HTM_psychoTest_FB:HTP Num Reas Tests AW 30/10/07 16:04 Page 1 2nd ROTISSEMISANS EXTRABOLD 14 / 16 PT -3 KERN edition FORANDONLINFREE E F E I V E T Q E E E R D S Y B T RotisSansSerif10/14pt A “Providestheopportunityforidentifyingyourownstrengthsandweaknesses. A REACK D PhilipCarter’sstyleofwritingiseasytounderstand, N ER worthreadingandalsoenjoyable.” HOW TO MASTER D spacebetweenquoteandsource7pt(above) PSYCHOMETRIC sourcecolormatchingicon’sshirtcolor P E IQandPersonalityTestscontainsover500practicequestionstobringyouupto R speed.Firsttherearethepersonalityquestions,whichlookatattitudesand S TESTS values,ofteninarevealingandentertainingway.ThentherearetwoIQpractice O tests,whicharetypicalofthetypeandstyleofquestionsyouarelikelyto N encounterinrealIQtests.Thedifferenttypesofquestionswillassessyour: A • verbalaptitude; L • numericalaptitude; I T • logicalaptitude; Y • spatialreasoningskills. T Intermediate Level E Expert advice on test Ideal for school and college leavers and those applying for S administrative or middle-management roles. T preparation with practice S questions from leading Philip Carter isanIQtestexpertwhoiscontinuallydevisingnewtestsand puzzles.Hehaswrittenoversixtybookscoveringallaspectsoftesting, A test publishers U crosswords,puzzlesandreasoning. TheseincludeIQ&PsychometricTests,TheIQ T H &PsychometricTestWorkbook,TestyourIQandTheUltimateIQTestBook(all O R publishedbyKoganPage). N A M E C E £8.99 N US$17.95 T R E ISBN:978-0-7494-4954-4 D KoganPage KoganPageUS 120PentonvilleRoad 525South4thStreet,#241 LondonN19JN PhiladelphiaPA19147 UnitedKingdom USA MARK PARKINSON www.kogan-page.co.uk Careersandtesting HOW TO MASTER PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS ‘Every man is like every other man, like some other men, like no other man.’ Clyde Kluckhohn, Anthropologist HOW TO MASTER PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS Expert advice on test preparation with practice questions from leading test providers 4th edition MARK PARKINSON London and Philadelphia Whilst the author has made every effort to ensure that the content of this book is accu- rate, please note that occasional errors can occur in books of this kind. If you suspect that an error has been made in any of the tests included in this book, please inform the publisher at the address printed below so that it can be corrected at the next reprint. Publisher’s note Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsi- bility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author. First published in 1997 Second edition 2000 Third edition 2004 Reprinted 2005, 2006, 2007 Fourth edition 2008 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accor- dance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses: 120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241 London N1 9JN Philadelphia PA 19147 United Kingdom USA www.koganpage.com © Mark Parkinson 1997, 2000, 2004, 2008 The right of Mark Parkinson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978 0 7494 5165 3 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Parkinson, Mark. How to master psychometric tests : expert advice on test preparation with practice questions from leading test providers / Mark Parkinson. -- 4th ed. p.cm. ISBN 978-0-7494-5165-3 1. Employment tests. 2. Psychological tests. 3. Psychological tests--Problems, exercise, etc. 4. Psychometrics. 5. Employee selection. I. Title HF5549.5.E5P37 2008 153.9’465--dc22 2008001466 Typeset by Jean Cussons Typesetting, Diss, Norfolk Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt Ltd Contents To the reader vii Introduction 1 1. What are psychometric tests? 7 Different types of tests 8; What is a ‘good’ test? 12; How are test results used? 14; What influences test performance? 17; Key points 19 2. Preparing for psychometric tests 20 Coping with test anxiety 22; Simple body relaxation 24; Visualization 25; The test session 27; Testing on the internet 31; Countdown to test-day 32 3. Ability tests 36 Abstract reasoning 37; Verbal reasoning 40; Numerical reasoning 46; Perceptual reasoning 51; Spatial reasoning 53; Mechanical reasoning 58; Other ability tests 60; Future test developments 62; Ten more ways to improve your performance 67; Key points 71 vi Contents 4. Practice tests (technical, clerical and graduate) 73 Introduction to SHL® practice tests 73; Series 1 (Working with words 75; Working with numbers 81; Working with diagrams 85; Checking information 89; Recognizing shapes 93; Mechanical understanding 97); Series 2 (Interpreting written information 101; Interpreting data 105; Interpreting diagrams 109); Series 3 (Verbal reasoning 113; Numerical reasoning 117; Diagrammatic reasoning 121) 5. Practice tests (graduate and university admissions) 124 Introduction to Team Focus practice tests 124; Practice material (Abstract reasoning 127; Verbal reasoning 131; Numerical reasoning 137); University admissions tests 143; Thinking Skills Assessment 145 6. Personality questionnaires 154 Different personality questionnaires 155; Type questionnaires 156; Trait questionnaires 161; How to complete a personality questionnaire 171; Leadership Style questionnaire 176; Other self-report questionnaires 184; Key points 192 7. Top 50 practice test websites 194 General 194; Ability tests 195; IQ tests 196; Personality questionnaires 196; Leadership style questionnaires 197; Learning style questionnaires 197; Careers interest and career planning questionnaires 198; UK University admissions tests 198 Appendix 200 Answers: SHL® practice tests (technical, clerical 209 and graduate tests) Answers: TFL graduate tests and thinking 211 skills assessment Further reading from Kogan Page 213 To the reader Psychometric tests of ability and personality are used by many organizations throughout the world for selecting people for jobs. They are also used within companies to help with devel- opment and promotion. This book is about preparing you for the main types of tests and increasing your chances of getting to the next stage, the job interview. This is a vital step in the selection process when you consider that 50 per cent or more people fail the tests they take. All of the tests described in this book are commonly used for recruitment purposes. My job has been to explain what they measure, what they look like, who they are used to assess and how to approach the questions. The focus is on developing an effective test-making strategy or a personal approach that you can apply to any new test you might encounter. I also concentrate on the psychological preparation for tests, and how to put yourself in a positive and winning frame of mind. This is just as important to test performance as under- standing how the actual questions work. This is the fourth edition of this book. It has been completely revised and now includes practice material from three leading UK test publishers. There is also an example of the type of test used to help select students for popular degree courses. In addi- tion there is an interesting section on the ‘dark side’ of person- ality and a specially written Leadership Style Questionnaire. viii To the reader Finally, it includes a unique list of the top 50 practice test websites, giving access to thousands of extra practice ques- tions. Introduction If you were a personnel manager how would you select new staff? Probably you would place a job advert and ask people to send a curriculum vitae (CV), or to complete an application form. Then you might look at the forms and invite, depending on how many people applied, between 6 and 12 people to come for an interview. After the interviews, or maybe at the same time, you would follow up references on the best candidates. If this is all you would do, you would be ignoring a technique that has become an essential part of the modern selection process – the psychometric test. Application forms or CVs are an exercise in seeing how well an applicant, or frequently an agency, can fill in a form or design a work history. Interviews are an example of how prepared a candidate is for a number of standard questions, and of appearing to be interested and motivated for a short period of time. The reference, at worst, damns with faint praise, even if the subject has previously been an entirely unsat- isfactory employee. In contrast, psychometric tests can identify objectively where the abilities lie, and what sort of personality you have. So as long as the appropriate tests are used, they can provide a fair and accurate way of helping to pick the best person for the job.