessed : 08^th December 2018)

Types of Psychometric tests (2019) Available at https://youtu.be/nup-deSe0fQ  (Accessed:05^th November 2019)

Van der Merwe, R.P. (2002). Psychometric testing and human resource management. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology

Psychometric Testing

Psychometric testing is one of the most popular selecting tools used by employers to identify suitable applicants for jobs in the public and private sector (Armstrong, 2014). According to the psychometric test guide of the Institute of Psychometric Coaching (2017), the use of psychometric testing gives large and small organizations to know about job seekers these days, and provide an opportunity to discover their core competencies throughout the recruitment process.

Psychometric test can measure the human core competencies and the strong positive abilities of a person during a pre-recruitment stage and it gives the companies to consider and re-consider their decision on the candidates (Reddy,2016). Consulting testes that are conducted as a part of psychometric testes are concerned in bringing out the purposefully measured positives of a person. According to Reddy (2016), it brings out the real views of the candidates and the results obtained are more accurate and reliable than the other means. Most of the Organizations use psychometric testing today for the better prospects of the Organization and this has been equally praised and criticized in the industry in the current world.

Psychometric testing is a mentality measurement test which assesses intelligence or personality of the individuals using systemic and standardized procedures which helps to predict to which extent the employees will be successful in the job (Armstrong, 2014). The recruitment and selection procedure present the employers with an opportunity to identify the personality of the candidates even before they are absorbed to the Organization (Bartram, 2004). According to the Oxford scientific dictionary, the psychometric testing defines as the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in the given context.

(Source- Tyler,PsyAsia International, 2015)

References

Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2014) Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 13^th ed. Kogan Page Limited: London

Bartram, D. (2004). Assessment in Organizations. Applied Psychology: An International Review

Psychometric test guide, Institute of psychometric coaching(2017) Available at: https://www.psychometricinstitute.co.uk/articles.html (Accessed: 08^th December 2018).

Reddy C.(2016)Wise Step Advantages and Disadvantages of Psychometric Tests Available at: https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-psychometric-tests/ (Accessed: 07^th December 2018).