Curious About Psychometric Tests for Selecting a Branch Head in Banking? Let's Discuss!

Hi Anjali,

I am presently pursuing my MBA and specializing in the field of HR. I was keen to know the types of psychometric tools and other tests (e.g., paper-pencil tests, etc.) that could be used while selecting a Branch Head in the banking and insurance sectors and, if possible, the reasons for administering the particular tests.

Awaiting your response.

Best regards,
Anjali

Hi Anu,

Unlike other tests that require bookish knowledge, psychometric tests are designed to assess the mental stability of a person. It needs no preparation, and the candidate needs to have just a pencil or a pen.

It is just a psychology test which should be answered confidently and doesn't require any preparation. One must try to be consistent while answering as the same questions could be repeatedly asked in different forms. Questions should be objective - Yes/No kind. Questions have to be in the range of 125 to 150.

I can give you a few examples of such questions:

First Type:

1. Are you sincere?
2. Do you go late to your office often?
3. Are you outspoken?
4. If you find a purse on the road, would you return it to its rightful owner?
5. Are you punctual in all matters?
6. If your boss makes a mistake, will you tell him in front of his face?

As you are recruiting managerial cadre, you can go for the first type.

If you go through the above questions, a confident and mentally consistent person would have answered "Yes" for 1 & 4 if he is sincere.

It tests the confidence of a person, his memory, and the way he reacts, which is very important to an organization.

If a person gets confused and gives vague answers, you may decide that he should not be recruited.

Do get in touch if you need more info.

Thanks,

Hema

Hi Hema,

By looking at your answer, the psychometric test seems to be one of the important and interesting tools while selecting candidates. Could you please provide me with more details and the procedure so that I can implement it in my company?

Regards, Soumya S Mule Manager HR

Hi,

I am currently pursuing my Master's in Organizational Behavior. Coming from a psychology background, I am quite familiar with psychometric tests. I am interested in knowing what specific aptitude tests should be assessed when hiring a graduate engineer. I would especially appreciate insights from the software industry on the aptitude tests they conduct for engineers and if any sample tests are available.

Thank you very much for your support!

Pragati

Why Aptitude?

I have an aptitude for many things that I do not enjoy doing. Our 40,000+ clients assess for thinking styles, occupational interests, and job-related behaviors but not aptitude.

Hello, Mr. Gately,

You mentioned your clients assessing the thinking styles, occupational interests, and job-related behaviors. But can you please elaborate on the various tools used by them to assess potential employees for the above parameters (e.g., MBTI, 16PF, Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ), PA2000, behavioral interviews, in-basket techniques)?

Regards,
Anjali

Hello Anjali,

Please call me Bob; it saves keystrokes.

Can you please elaborate on the various tools used by them to assess potential employees for the above parameters?

Our clients may use several of our assessments, but the best at predicting job success is the ProfileXT, which has three sections:

A. Thinking Styles

B. Occupational Interests

C. Behavioral Traits.

It creates six reports:

1. Placement
2. Coaching
3. Individual
4. Multi-Job Match
5. Summary
6. Summary Graph

Each section has numerous scales, as listed below:

A. Thinking Styles

- Learning Index: an index of expected learning, reasoning, and problem-solving potential.
- Verbal Skill: a measure of verbal skill through vocabulary.
- Verbal Reasoning: using words as a basis in reasoning and problem-solving.
- Numerical Ability: a measure of numeric calculation ability.
- Numeric Reasoning: using numbers as a basis in reasoning and problem-solving.

B. Occupational Interests

- Enterprising: indicated interest in occupations where they use persuasiveness and enjoy presenting plans.
- Financial/Administrative: indicated interest in occupations that work with financial data, business systems, administrative procedures, etc.
- People Service: indicated interest in occupations that help people, and they are concerned with the welfare of others.
- Technical: indicated interest in occupations that center on scientific and technical activities, research, and intellectual skills.
- Mechanical: indicated interest in occupations that work with tools, equipment, and machinery.
- Creative: indicated interest in occupations where they are imaginative, original, and aesthetic.

C. Behavioral Traits

- Energy Level: tendency to display endurance and capacity for a fast pace.
- Assertiveness: tendency to take charge of people and situations, leads more than follows.
- Sociability: tendency to be outgoing, people-oriented, and participate with others.
- Manageability: tendency to follow policies, accept external controls and supervision, and work within the rules.
- Attitude: tendency to have a positive attitude regarding people and outcomes.
- Decisiveness: uses available information to make decisions quickly.
- Accommodating: tendency to be friendly, cooperative, agreeable, to be a team person.
- Independence: tendency to be self-reliant, self-directed, to take independent action and make own decisions.
- Objective Judgment: the ability to think clearly and be objective in decision-making.

I hope this helps.

Hi Hema,

The idea is awesome, though it can be a feasible way to access the mental bent of mind when we recruit for higher positions. For higher-profile candidates, experience and maturity are key to providing genuine answers reflecting their true mindset. Through this approach, we can actually gain insight into some aspects of their working behavior.

Can you send me some sample tests and your views on my id? I would be grateful to you.

Regards,
Natasha Sharma
Human Resources
Gurgaon

I have used the DISC (D.I.S.C.) model in the past. It is a very informative tool that effectively highlights relationship and task behaviors. The DISC stands for:

D - Dominance
I - Influencer
S - Stabilizer (within a team)
C - Conscientious

The results were very useful personally, providing insight into my behaviors and how they affect my interactions with people who have different profiles.

Hey Bob,

Your post really helps to understand different parameters. How does one typically differentiate 'aptitude' as a separate domain?

Moreover, is there any particular test that can help to assess thinking styles of ProfileXT particularly?

Thank you again for the input :)

Regards,
Pragati

Hi Folks,

An interesting conversation is taking shape in the area of psychometric instruments and their uses. I am also pursuing my search for finding the right kind of test to be used as an assessment tool for the purpose of succession planning in my organization. I am already using one for recruitment purposes.

DISC is definitely a strong test that I am considering. It is really quite elaborate and useful.

Regards,
Swati

Hello, Pragati:

How does one typically differentiate 'aptitude' as a separate domain? With aptitude tests.

Moreover, is there any particular test which can help to assess thinking styles of ProfileXT particularly? I'm not sure what you are asking.

Hi Pragati,

I am not sure about the aptitude set for the software engineers. Moreover, there are placement institutes specialized in aptitude tests. But I do have a few traits which are identified as imperative for a software engineer.

As you are doing your master's in organizational behavior, I need a clarification. Can self-assessment tests be used as a part of a personality inventory?

Regards,
Durga

Hi Durga,

Sorry for the late reply! Most psychological tests can be sorted into three general categories:

1) Tests in which the subject performs specific tasks, such as writing an essay or answering multiple-choice items, etc.

2) Tests that involve observations of the subject's behavior within a particular context.

3) Self-report measures, in which the subject describes his/her feelings, attitudes, beliefs, interests, and the like.

Many personality inventories can be considered as self-report tests. This category also includes various surveys, questionnaires, and polls. Some measurement techniques incorporate features of both behavioral observation and self-reports. For example, interviews may involve questions about the respondent's thoughts, opinions, or feelings.

These two methods may not always lead to the same conclusions. A person who describes themselves as timid and withdrawn may still exhibit aggressive behavior in different settings. However, these two techniques often provide comparable and complementary information about the individual.

I hope this sheds some light on why self-report measures are important in personality testing. Still, a later validation of these reports should be conducted through probing and observation during interviews, particularly in pre-selection assessments.

If you need further information, please let me know, and I'll be more than glad to help!

Regards,

Pragati

Hi,

I am working on a small project. If anybody knows the psychometric test standards and the reasons why it is useful in selecting a candidate, please send me the information.

I am working on a small project. Is the project for school or work?

If anybody knows the psychometric test standards: Tests need to be reliable and valid.

And the reasons why it is useful in selecting a candidate, send me the information. Selection successes increase while failures decrease.

Hi Anjali,

Commonly used psychometric tests for the selection process include the 16 PF, ThomasProfile, MBTI, FIRO-B, etc.

Dr. Thomaskutty