Psychometric Testing
Standardised assessments measuring aptitude, personality or behavioural traits in recruitment.
Psychometric testing uses standardised, validated assessments to measure candidates' aptitudes, personality traits or work styles. Employers use it to add objective data to selection decisions and to reduce reliance on interview impressions alone.
Tests fall broadly into ability or aptitude tests, which measure reasoning and problem-solving, and personality or behavioural questionnaires, which describe typical tendencies. Their value depends on choosing instruments that are properly validated for the role and free from bias.
In an EU context, employers must handle test data in line with GDPR, offer reasonable accommodations for disabilities, and be able to justify how results feed into decisions. Used carefully as one input among several, psychometrics improve fairness; used mechanically, they can entrench discrimination.
