1. Express advice. If you are not confident in yourself when undergoing psychological diagnostics (psychodiagnostics), then choose from your friends someone who, as you think, ideally matches the niche that you are trying to occupy or defend. Answer as he would answer.

2. If the instructions say that there are no right or wrong answers in the test, don’t trust it.

3. Avoid extremes, be closer to the “golden mean”, do not spit on yourself, but do not extol yourself either. To the question “Do you always pay for travel on public transport?” It’s better to answer “no”, because... That's what the majority do. Otherwise, you are more likely to be suspected of lack of frankness.

4. Many tests contain a “lie scale”, i.e. have a number of provocative questions as in the previous example. And even if you always pay for travel, then you will get a plus on this scale. If you get a lot of pluses, your results will be considered unreliable. And then in best case scenario you will be asked to take this test again (most likely in a different form, with different questions). At worst, they will write something like “prone to inauthenticity” in the conclusion, which can significantly reduce your rating. And in general, this can negatively affect the tone of the entire conclusion, because, believe me, psychologists really don’t like unreliable results.

5. Sometimes there are tests in which one question or statement appears twice. They answered differently - you get a plus on the “lie scale.” Try to memorize questions verbatim and answer similar ones in the same way.

6. Test results can be greatly affected by the environment. If you do not like the testing conditions (noisy or poor lighting, for example), ask for better conditions, especially if your abilities and intelligence are being tested. Ask in the most correct form, intelligently, without annoying anyone. If they refuse you, then it is quite likely that this is such an idea, part of the plan. If a group is being examined, then asking only you to improve the situation, you will agree, is stupid.

7. Upon completion of the testing procedure, try to photocopy the examination protocol and forms with your answers. They can also be useful for a subsequent appeal (which, of course, is better not to go through), and will certainly help you avoid one or two negative judgments about you in conclusion. If you contact a psychologist you know, he will help you point out your mistakes.

8. Many tests are carried out with a time limit and recording. Find out from the psychologist the most complete information about the restrictions and how much time is allocated for answers. Be sure to come to the diagnostic with a watch: firstly, it can help you plan time for answers, and secondly, the absence of a watch can affect your image (as a non-business person). If a psychologist stands with a stopwatch, of course, do the task as quickly as possible. If not, use every chance to stretch out the time. For example, if a psychologist reads questions to a group, be sure to ask the psychologist to repeat something unclear or complex issue, at the end you can even ask to give you a list of all the questions personally. If you work individually with a list of questions or a test book, this is a big plus for you. In Cattell's test (questionnaire), for example, there are 16 personality scales. Among them is one for intelligence. There are no time limits. Sit and think for yourselves, don’t rush anywhere.

9. You have the right to ask the psychologist the name of the test that is being conducted with you. This may be useful to you.

10. If you are selected (for work or study), then most likely you need to be smart, sociable, healthy guy rather than a stupid, closed-off psycho. We will touch on this important topic in other sections.

11. Reduce your age if possible. This may be useful if you have to take an intelligence test, where younger people are often given a discount, and if you are under twenty (there is no difference for older people).

Psychological tests for employment in the USA and Europe are very common and have been used for several decades. In our country, this is a fairly new technique, but its fans are growing more and more every year, because it allows you to quickly and objectively identify personal and professional quality candidate.

Many companies and recruiters may even exaggerate the significance of test results, so to ensure that such a test does not become an obstacle to getting the job of your dreams, you need to know how to overcome it with flying colors.

Psychological test No. 1. Favorite color

You are asked to arrange 8 cards of different colors in order, starting from the most pleasant to the most unpleasant.

What does it mean? This test is aimed at determining the emotional state. Each card symbolizes a person’s needs:

• red color - need for action;
• yellow - the need to strive for a goal, hope;
• green - the need to assert oneself;
• blue - the need for affection, constancy;
• gray - fatigue, desire for peace;
• purple - escape from reality;
• brown - need for protection;
• black - depression.

The arrangement of the cards means the following: the first two are a person’s aspirations, 3 and 4 are the true state of affairs, 5 and 6 are an indifferent attitude, 7 and 8 are antipathy, suppression.

Key: in the first four there must be red, yellow, blue, green - in what order is not so important. The most preferred arrangement of cards, which paints a portrait of a purposeful, active person: red-yellow-green-blue-purple-brown-gray-black.

You may be asked to take this psychological test twice. The second time, change the cards a little, but not significantly, otherwise you will be considered an unbalanced person.

Psychological test No. 2. Drawing lesson

You are asked to draw a house, a tree, a person.

What does it mean? It is believed that this is how a person can demonstrate his self-perception to the world. In this psychological test, every detail matters: the location of the drawing on the sheet (located in the center, a proportional drawing indicates self-confidence), a single composition of all objects indicates the integrity of the individual, what type of object will be displayed.

It is also important what is drawn first: a house - the need for security, a person - self-obsession, a tree - the need for vital energy. In addition, a tree is a metaphor for aspirations (oak - self-confidence, willow - on the contrary - uncertainty); a person is a metaphor for how other people perceive themselves; house is a metaphor for a person’s perception of himself (a castle is narcissism, a rickety hut is low self-esteem, dissatisfaction with oneself).

Key: Your drawing should be realistic and proportional. To demonstrate your sociability and willingness to work in a team, do not forget about the following details: the road to the porch (contact), the roots of the tree (connection with the team), windows and doors (kindness and openness), the sun (cheerfulness), the fruit tree (practicality) ), pet (care).

Psychological test No. 3. Story

You are shown pictures depicting people in various life situations and asked to comment on: what is happening; what a person is thinking about; why does he do this?

What does it mean? Based on the interpretation of the pictures, it is possible to determine the leading life scenarios of a person, in other words - “whoever hurts is the one who talks about it.” It is believed that a person projects the situations in the pictures onto his life and reveals his fears, desires, and view of the world. So, for example, if a picture shows a person crying or laughing, then it is expected that when you comment on it, you will talk about your reasons for joy or sadness.

Key: You need to control your answers and interpret the pictures in the most positive way possible.

Psychological test No. 4. Blob

You are shown pictures of a shapeless blot (usually symmetrical) and asked to tell you what you see.

What does it mean? This psychological test is somewhat similar to the previous one; it also reveals your true attitude towards the world. A positive interpretation of pictures (for example, people communicating) speaks of you as an active, sociable, positive person, a negative one (you saw a monster, a dangerous animal in the blot) indicates that you have a lot of unreasonable fears or deep stress.

Key: If you associate a picture with something clearly negative, comment on it in a neutral way. For example, don’t say, “I see people arguing,” but say, “People are communicating emotionally.”

Psychological test No. 5. IQ test

You are asked to answer several questions (from 40 to 200) of different directions in a certain period of time (from 30 minutes) - from mathematical problems to logical puzzles.

What does it mean? Data psychological tests are intended to determine the so-called Intelligence Quotient. Although their effectiveness is increasingly being questioned (if a person has low scores, this does not necessarily mean that he is stupid, perhaps he has unconventional thinking or is simply simply inattentive), the tests have maintained and increased their popularity for many years. Eysenck's IQ tests are the most common.

Key: Be as careful as possible, there are a lot of trick questions. If time is running out and there are still a lot of questions, don’t leave them unanswered, write down the answers at random, you’ll probably guess something. On the eve of the job test, take several psychological tests on the Internet, this will help identify the principles of the decision. According to statistics, each subsequent passing of a psychological test increases performance by 5–7%, just don’t get carried away, otherwise you’ll suddenly find yourself too smart for the position offered.

Now you see that passing psychological tests when applying for a job is not so difficult. After all, you have the “keys” that will open the way to new career achievements!

An ideal employee for an employer should not only have professional knowledge, but also have the appropriate character traits necessary for a specific position. For example, working with people requires an employee to be sociable and polite, working in a team requires mutual assistance, and a leadership position requires the ability to make responsible decisions and lead other people.

Every employer looks for personal qualities in a new employee that are necessary for him. Various psychological tests are designed to help with this. They help to objectively evaluate a person, excluding the personal preferences of the employer or HR employee.

In addition, based on the results of psychological testing, candidates with mental disabilities can be identified.

Types of psychological tests

According to the method of conducting, all tests are divided into oral and written.

Depending on the personal qualities of a person that need to be determined, psychological tests during an interview are:

• Intellectual (reveal the level of development of logical thinking, attentiveness, memory);
• Personal (character, temperament, creativity, motivation, negative qualities, etc.);
• Special (propensity to lie; ability to quickly assess the situation and make decisions);
• Interpersonal (ability to work in a team, conflict tolerance).

The table shows the main objectives of the tests

The most popular psychological tests

Intelligent

Interesting information

Psychological tests for employment in the USA and Europe are very common and have been used for several decades. In Russia, this is a fairly new technique, but its fans are growing more and more every year, because it allows you to quickly and objectively identify the personal and professional qualities of a candidate.

The most famous intelligence test used by employers is the Eysenck IQ test. It involves a solution within 30 minutes of various logical problems(continue a logical series of numbers or letters, add a missing figure or remove an extra one, etc.). You can take this psychological test when applying for a job online on many Internet resources.

Personal

Most often, personality traits are tested using oral tests. They are more effective than written questionnaires, since it is impossible for someone who has not been prepared in advance to guess the correct answer.

1. Luscher color test. Helps determine mood and psychological condition person at the time of its implementation, reveals depression and depressed states.
   The candidate is asked to place 8 cards in a row different colors, starting from what is most pleasant to him. Each color characterizes some personal qualities and, depending on a person’s priorities, a conclusion is drawn about his condition.
   Yellow color – determination and hope; red – activity and desire to act; green – the desire to achieve career growth and self-realization; blue – the need for communication and attachment to people; purple – dissatisfaction with oneself and the desire to escape reality; gray – fatigue; black – depression.
2. The Rokhshar test allows you to identify mental abnormalities. A person is shown black blots and asked to name the first associations that they evoke.
3. The Cattell test is a universal test for determining a person’s personal qualities. It is a questionnaire with big amount questions. Some of them are repeated in essence, but with a change in wording. There are questions to find out how much truthful information the candidate provides about himself. For example, did you cross the street at a red traffic light? If the subject tries to embellish the situation and constantly answers such questions untruthfully, then the test is considered failed.

The information that an employee is required to provide when applying for a job is contained in Article 65 Labor Code Russian Federation. Test results are not included in their provisions.

Special

Their second name is professional tests. They are used to establish the skills required for a particular profession.

The most famous are:

• Bennett test (determines knowledge in technical sciences);
• Zahrin test (learning ability test);
• Torrance test (detects creativity and creative approach). The subject is asked to draw a picture in geometric figure or complete a picture that begins with several curved lines. The drawing reveals the imagination and shows the individual’s ability to think progressively. Finally, the candidate comes up with a title for his drawing. From it we can conclude how capable a person is of analyzing and highlighting the main aspects.

Interpersonal

The level of a person’s sociability when applying for a job will be determined by the Belbin psychological test. It also allows you to determine the presence leadership qualities in character.

The degree of conflict of a person can be determined using the Thomas test. It is a questionnaire of 30 questions. Each of them describes some life situation and there are 2 possible answers. The subject needs to choose the option that is most suitable for him.

Test results

Some facts

With the help of tests, it is possible to identify such qualities as leadership, communication, ability to communicate in a team, creativity, resistance to stress, learning ability and other skills. Testing helps the employer make a 30% choice

Any HR employee can conduct testing, but a psychologist should process the results.

The results are checked in several stages:

1. Assigning a test taker to a specific category. The fact is that the meaning of the answers often depends on the age, gender and even nationality of the person being surveyed.
2. Calculation of results. This could be counting correct and incorrect answers (for example, in an IQ test) or correlating answers into groups according to the scale attached to the test.
3. Determination of norm indicators for the specific category to which the subject belongs.
4. Comparison of test results with the norm.

If the applicant for the position meets the employer's expectations based on the test results, a personal interview is conducted with him.

Watch the video to learn how to pass a job interview.

Validity of psychological tests

An employer may ask psychological questions when applying for a job only with the consent of the applicant for the position. Reluctance to take tests cannot be the only reason for refusal of employment. An applicant may be refused a position due to lack of education, insufficient qualifications or work experience.

According to Article 64 of the Labor Code, a person has the right to demand from a failed employer a written reason for refusing to conclude an employment contract.

For some professions, understanding mental health is important. Therefore, according to Article 213 of the Labor Code, such citizens are required to undergo a psychiatric examination.

If you have any questions about psychological testing when applying for a job, ask them in the comments

Experienced employers take the selection of employees very seriously, requiring them to successfully pass several stages of testing their skills, abilities, personal characteristics and suitability for work. The most common form of testing is an interview, but often before it a future employee of an organization has to undergo psychological tests to provide sufficiently complete and, in most cases, reliable information about himself.

Why are employment tests needed?

Psychological tests when applying for a job are an excellent option to select the ideal candidate for the position from among all applicants. Often, already at this stage, the employer finds a new employee, and if there are several suitable ones, an interview is held with each of them. Taking tests saves time. It is easier and faster to interview three successful test takers than the thirty who originally applied for the position. Also, this selection method avoids bias towards candidates.

Each employer independently decides what qualities he wants to see in his employees. Some are looking for a leader who can lead others, is ready to make decisions in any situation and strives for career growth. For others, on the contrary, the future employee should simply perform his duties well and not pretend to be a leader. Based on this, tests are selected, but the main goals that can be achieved with their help are the same everywhere.

Thus, psychological tests are carried out with the aim of:

• screening out candidates who are not suitable for the position for one reason or another;
• drawing up a psychological portrait of each applicant;
• selecting candidates most suitable for a given organization and vacancy;
• obtaining the most complete and reliable information, diluting the data given in the resume.

What human qualities can be identified through testing?

Each company has its own line of business, requiring certain qualities from its employees, specific features and some skills. Also, the requirements for a new employee depend on the specifics of the team. An experienced employer understands that for a vacant position in young team programmers, IT specialists or engineers should be considered a person who has the same age and other personal characteristics as his future colleagues.

In a serious financial company, on the contrary, they will prefer an older person, calm person capable of making thoughtful decisions.

Also, the qualities of a new employee largely depend on the specifics of the job itself. Thus, an employee who will spend most of his time communicating with clients is subject to more stringent requirements than his colleague who works with documents and spends most of the day in his office. Conducting testing helps the employer decide what is the highest priority issue for the candidate for the position, what his views on the future and principles in relationships with people are. This means that with the help of tests it is possible to identify exactly those qualities in a candidate that are necessary for the job.

So, testing allows you to find out:

• skills, abilities and abilities of the candidate;
• attentiveness, perseverance, diligence, creativity;
• ability to withstand stressful situations;
• priorities in life and work;
• leadership skills;
• mentality;
• psychological picture;
• experience and results of working in a team;
• ability or lack of ability to make decisions in difficult situations;
• possible leverage over him;
• motivators;
• creative or analytical approach to work;
• moral principles;
• career goals.

Different Categories of Pre-Employment Tests

There are several categories of tests that can be used to test candidates for aptitude. They are selected taking into account the requirements for the applicant.

Personality tests

To identify personality characteristics, the Luscher, Myers-Briggs, Szondi tests and others are used. The Luscher color test helps to create a general psychological portrait of the applicant and determine his actions in stressful situation, as well as communication skills, level of activity and outlook on life.

Using the Myers-Briggs test, you can identify a candidate's psychotype and thereby determine whether the job is suitable for him or not. The Szondi test offers 8 portraits, from which you need to choose the 2 most and 2 least attractive. This choice determines a person’s inclinations, his character and even his predisposition to certain diseases.

Intelligent

With the help of such tests, the degree of readiness of the applicant for work is revealed.

The most common are the Amthauer intelligence test, which allows you to determine not only the level of intelligence, but also its structure, and the Eysenck IQ test, aimed at identifying a person’s mentality, his ability to think logically and analyze a situation.

For stress resistance

Such tests are necessary in organizations where work is associated with stressful situations: service sector enterprises, healthcare and internal affairs institutions, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and others. To identify the degree of stress resistance, a Rorschach test is suitable, which allows you to determine the level of psychological stability of a job candidate and the ability to control yourself.

Verbal

Such tests are used to test the applicant’s attentiveness, ability to understand, evaluate, analyze information and draw conclusions from it. Verbal testing involves choosing from several options, entering your answer or analyzing the text.

Features of testing for employment for various professions

Pre-employment testing is carried out differently for each profession.

Accountant

Tests are used to determine the mindset and level of mathematical knowledge, the ability to process large volumes and draw conclusions.

Technical worker

To test workers whose activities are related to the maintenance of equipment, appropriate tests are used to determine the level of knowledge about the operation of certain devices.

Linguist, translator, tour guide, guide, employee of an international company

Employees who require language skills take tests chosen by employers. As a rule, their complexity depends on the required level of knowledge for the work.

Lawyer

Here tests are used for attentiveness, communication skills, perseverance and intelligence.

Psychologist

This profession requires such qualities as patience, communication skills, self-control, and when applying for a job, tests are aimed specifically at finding out whether these are inherent in the candidate.

Security service or internal affairs officer

For this category, testing is prerequisite hiring, since an employee who is guarding order should not have qualities that will interfere with his work.

This is the inability to navigate in a stressful situation, communicate with people, find mutual language, decision making and lack of self-control.

Civil servant

Only a person with high intelligence, good communication skills, knowledgeable about his work and a logical mind. When applying for civil service, candidates undergo tests to determine the presence of these qualities.

What determines the success of passing tests?

To successfully pass the test you need to follow just a few rules:

• be calm;
• be sincere and honest;
• Be careful;
• skip unclear questions rather than answer at random;
• rest well before testing.

So, testing is an important step in successfully passing employment tests. It is carried out individually for each profession or specialty and includes various tests to determine professional suitability and personal characteristics. The outcome of the interview and the hiring decision largely depend on the test results.

In contact with