Towards the end of your degree, the first thing that will be on your mind (other than passing your exams!) is finding a job. This can be a very stressful experience and as such, it is important to prepare and be ready for this stage. Luckily there are plenty of resources out there to help you with this. Here we look at the rising importance of psychometric testing and how you can prepare.
The Graduate Application Process
There are many excellent graduate positions available in the Technical and IT field with many exciting opportunities.
The use of psychometric tests for many graduate positions is due to there being a high number of very qualified graduates, all competing for a small number of highly sought after positions. It is often necessary for employers to find an efficient way of finding the best graduates for their positions and psychometric tests are often a great solution.
There are also some psychometric tests that have been specially designed for those who are in the IT field, for example the Information Technology Test Series (ITTS) which is produced by SHL. This test series is an entire battery of tests containing many different types. In addition to the usual numerical and verbal reasoning test, the ITTS also contains syntax and computer checking, diagrammatic reasoning and spatial reasoning. All of these can be practiced with JobTestPrep.
You could have applied for a position which you feel was specially created just for you and then all of a sudden you are asked to take a numerical reasoning test or a verbal reasoning test. This could be something which you may have not faced since you were in school and many people can panic or worry excessively about it.
This feeling of trepidation can be easily overcome. If you practice and prepare for these tests, then you have an advantage and hopefully they will become a challenge you can beat. In fact, you can even turn this stage of the application process into an advantage for you.
Preparing for Psychometric tests
By preparing for psychometric tests it will give you an opportunity to get familiar with and understand the concepts that make up these kinds of tests. They are designed by psychologists and they are written using certain patterns. It is these patterns and concepts that are used throughout all psychometric tests. Practicing helps to gain familiarity with these principals and can help you to answer better.
Often, practice materials contain explanations of the answers and by studying these explanations; it is possible to gain additional insight, thus improving your overall performance.
The more experience you get with psychometric tests, the more it will reveal what employers are looking for, and what you should do in order to adapt to their requirements. These will often include:
- Learning about yourself
- Gaining confidence
- Improvement of response times
- Brushing up on forgotten skills
JobTestPrep has many practice materials; many setup and designed especially for graduates. They also have a whole section of articles which contain information and guidance for getting through the graduate assessment centers of some major companies.