ASK WHAT KIND OF TESTS YOU NEED TO TAKE: usually it’s a personality inventory or a mental ability test. The latter has a time limit and you should give your best when completing the test. When answering a personality inventory, you can take your time and it is your opinion that matters, your choice cannot be ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’.
BE WELL-RESTED AND REFRESHED: whenever possible, take tests at a reasonable time, not too early in the morning or late at night. This is of particular importance in mental ability tests. Have a good rest the night before and enjoy a good breakfast – a well-rested person is better prepared for mental ability tasks.
TESTING PREMISES: you should take tests in a quiet environment free of disturbances, be it office or home. It would also be good to switch off your phone.
ASK QUESTIONS: feel free to contact the person who administers testing. Make sure that you understand the instructions, and if necessary, ask for more information.
INFORMED CONSENT: before you take a test, you are asked for your consent to storing your test results in the testing system. The data are used only to calculate the results and they will won’t be accessible to third parties. You cannot proceed to take the test unless you give your consent.
During the test
SWITCH OFF YOUR MOBILE DEVICES: this is of utmost importance if you take a mental ability test. A ringing phone can be a distraction, even if you don’t answer the call.
USE YOUR TIME WISELY: read the instructions carefully. In the tests that have a time limit, you will get an idea of the questions and how to answer.
QUESTIONS: please go through all the statements in personality inventories and preference tests. Whenever possible, try not to answer ‘hard to say’ but choose another option, if you have at least some kind of opinion. In a cognitive ability test, please complete as many exercises as you can.
USE ONLY AUTHORISED AIDS: please use only the aids authorised in the instructions of cognitive ability tests. In several tests, you can use a sheet of paper and a pen for making notes, and often also a calculator.
After the test
YOU KNOW MORE: you will have a better understanding of the testing process. Even if you don’t get the job you applied for or didn’t decide right after the test what to study, you will know more about yourself.
FEEDBACK: you always have the right to at least get written results for your tests. In case of additional questions, discuss them with the administrator of the tests. They have passed a special training and help you interpret your results.
DATA PROTECTION: we’ll keep your data safe. We’ll store the results in a server protected by the Thawte SSL certificate, and they will be accessible only to the administrator to whom you gave your informed consent. This means that your results won’t be passed on to third parties, unless you give a separate consent for that.
