Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any point in practising for tests?

Personality tests have no right or wrong answers. The best advice is to answer as honestly as possible so that the results will be as close as possible to a true reflection of your personality. Most profiles have internal checks that highlight inconsistent answers. More importantly, as a participant in a recruitment or development exercise you want to be valued for the person you are. In a developmental context, the profile will be used to determine the kinds of activities you are given to help you move to the next level in your job.
Ability and aptitude tests are usually timed. Practise questions are provided with answers before the timed test begins.

Will the test results be the only information used to make a recruitment decision about me?

Test authors always stress to users of their tools that information from ability, aptitude, competency and personality tools is to be used in conjunction with other information gathered about participants. The information is used to give a fuller, rounder and fairer picture of you.

If I have tertiary qualifications does that normally mean that I will perform well on ability tests?

Research suggests that performance on ability tests or aptitude tests is a more reliable indicator of performance in important skills like verbal or numerical reasoning than tertiary qualifications.

How can personality be measured?

Personality inventories report on stable features of personality across individuals and cultures. Your results will be reported against the population of test participants who set the yardstick for the test. These tests are only published by reputable test authors where the results are reliable and can be repeated independent of the participants' intentions.

What happens if I am testing online and the Internet connection drops out or I need help?

There is a HELP function that offers solutions to common technical problems. Or you can follow the instructions in the email that is sent to you when you are notified of the testing. Those instructions recommend that you print out the email and keep it for reference during the testing.