A Comprehensive Review of Psychometric Personality Testing

This essay provides a detailed overview of psychometric personality testing, a method used to evaluate psychological abilities, characteristics, and attributes. It explores various assessment methods, including interviews, questionnaires, rating scales, projective techniques (such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test and Thematic Apperception Test), situational tests, and personality inventories. The essay discusses the use of these tests in recruitment, highlighting the benefits for both candidates and employers. It also addresses the advantages and disadvantages of psychometric personality testing, including considerations of fairness and potential biases. Overall, the essay offers a comprehensive understanding of psychometric personality testing and its applications in various fields.

Running head: PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING
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PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING
STUDENTS NAME:
11/27/2018

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 1
INTRODUCTION
Psychometrics is described as the science of evaluating psychological abilities, characteristics
and attributes. Psychometric tests are a series of tests that consists of particular standard and
scientific methods that are used to measure brain capabilities and behaviour of an individual.
Personality is a trait that over all defines the being and ability of a person (Kline 2008) and it
is impossible to judge on the basis of what the person claims he/she is capable of doing and
the extent of it and thus this method aims to measure the extent of truth in his/her claim. This
essay suggests how this testing method is hugely popular, common and beneficial to both
candidates as well as recruiters if used in the correct form. There are several types of
psychometric tests, and all of them have different objectives and they serve different purposes
(Muralidharan 2018) and all of them are listed in the essay along with an explanation of these
factors. This essay will discuss what psychometric personality testing refers to in detail and
how and where it is used. This essay will provide information that will help an individual to
understand the objective of this test and thus help him/her to perform this test himself/herself
and attain success. The essay consists of a detailed clear list of tips and tricks that might come
handy to the candidate who is about to attempt it for achieving assured success. The essay
will tell where, when and how this test was originated, what its initial purpose was and how
its implementation has evolved over progressing time. While most people tend to support the
method this tests follow to achieve an aim some claim that it is not useful and can lead to
wrong judgement, this essay aims to through a light on this as well. This essay also aims to
state the six different methods used for assessment of human personality and all the types of
psychometric personality tests as well. As psychometric personality testing is immensely
popular and extensively used in the area of recruitments for big and small companies working
in a vast range of fields (Shingal 2018) this essay will also give information about how
recruiters use this process and why is it beneficial to them. In the end, this essay will give us
a clear list of all the advantages and disadvantages of psychometric personality testing along
with valid arguments and evidences to prove the authenticity of the statements. This list of
merits and demerits consists of some point, that are applicable for both the candidate and the
employer and some are specifically for only one. The essay will also discuss about the extent
of fairness of this test and if it is biased towards any candidate and more favourable towards
the others or not.

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PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING
Psychometric tests are especially designed for each candidate to match his/her suitability for
a title role based on the desired personality characters and aptitude. Any psychometric test
that are used to measure personality for compatibility of work that has to be assigned to them
is called Psychometric personality testing (Kline 2013). Recruiters use this method to hire
employees. Employers read candidate’s resume and based on, the match they find with their
requirement they select candidates and call them for screening or interview. Before or after
the interview a psychometric test paper is handed over to aspiring candidates to solve and
submit. A psychometric test revels what a face-to-face interview is not able to show and
provides a clearer picture of an individual’s personality and aptitude (Psychology 2016).
Important methods used for the Assessment of Human Personality (Prag 2018)
 Interview:
An Interview is a direct conversation between interviewer and interviewee. In most of the
cases in an interview, the interviewer questions the interviewee to measure his/her technical
abilities, confidence level, level of interest for the job and moral values as well. Interview
method to determine personality is generally habituated by psychologists in clinical and
education fields and vocational counsellors (Brinkmann 2014).
Interview is a method that is compatible to mostly every kind of human. Interview method is
often not believed to authentic and very helpful because it can be subjective and does not
essentially provide evidences of the capabilities the candidate claims to possess. It is highly
time consuming and often expensive. The method can be effectively carries out only if
conducted by a well-trained employer who has excellent critical questioning and judgement
skills (Dipboye 2017 ).
 Questionnaire:
A Questionnaire aims to accumulate all the essential information about the candidate
applying for the job. The word questionnaire can be defined as a device that consists of a
standard answering technique to provide solutions for the questions fixed by the employer. It
is essential that the format and language used in a questionnaire is easy to understand (Harris
& Brown 2010).

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 3
 Rating:
A technique in order to check the actions of a person is a Rating Scale. There are experts who
later provide a judgement of their efficiency and the extent of efficiency in a particular trait
they possess (Williams & Kobak 2008).
Rating scales are used to determine the impression that a person leaves on another person
with whom he/she might have had verbal contact up to any extent with respect to his/her
behaviour. Teachers, supervisors, professors, counsellors, employers etc. use rating scales, in
a plethora of situations.
Rating scales are used to measure extensive variety of personality characteristics such as
honesty, ability to give directions, tactfulness, cooperativeness, emotional and mental
maturity, etc. There is a couple of kind of rating scales: The first is called absolute rating
scales and the second is called relative rating scales.
 Projective techniques:
Projective techniques or tests are used vey quite a lot. They were first used in a clinic and
consist of important apparatuses for clinicians. Several have come from therapeutic
procedures like art therapy, engaged with psychiatric patients.
Projective techniques are being immensely utilised in a vast number of applied psychologies,
from vocational guidance to hospitals and clinics or even personnel selection (Lewis,
Williams & Olds 2011).
Projective techniques can be defined as an accumulation of techniques used in the study of
intellectual as well as non-intellectual features of personality. In such tests, the candidates are
provided with a comparatively incoherent or else arguable task like a photograph, incomplete
sentence or inkblot, that allows drawing a plethora of representations by a person.
Some projective tests:
(a) The Rorschach Inkblot Test:

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 4
Herman Rorschach invented this test, in 1921 in his Monograph “Psychodiagnostik”. His
assistants Emil Oberholzer, George Roemer and Waller Morgenthaler were responsible in
promoting and popularising this test (Viglione, Towns & Lindshield 2012).
Today Rorschach is the one among the most commonly brought into use and hugely criticised
and excessively studied tests. The Rorschach test comprises of ten cards consisting bilateral
symmetrical inkblots. Fifty per cent of the cards are coloured in black whereas the other fifty
per cent are of different colours. These cards are given to the candidate following a
standardised order.
(b) The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):
The TAT was developed by, Henry A. Murray and C. D. Morgan. This method predicts
insensible thoughts and caprices (Teglasi 2010).
The TAT test has thirty pictures and one blank card. The pictures in the cards are picked and
marked in such a manner that there consists four sets of twenty cards each, one is for boys,
one is for girls, one for males and one for females over fourteen years of age. The procedure
of the test is distributed into 2 separate sittings and for all of these it is said that more than ten
TAT cards should not be administered with intervening in-between the two sittings of at least
one-day.
Recently, realistic contemplations have led in decrease of the number of cards to be
administered. Maximum examiners presently provide the test taker with eight to twelve cards
and only use one session. The candidate is asked to make and recite a story around the
photograph that defines the portrayed scene, what headed to the scene, the thoughts of the
characters and what the result shall stand (Psychologist 2018).
It is typically an oral test when it comes to clinical situations but it might also be a written or
a group test depending on the aim and situation.
The three most common TAT scoring systems are Murrays’ scoring system (Non-
quantitative) and Eron’s system (quantitative).
The Children’s Appreciation Test (CAT) is a modification of this test (Reynolds, Livingston
& Willson 2010).

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 5
(c) The Word Association Test:
It was originally called the free- association test which was developed by Carl Jung. Kent and
Rosanoff well ahead used it for psychiatric testing. Jung’s word association test authentically
had hundred words. In 1968, Rapaport along with his associates developed a word-
association test had sixty words. Kent and Rosanoff inventeded a word-association test that
had hundred words to study and know about the differences between mentally abnormal and
normal persons.
In this test, the test taker is instructed that the examiner will say a series of words, a single
word at one time, and he/she is supposed to instantaneously say the first term, which pops in
their thought (Pennebaker & Tausczik 2009).
The examiner then records their reply, the reciprocation time and any unnatural speech or
behaviour accompanied with a particular reaction. This recording helps to conclude the
overall personality of the candidate.
(d) Sentence Completion Test:
Test taker is given some incomplete sentences, which are generally open at its end, to be
completed. This test provides a good scale of judgement as each candidate might answer in a
different manner or length according to his/her abilities and thought process (Kujala et al.
2018).
Some sentence completion tests that are extensively used are the Sack’s Sentence Completion
Test, Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank and Washington University’s Sentence Completion
Test.
 Situational Tests:
These tests were developed and taken in use by the United States Office of Strategic Services
(OSS) during World War. Situational tests contain some actual life situations in which the
candidates are supposed to execute tasks as per instructions (Patterson et al. 2012).
A candidate’s performance, behaviour and reaction according to the situations helps’ the
examiner to completely understand his/her personality. One of these tests consists of the

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 6
situational stress test, which aims to examine the behaviour of a candidate under stressful,
agitating and saddening situations (Kosinski, Stillwell & Graepel 2012).
Some additional situational tests are the tests used by the Office of Strategic Services. These
tests are called OSS tests. These tests aim to examine a candidate’s personality.
 Personality Inventories:
Personality inventories comprises of statements, items, or questions, which are supposed to
be answered by the candidates. The answers are either right or wrong in this test and hence
this test is highly objective. Personality inventories measure not only a candidates behaviour
but as well as his own opinions about themselves, other people and the environs around
him/her, which is a result of his/her unique biological composition and also past experiences.
Personality inventories generally are based on the “trait approach” to the personality inves-
tigation. It is attempted to measure the existence and intensity of these traits (Mckay 2018).
These tests are designed specifically to study a single or more specific, defined traits of a
person’s personality.
Different types of psychometric tests involve:
 Numerical reasoning test: It is used to measure a candidate’s data interpretation
abilities and mathematical skills. This is done with the help of an accumulation of
written and statistical data represented in the form of reports, graphs or charts.
 Verbal reasoning test: This is used for determining ones potential of studying and
evaluating thorough and lengthy inscribed text or data to make an appropriate
judgement.
 Inductive reasoning test: These ask the candidate to identify trends or patterns, usually
with the help of diagrammatic information.
 Diagrammatic reasoning test: These test ones logical reasoning capacity, using
flowcharts diagrams and.

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 7
 Logical reasoning test: These test one’s ability to reach a conclusion. You may be
provided with some information and then asked to make a decision as per the question
suggests. These tests are also called deductive reasoning tests.
 Error checking test: These tests one’s ability to, rapidly identify any mistake in
complicated data such as codes, or amalgamations of alphanumeric figures.
The tests mentioned above are for testing ones technical efficiencies other tests that
psychometric tests involve are
 Skills tests: This determines as to how quickly a person can learn a new skill and
implement it for maximum and efficient results in work.
 Personality Tests: These check ones suitability and compatibility for a particular job.
For example if it is a job that require communication with customers a person will be
tested for confidence in speech, fluency and his convincing capabilities to please
customers (Saklofske, Boyle & Matthews (eds.) 2008).
In order crack these tests one has to practice a lot .It is highly essential to not fake because the
real agenda of a psychometric personality test is to test ones true personality. In order to
check compatibility with the work that is being offered and faking will in a long run lead to
troubles in giving maximum results (McQuerrey 2018).
Some tips for psychometric or aptitude test:
 One must aim to attempt all the questions.
 The most difficult questions are placed at the end of the paper but all questions carry
equal number of marks and importance.
 Do not stop working until the time is over; even if your test is complete continue to
recheck for errors.
 Some tests consist of problems to test your honesty level. One among these honesty
scales is known as social desirability. The problems are related generally to a bad
behaviour, which is very common and is most likely done by every human to test ones
honesty. This aims to identify liars (Coaching 2018).
 Do not stick to one question if you fail to answer it move on to the next one to avoid
wastage of time and come back to it once you are done with the entire test.

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 Learn thoroughly to use a calculator beforehand so that you are not stuck while
performing complex mathematical operations while answering questions.
 These tests are designed in a manner that they also check ones personality that is why
one must be uniform in the manner he/she answers question to avoid giving any bad
or incorrect impression about his/her personality.
 As mentioned earlier practice a lot and be completely prepared.
Some tips for the personality test:
The personality test is typically the most difficult portion of the process. Even after you give
the test the result to be expected remains unknown as you have no idea of the impression you
might have left on the employer. Preparation is highly essential for this test to but what is
more important is to be the real you (Jinyan et al. 2012).
Personality tests, judges your brains behaviour style and pattern as well as your choices and
opinions. For example weather you prefer working alone by yourself or you prefer working
in a team; are you a person to work as per commands or you have excellent leadership skills
and are a pro and giving commands. Personality tests also measure private qualities such as
level of patience and anger, interests related to career and moral ethics.
There are several types of personality tests that are used commonly. Some of these measure
different personality or behavioural styles in comparison to others to make the best choice.
One is for sure not supposed to be unauthentic in this test but can preparation is essential to
show the employers your real qualities in the most efficient and positive manner in order to
please them to get the job you are looking forward to achieve (Jerem 2018).
Origin of psychometric personality testing:
Historical establishment: The origination of Psychological testing was from a dual stream of
thought: the first, from Darwin, Cattell and Galton about the measurement of discrete living
being variability, and second one from Weber, Herbart, Wundt, Fechner, about their
psychophysical measurements of analogous construct. The research of the second group of
people ultimately led to the advancement of inventive psychology, as well as uniform testing.

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 9
Victorian stream: Works of Darwin served as a motivation for Sir Francis Galton, which
directed the creation of actual psychometrics. In 1859, Charles Darwin published a book
called "The Origin of Species“, which clearly depicted unique individual variations in
animals. This book described how an individual from a similar species possess different
characteristics and how some are more immunised and more accomplished some less
immunised and less accomplished. The once who are and are the ones who succeed to survive
and reproduce the next age group, who would be equally or more immunised and
accomplished. This idea was previously, studied in animals. This made Galton to study
human beings in the same way and observe their differences and continued to search for
methods to measure the same.
To conclude and display his studies to the world Galton wrote his book called "Hereditary
Genius" which is about variable characteristics of human beings and how these
characteristics make them more immunised and accomplished. These variations in sensory
and motor functioning (visual acuity, response time and bodily strength) are significant
features of scientific psychology. Most of the ancient theory based and practical work done
in psychometrics were proceeded to measure the degree of intellect. Galton is called the
father of psychometrics. James McKeen Cattell, also considered as a pioneer of
psychometrics, proceeded Galton's work. Cattell also invented the word mental test, and was
accountable for the research and information, which eventually resulted in the advancement
of current tests (Kaplan & Succuzzo 2010).
German stream: The foundation of psychometrics is also connected to the other relevant
fields of psychophysics. Around at similar time when Darwin, Cattell and Galton, were
occupied with their discoveries, Herbart was fascinated in "unlocking the mysteries of human
consciousness" with the help of the scientific methodology (Kaplan & Succuzzo 2010).
Herbart fashioned mathematical models of the human brain. These models were extensively
used for educational purposes for many years.
E.H. Weber studied Herbart's results and tried to provide evidence of the presence of a
psychological threshold, he said that a particular smallest amount of stimulus was crucial for
activating a sensory system. After Weber, G.T. Fechner studied the works of Herbart and
Weber even more, to invent the law that states, “The intensity of a feeling raises as the
logarithm of the stimulus intensity”. Wundt who was a follower of Weber and Fechner was

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actually the founder of the science of psychology. His studies created a path for others to
develop psychological testing.
Twentieth century: The psychometric expert L. L. Thurstone, who is also the founder and the
very first president of the Psychometric Society that was formed in 1936, developed and used
an academic approach for these measurements called the law of comparative judgment. This
academic approach was closely associated with the psychophysical theory of Gustav Fechner
and Ernst Heinrich Weber. Spearman and Thurstone as well provided significant
contributions to theoretical and practical and use of factor analysis, which is a statistical
technique established and brought into use broadly in psychometrics.
Recently, psychometric theory is implemented to measurement attitude, academic
achievements, personality and faiths. Measurement of all these unpredictable characteristics
is difficult, and most of the research as well as accumulated science for this discipline are
developed with an aim to properly define as well as quantify such characteristics. Criticisers
countered that these description and quantification are complicated and challenging. Such
measurements are in many cases misused, "For example, a recruiter wanting a candidate for a
role demanding continues attention for monotonous detail preferably will not want to provide
that position to the other candidate who is extremely artistic and gets uninterested of the same
work easily and very soon.
Advantages and Disadvantages associated to Employee Personality Tests
Advantages:
 If this test is taken before the interview then it helps in shortlisting only suitable
candidates for further interview, which in a long run enables better decision making.
 An interview is conducted in a limited time and thus it does not allow the recruiter to
properly judge a candidate based on their CV or what they say face to face. With the
help of this test, a recruiter can properly take a decision, judge a candidates ability,
compatibility and adjustability with office environment, and work culture he/she is
being assigned (Department 2015).
 It is a disadvantage for the company to have employees with similar attributes and
thus this test enables recruiters to hire only unique and suitable candidate (Petrides &
Cooper 2010).
 These tests also tend to predict a candidates moral and behavioural attributes, which is
highly essential to check compatibility with the job being offered.

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TESTING 11
 It saves a lot of time of by proper method and conduct of test and by shortlisting
suitable candidates.
Disadvantages:
 Some personality tests can be very time consuming and demand a lot of effort to
complete which may lead to poor performance of a deserving candidate making him
lose the job and the employer to lose a potential employee (Aliereadvisors 2016).
 A candidates work experience and training might differ with the outcomes of the
personality test, leading to increase in the level of difficulty for the employer to make
a decision.
 Candidates answer personality test questions most of the time in an effort to please the
interviewer or according to social acceptability and believes. This defeats the purpose
of the interview in the first place which is to get to know the reality of a candidates
personality, behaviour, morals etc. because in this case the candidate is anything but
his/her true self (Paul 2016).
 Personality tests are quite expensive because it requires paying for the tests to paying
someone to score the tests. The money spent might end up being more than its
outcome.
 Even if a candidate performs perfectly in a personality test, this does not directly
means that they are perfectly suitable for the job and work consistently with the same
efficiency if they are appointed for the job in the company. This sentence highlights
why is very important not to rely solely on personality test to select suitable
employees (Giang 2013).
How psychometric testing aids recruitment decisions:
Psychometric testing enables to measure many qualities such as intelligence, morality, critical
reasoning, behaviour and overall personality. An interview can measure skills and
experiences of a candidate up to an extent but psychometric testing further allows the
employer, to attain completely all information about one’s overall personality, behaviour and
morality (Page 2018).
The main objective of a psychometric test is the provision of measurable and objective data
capable to provide a better overall vision of a candidate’s compatibility and ability.
Psychometric testing provides a little ‘scientific’ reliability and objectivity to recruiting