Psychological Testing Tips

Employers are increasingly using psychological evaluation as part of their assessment procedures – both for selection of staff and for development and counselling. Psychological evaluations can help you:

• Demonstrate your strengths
• Be assessed objectively against other candidates
• Select a career path for which you are best suited
• Find out more about your strengths and limitations

To help you prepare for the tests, we have included the following tips of the Psychological Assessment process.

Some hints to help you during the assessment process

• Preparation for the assessment is not necessary. Just try and have a good night's sleep the night before and ensure you have eaten (you may wish to take some snacks with you if the testing session is long).
• If an unexpected or upsetting event occurs prior to the assessment, consider postponing your appointment until you feel more settled.
• When booking in for testing remember morning is better for most people as you won't have the day's stresses behind you.
• If you need glasses to read or to see a computer screen remember to take them with you.
• During the timed tests, both accuracy and speed are important. So don't spend too much time on any one question. If you are struggling with an item, skip it and come back to it if you have time.
• During the untimed tests remember to be yourself, avoid the middle or unsure responses as much as possible and work as quickly as you can.
• Try not to stress about the assessments - remember this is only part of the process and we all have strengths and areas for development - no one is perfect!
• Regardless of the outcome of your assessment, you should call for feedback once you have received the outcome of your application. This will allow you to learn about your strengths and areas for development.