Tips for How to Pass A Pre-Employment Personality Test
A personality test is an assessment test used by most employers to help them find the candidate whose character traits are best suited to the company to which he or she applied, and to the job that best suits for him. This test, conducted at the initial stage of screening candidates, is intended to expose certain aspects of the candidate's personality and to assess the likelihood that he or she will be suitable for the best fit and to excel in their position.
When you take an employment personality test, administrators assume that you have no background information about it, and that you will therefore give the most honest answers. However, practicing with simulated personality assessments before the actual test will enable you to actively optimize your answers for the position you want. This will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your candidacy for the position. Learn more about personality tests, as well as the DiSC personality test.
The key to reducing stress is coming to the personality test prepared. Stress is an important factor in taking a personality test. It affects your responses and discloses certain information to the examiner, such as whether or not you tend to be more focused or panicked under pressure. If your stress level is under control, you will be able to demonstrate a coherent personality profile which amplifies your strengths, rather than your anxieties. Practicing for the test beforehand is a sure way to reduce your stress and increase your confidence while taking the test.
It is likely that you have multiple personas. You may have a “professional persona,” which is rational, organized, and emotionally stable. You may also have a “home persona,” which is irrational, unorganized, and emotionally vulnerable. While you may possess both personas, you are still the same person. However, on employment personality tests, it is vital to portray only your “professional persona.” This may sound deceptively simple; however, upon taking a practice test, you will start to understand why this point is worth mentioning. Only practicing for the test with sample questions will allow you to see how you would answer questions on the test itself, and how your answers may unwittingly work against you.
You may believe that it is not possible to prepare for a personality test, as one’s behavior tends to be consistent. However, at JobTestPrep, we have found that people are likely to behave differently in various situations. This is particularly true if a situation is stressful, such as the pre-employment process (including the pre-employment assessment and personality test). Even a person who is generally well mannered and calm may become irritable and impatient under stress.
The advice that states that “there are no right or wrong answers on the personality test” is misleading and can cause test-takers to fail.
An example of this can be found when answering the question: “Do you like working with people?" - If you are applying for a service position and you respond with a negative answer, you may not be considered for the job since this answer shows employers that you aren’t the right fit.
Another question could be: “Do you like to lead in a group?” - If you are applying for a managerial role and your answer implies that you do not like to take the lead, then this can negatively impact your likelihood of getting hired.
A pre-employment personality assessment serves as a tool to help find the person who fulfills the criteria of a specific position; clearly, then, that there are actually right and wrong answers associated to specific positions.
Preparing for the personality test in advance will allow you to become well-acquainted with the types of questions asked and what the optimal answers are. Get the complete personality test pack and score report.
It is normal to feel stressed prior to taking a personality test, as you are expected to take a psychological test that is unfamiliar to you without understanding the evaluation criteria. All you know is that the test is supposed to disclose parts of your personality which are hidden, and this may be scary.
The stress of test-taking may influence your behavior in the following ways:
Carelessness - Since pre-employment personality tests are long, tiring, and at times, repetitive, you may lose patience and start to answer quickly and carelessly, hastily selecting the first response that seems reasonable to you. Practicing for the test beforehand alleviates this tendency, as you will know what to expect for the test length and how to mentally pace yourself.
Over-investment - While there is generally no time limit for pre-employment personality tests, evaluators often observe your ‘natural’ pace of work and the overall time it takes you to complete the test. The evaluators may take note of hesitant behavior and infer that you struggle in coping with stressful situations. Thus, the stress causing you to be over-invested and take too long to complete the test can actually work against you.
Indecisiveness - Due to stress, you may respond in an indecisive manner throughout the test, leading the evaluators to believe that you are indecisive. Indecisiveness will not help your candidacy, as employers prefer candidates who are decisive and confident in the decisions they make. It is recommended to consider which answer choice most appropriately represents qualities that are suitable for the position for which you are applying.
Irritating Behavior - Stress may influence your behavior towards the test administrator during the personality assessment. There are some applicants who are so concerned with their test results that they constantly ask the test administer various questions and for clarifications. Such behavior may make a candidate appear needy and incompetent when faced with ambiguous situations. However, if your stress level is low and you know what to expect, you will appear comfortable and confident and you will be less likely to ask too many questions. Investing in test preparation will thus reduce your level of stress, allowing you to display a sound and coherent personality profile.
JobTestPrep provides all the necessary personality test prep tips for how to pass the personality assessment tests as well as tools you need in order to successfully complete your employment personality test. Our online personality test provides feedback on your performance and guidance on how to improve your performance on future personality tests.
