Psychotechnical test what is it, examples and how to overcome it

A psycho-technical test, IQ test, aptitude test or job simulations, is a psychological test used to assess an individual's abilities to develop or learn the tasks associated with a certain job.

Serving Psychopol, a portal specialized in psychotechnical tests, we can classify the aptitudes that are evaluated in a psychotechnical test into five large blocks: general intelligence, verbal aptitudes, numerical aptitudes, special and mechanical aptitudes, and administrative aptitudes.

Its application in employment selection tests began in the mid-1960s in the United States. It was quite relevant until the 90s, a decade in which its use fell out of favor until at the beginning of the 21st century it became a fundamental part of job selection processes..

Psychotechnical tests have special relevance in public examinations and in the selection of personnel in large private companies. Depending on the position chosen, the test will be designed in one way or another, adapting to the characteristics necessary to assess the ability to perform in the job.

Article index

• 1 Example of psychotechnical tests
  • 1.1 -Test of numeric and alphanumeric series
  • 1.2 -Intelligence test (IQ)
  • 1.3 -Administrative capacity test
  • 1.4 -Emotional intelligence test
• 2 How to pass a psychotechnical test?
  • 2.1 Tips for approaching a psychotechnical test
• 3 Advantages of psychotechnical tests
• 4 Disadvantages
• 5 Other types of tests
  • 5.1 -Personality profiles
  • 5.2 -Knowledge tests

Example of psychotechnical tests

Applicants for jobs may come across various tests. From listening to writing skills, from combinatorial exercises to ranking tests.

Psychotechnical tests can be done in different ways depending on the specific aptitude that you want to assess and the position you are applying for. These are some of the tests most used by in the labor market.

-Numeric and alphanumeric series test

They aim to discover the value that continues the numeric and alphanumeric series.

-Intelligence test (IQ)

Its design has the function of measuring the ability to reason, use logic and process information.

-Administrative capacity test

They are developed in order to assess the capacity for organization and data management. Attention, literacy, or ability to understand symbolization is taken into account.

-Emotional intelligence test

With this test you can discover the human ability to understand, feel, control or modify the emotional states of oneself or the environment.

How to pass a psychotechnical test?

Tips for approaching a psychotechnical test

• Come rested. Get a good night's sleep the night before the test.
• Practice with crosswords or math games to develop mental skills.
• Read books and newspapers every day.
• Review math problems such as basic calculations, analysis of numerical data, percentages or proportions.
• Practice relaxation exercises to help you calm down.
• Stay calm at all times, avoiding showing symptoms of nervousness.
• Be sure to bring any gadgets you think you need during the day to the test. Reading glasses or a watch to measure time are an example of this.
• If there are any circumstances that may affect your performance on the test, be sure to inform the coordinator beforehand.
• If you have any special needs to be able to successfully carry out the test, be sure to inform the coordinator beforehand.
• Listen carefully to the test instructions you are given and make sure you understand what to do. Don't be afraid to ask any questions that arise.
• Don't make assumptions about what you think the reviewers are looking for. Try to be yourself and answer honestly, as guessing can doom you to failure.
• Be ambitious. Normally the psychotechnical tests are intended for jobs such as competitive examinations, where obtaining the highest score is necessary. In a competition the key to success is not to settle.
• Show confidence and avoid showing a negative or aggressive attitude.
• Be a strategist and try to manage time during testing. Focusing on a specific issue that you are stuck on can affect the rest of the test.
• If the time you have to take a verbal or numerical reasoning test is running out, don't try to guess the answers quickly or answer randomly. Errors remain and it is better to leave the answer box blank than to make a serious mistake.
• Don't be frustrated if at the end of one of the tests you have the feeling that it was not done correctly. Your performance will be assessed not only in that test, but in the test as a whole.
• Try not to jump to conclusions after the test is complete. Focus on thinking about what you did well or could have done better and write it down to improve future psycho-technical tests.
• Request information about the results of your completed exercise. Regardless of whether it has been a success or not, this will give you an idea of ​​its strengths and limitations, being very useful data for future selection processes.

Advantages of psychotechnical tests

They serve as a quick tool to identify the individual's abilities or shortcomings. They provide extra information about their development, which serves as a contribution to a difficult decision such as hiring a person for a specific position.

Disadvantages

They are a test to determine a preview of the individual, but the ability to measure their fitness in the long term is in question as it is a scenario that can be intimidating and where the individual cannot be displayed naturally.

In addition, as a general rule, the test does not spend enough time to evaluate the attributes of the person. On an economic level, hiring people to carry out this type of test is usually expensive.

Other types of tests

In addition to the psychotechnical tests, in a selection process we can find other types of psychological tests. The most frequent are personality profiles and knowledge tests.

-Personality profiles

They are designed to assess behaviors and attitudes. Some of the most recurrent are:

Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ)

Developed to understand the impact of personality on job performance. It is endorsed by more than 90 studies and has the capacity to determine more than 30 personality traits. The three main areas it covers are: interpersonal relationships, thinking styles and feelings and emotions.

California Psychological Inventory (IPC)

Inventory composed of 434 true or false questions, divided into 18 scales: Dominance, Category Ability, Sociability, Social Presence, Sense of well-being, Self-acceptance, Responsibility, Self-control, Socialization, Tolerance, Communality, Good impression, Achievement of conformity, Achievement of independence, psychological sense, intellectual efficiency, flexibility and femininity / masculinity. Three of these scales have to do with validity.

-Knowledge tests

They can be tests of general ability or more specific cognitive tests such as numerical reasoning, critical-verbal reasoning, problem solving and determination of Intellectual Coefficiency (IQ).

They are usually the most common in personnel selection tests, since they are quite specific when evaluating the level of specialization within a certain area.

Actuality test, typing test or solving the technical problem of a device, are some examples of knowledge tests.

And what advice would you give to pass a psychotechnical test?