Decades of research have shown a strong correlation between your score in these tests and your performance in a job. And employers want to predict how well you might perform in a job before they hire you. They could make a best-guess based on previous experience, gut feel, or whether they like you in the interview, but that's all quite unreliable and susceptible to human bias. Employers want more certainty before they commit to selecting an employee, and this is where occupational psychology helps out with professional scientifically-developed psychometric tests that reduce bias. There is a large body of respected research1 that suggests the best way to predict who will perform well in a job is to look at the results from psychometric tests. There are essentially two forms a psychometric test can take: ability tests and personality questionnaires. Ability tests measure a form of inteligence, and personality questionnaires measure your personality traits.

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Employers might use a variety of methods to help them with selection, for example: interviews; CVs; assessment centres; group tasks; etc. But the research shows that interviews aren't actually that good at predicting success (humans rely on first-impressions, unconscious biases, and gut feel which are very hit-and-miss). Psychometric tests are better than haphazard methods like interviews; they have been developed specifically to measure potential and predict success at work.

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For years occupational psychologists have looked at the correlations between job performance and other indicators such as: years of experience; interview ratings; degree certificates; professional qualifications; etc. The factor which repeatedly shows up as being the best predictor of job performance is general cognitive ability (as measured by ability tests such as numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, inductive reasoning, etc.). Other strong predictors include certain personality traits such as: conscientiousness; resilience; and openness to experience (all measured by a personality questionnaire). And depending on the role, other personality traits and cognitive abilities are important too. So that's why employers typically ask candidates to take cognitive ability tests and personality questionnaires. Questions in professional validated tests have all been chosen carefully based on lots of research into how well they correlate with job performance. All questions in a test are there because they have been shown to correlate with success in a role.

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So now that you know why employers use psychometric tests, it is generally recommended that you practise some before your real test so you know what to expect. If you're familiar with the types of questions you'll be asked in the real test you are more able to answer to the best of your ability. Scroll down to take some free practice questions.

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1. Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological bulletin, 124(2), 262.