Employers choose to use psychometric testing during their recruitment process to help give a better overall evaluation of candidate’s and their suitability for the job that they’re applying for. Psychometric testing could help to gauge the future performance of candidate's and also improve employee retention by making successful hiring decisions.
The most common way for employers to use aptitude tests such as situational judgement, is online. Traditionally, aptitude tests have taken the form of pen and paper but due to benefits such as saving valuable time and money, online testing is used more and more frequently. Undertaking aptitude tests is usually the follow-up action after an employer has accepted your CV or initial job application form.
If you pass the online test in some cases you are invited to an assessment centre, which is usually done by larger employers. The term assessment centre is used due to the fact that employers conduct these extended assessment in a single centre, either an office of the employers themselves or at a third party venue. The assessment centre is often (but not always) a day that constitutes the final stage of the application process. At the assessment centre they will ask you to sit a repeat test at the assessment centre to verify your earlier test scores, therefore don’t get your friends or family to help you out during the online test!
Preparing for an assessment centre or online aptitude test can be stressful due to the fact that you don’t know what to expect. The best way to familiarize yourself is with practice aptitude tests that mimic the tests used by employers and recruiters. Assessment-Training.com has prepared thousands of candidates for their assessments and aptitude tests by offering realistic test simulations with fully worked solutions.
By practicing situational judgement tests you can improve your performance during the real test by familiarizing yourself with the format and time-pressure.
In a situational judgement test a number of situations will be presented to you and you will have to pretend to be present in that specific situation. With that in mind, you are going to have to respond or react to these situations.
An SJT operates with four different answer models:
Based on a scenario you will get to see several work-related situations.
Most/least likely to perform: You have to evaluate the situations and choose a response that is accurate and within the range of ‘most likely to do’ to ‘least likely to do’.
Ranked responses: In this type of response you will be asked to categorize the options as one that seems most effective, one that seems second most effective, one as third most effective and one as least effective.
Most/least effective responses: In this type of response you will be asked to choose the response to the situation that seems 'most effective' to you and the one that seems 'least effective'.
Rated responses: In this type of response you will be asked to sort the possible responses to the situation by very effective, effective, slightly effective, not effective and counterproductive. Each option can only be used once.