Frequently Asked Questions

• How much are tests used by employers?
• Can you please advise if people with dyslexia are disadvantaged by testing or if there are people who simply can not do ability tests such as the maths, english, spacial tests etc, even though they may be top performers in the work environment?
• How should I approach a test session?

How much are tests used by employers?

Most large organisation use tests of some description in both recruitment and development. Many will use tests at all levels of recruitment. In particular, if you are a graduate or manager applying for a job you can expect to undergo some form of psychometric assessment over the course of your career. Many smaller companies will use psychometric tests only for more senior appointments where making the wrong selection decision can have more significant consequences for the organisation.

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Can you please advise if people with dyslexia are disadvantaged by testing or if there are people who simply can not do ability tests such as the maths, english, spacial tests etc, even though they may be top performers in the work environment?

Dyslexia is a developmental disorder that extends across the lifespan and affects 3-10% of the population. It manifests itself as a reading delay of at least 18 months compared with peers, and results from problems with complex reading, spelling and phonological skills. It is often noticeable in a person’s writing (e.g. rotations and reversals of letters and bizarre, inconsistent spelling errors), or in speech (e.g. poor visual and auditory matching skills, phoneme analysis, blending and sequencing).

Any general assessment of cognitive capabilities will tend to survey a wide variety of skills and so, in theory, should not discriminate against those who have particular strengths or weaknesses. However, in practice there may be a considerable discrepancy between, say, verbal and visual abilities. In the case of someone with dyslexia, compensation strategies for poor reading and spelling may develop; they may possess a better than average memory for visual information, or an enhanced vocabulary, or they might have improved semantic understanding (understanding of meaning). If one’s job draws on these particular strengths then no detriment in performance at work will be observed. In summary, someone with dyslexia is likely to have a unique profile when tested, with greater variation in scores across different skills than someone without such difficulties.

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How should I approach a test session?

• Listen to the test administrator's instructions carefully, and ask if you do not understand what to do.
• Keep calm, and take a few deep breaths before starting the test.
• Many ability tests are designed to present more questions than an average person can answer in the time allowed. If it looks as though you will not finish in time do not worry about it.
• Although you should take guidance from the test administrator on this point, remember that tests tend not to be negatively scored for wrong answers, so don't be frightened to take a best guess if you are not sure of the answer.
• If you get stuck on a question go back over the examples provided.
• Don't spend too much time on any one question, you should eventually get a 'feel' for how long a single question should take. Unless expressly told to work through the questions in order, just move on if you really get stuck.
• If you do find yourself with some free time at the end of the test, use it to check your answers.
• Use rough paper if you are allowed to.
• Make or change your answers clearly and in the correct manner.

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