Is It Legal to Use Free Online Psychometric Exams in Government Hiring?

Hi, can anyone please enlighten me on this matter? Is it legal for the personnel department, specifically in a government agency, to use the sample copy of a psychometric exam (downloaded for free on the internet) in administering its actual recruitment process? Does the copyright still apply to those materials when used in actual hiring, even if it's free on the internet? Any informative response will be much appreciated. Thank you.

I doubt there would be any trouble using it or tailoring it to your hiring needs. However, keep in mind that psychometrics are only a small part of the hiring process. Interviewing and job simulations are necessary to ensure the best hire possible.

Thank you, Intrayexercise. Why do some government agencies hire the services or expertise of licensed companies that offer psychometric exams or administer them? Is it acceptable for other agencies to use sample practice tests? I really need to know if obtaining services or materials from a licensed company is a legal prerequisite for anyone planning to administer a psychometric exam.

As far as I am concerned, I believe that psychometric testing should be done by qualified personnel. Tests like these have to be assessed, and that can only be done by someone qualified to interpret the results and write a report.

Furthermore, these tests need to be designed for the specific requirements of the job. I, for one, would never submit to a test that some amateur found on the internet and decided to use without knowing how to use it and its relevance to the job. That is just stupidity.

I have undergone psychometric testing before, but I was sent to the office of a psychologist to do the tests and to have a psychological interview with her after she had scored the tests. Unfortunately, I never saw the results, and I would be very interested to know what she said about me!

The other thing to keep in mind is the relevance to the job. I cannot think of too many jobs where psychometric testing would be necessary. The job I was applying for was a high-security position in the Australian Government.

Thank you, John, for enlightening me. What's bothering me is that I took a series of exams in a government agency and had no idea that a psychometric exam was part of those many exams. Weeks later, I searched the net regarding that type of exam and found an exact similar copy of that particular exam I took. I was able to download it for free because it was just a practice sample offered by Psychometric-Success Company.

I also learned that the personnel department that administered it claimed that they prepared/made the exam themselves for their recruitment process. From what I've read from posts of licensed psychometrists/psychologists, only a licensed psychometrist under the supervision of a psychologist can administer a psychometric exam. What if those personnel who administered the psychometric exam were not licensed psychometrists or psychologists? Does that make the exam I took void?

You are wrong in presuming that "only a licensed psychomet under the supervision of a psychologist can administer a psychometric exam." Psychometric tests can be administered by just about anyone who needs them. Where the 'licensed psychomet under the supervision of a psychologist' comes into the picture is to interpret/assess the test results, as John mentioned. It's something like any exam—you write the exam administered by the respective institution by some employee—but the exam papers are corrected/evaluated by qualified examiners, usually other than those belonging to the institution where the exam is administered.

Copyright for Free Content on the Internet

Coming to your point about copyright for free stuff on the internet, generally, it's not needed to take permission to use, but surely it needs to be acknowledged to 'such & such source'. But let's also be realistic—how many actually do it? Basic human nature is to 'try' to take credit for someone else's efforts.

Regards,
TS

Thank you, Tajsateesh, much appreciated for your response. But the thing is, they (personnel staff) were also the ones who interpret/assess the test results, when it is very clear in your comment and in other people's view that it should be a licensed psychometrist or psychologist who should do those things.

Anyway, maybe I should ask them directly about that matter to put to rest the issues surrounding their recruitment process because we are hearing a lot of applicants questioning their exams and the way they interpret them.