richs2891

I've got an interview comming up for the mirror group, and it says that have to take three psychrometric tests -lasting an hour and a basic IT test - 15 mins.

Any ideas on what the aboce test will be - or does anyone on here work for the mirror group

thanks

Richard

OllyK

It varys from company to company but they are all along the same lines. They generally test literacy and numeracy.

Puppy is to Dog as
a) Kitten is to Cat
b) Cow is to calf
c) Elephant is to Moose

And they get progressively harder.

Also thinks like which of these words means the same as X

Number is oftern complete the sequenece: 2, 4, 6, X

And again they get harder.

Those are the basics, you then get personality profiling ones:

Would you rather be:
a) Arch Bishop
b) A entrepreneur
c) A Road Sweeper

And also stuff like, select the one that fits you best
a) outgoing
b) loud
c) funny
e) playful

Often with the personality ones you don't think any are a good match, you just have to pick the best fit you can. You will also see a very similar question later with subtley different answers. This is the norm, they realise you will not exact match, but they can see with the new choices if there is now something you prefer better than you were offered last time.

At the end of the day, don't fret, keep calm and just answer them honestly, don't try and answer as you think they would like you to as chances are the test will trip you up along the way or if you are trying to come out as assertive you will over do it and come out as a tyrant.

OllyK

God damn - how many typos??

richs2891

I'm pretty sure I did some for one of my previous jobs but that was about 7 years ago now !
Just a little suprised that they bothered with then now

Richard

JohnMcC

As Olly described, thats the kind of thing they are like.

This graduate careers site, doctorjob.com , has a practice area which I think may have some help and tests to try out, specifically here http://doctorjob.com/testingzone/

You may also find some help searching other careers sites - mainly graduate ones in my experience - as I'm sure a few of them will have tips, if not practice questions as well.

Alternatively, if you have a bit of time on your hands, it may be worth looking at some careers sites for banks and similar institutions (again, intended for graduates), as these often require psychrometric tests of some sort, and again sometimes have some practice questions - or at least links to some.

There are companies that come up with these tests (which sometimes the sites I have mentioned above use, and hence link to) so you may be able to track down their website - I think the doctorjob one links to a third party.

They are all tailored slightly differently I would think - different jobs require different people to carry out different tasks - but the best way is to cope is to practice - I have had a few and thought they would be straight forward, and unfortunately they arent necessarily.

I'm actually job hunting at the moment so if I come across any good resources for this kind of thing I will come back here and let you know.

richs2891

Thanks for those - yeah got a week or so to swat up on stuff

Richard

corradoboy

I sat a 1 hour aptitude test when I was 18 for a job once. Completed it in 20mins, achieving the highest ever recorded score of 98.7%. Passed 3 eye tests (colour and vision) and had experience in the job. Got a letter 3 days later, "Sorry, you are not of a high enough calibre" Found out later the job went to a directors relative. So why the **** did they waste my, and about 30 others time

Damn you Bonar Cooke.

richs2891

Corradoboy
Can symphasie with you have been in that situation recently - but without all the silly tests.
The colour test is a bit stupid though, too dependant on the lighting in the room, if you are a bit bordeline colour blind like myself. I failed the first attempt, did a different colour test an hour later in a room with much better lights and passed it.

Richard

OllyK

The problem is that the law changed a while back. Many companies used to promote from within and not bother to advertise the position externally. They now have to advertise the position, but as they have already filled the position internally before they start, they have to be seen to be going through the motions.

IMO it is a major waste of time to have changed the law, it doesn't make any more jobs actually available and it wastes peoples time. What it does for the government is increase the number of available jobs on the books so they can say that there is more work available for the unemployed out there when there isn't