Psychometric Tests: Demystifying Assessments And Debunking Myths

“Do you have a psychometric test that measures Gandhigiri?” asked the HR manager of a retail organisation. “I have a huge problem with my guys, I would like to know where they stand in terms of hmm, err, Gandhigiri if I can’t find a better word”. I had a good laugh at first but was also impressed to see how HR managers are on the lookout for innovative methods to achieve their objectives. This incident happened almost a decade back. It is memorable because it is relevant even now as most sectors in India are grappling with serious manpower issues and the HR professionals need to adopt efficient assessment tools to tackle this challenge. The selection scenario in India has undergone a sea change in the last decade. More and more companies are moving out of the traditional unstructured interview-based selection and are trying to make the selection system more robust by incorporating psychometric tools to arrive at the final decision. 

Psychometrics or cognitive and personality tests are designed to facilitate employers in making effective selection and development decisions. If used correctly, they can prove to be extremely cost-effective supplementary tools for both initial selections, subsequent development of employees, and managing underperformers. In India, until the last few decades, the recruitment process had mainly focused on interview techniques. Interestingly, now more and more companies are using psychometric tools in various HR processes. Senior HR professionals believe that the trend began more than a decade back when MNCs entered the Indian market and the demand for psychometric instruments increased. Most US & UK-based companies use psychometric tests for selection, coaching, and learning and development. HR is an established discipline in India and the usage of psychometric tools is fairly widespread, however, organisations sometimes struggle to find the right tools to use and incorporate them as a part of the selection process.

A misunderstanding which prevails with most HR managers is that all personality tests are the same. It is important to understand that the ‘labels’ assigned to personality characteristics could be the same, what one needs to see is the way those ‘labels ‘are defined. For example, two tests would define “leadership” differently; therefore, it is for the organisation using the test to pick up and choose which definitions meet their requirements and use it accordingly.

How does one use psychometrics in the selection process?

Psychometrics as a selection tool:

Psychometric tests consist of cognitive and noncognitive tests (e.g., personality tests). Cognitive tests assess individuals on various parameters: numerical, verbal, mechanical, analytical ability, etc. These tests are used mostly for recruitment purposes and to screen out individuals who do not meet the ‘cut-off’ score. Noncognitive tests mainly consist of personality tools which assess the individual in terms of various personality or trait-related dimensions. This tool becomes important since it provides the much-needed ‘extra information’ about an individual which is beyond his academic/professional credentials. Imagine a typical recruitment scenario in India: the numbers of job applicants often exceed the openings available. 

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It is then critical for the organisation to deploy psychometric tools which are user-friendly and also deliver fast and accurate results. Especially when the applicant pool is large and their educational background makes them a ‘homogeneous lot’ mostly in B.E, B.Tech kind of an applicant pool, this ‘extra ‘information can be a huge differentiating factor. However, it should be kept in mind that psychometrics cannot be a sole decision-making criterion and it should be used as a tool to supplement or corroborate the already existing information. Why is this so? This is because most of these tests are simple online or paper-pencil tests which can be manipulated by the candidate to provide ‘incorrect’ information about him/her. Therefore, a word of caution is advisable for those who might ‘over-rely’ on these tools. It is also important to understand that even if someone tries to manipulate these tests, there are ‘lie-scales’ embedded in some of these personality tests to detect the trick. 

For example, the 16PF personality test has a ‘lie-scale’ which can find out if the test taker has tried to fake his/her responses. Also, a trained test evaluator or psychologist will be able to detect such an attempt by the test taker. Hence, it is advisable to use a standardised psychometric test and take the help of a trained and certified qualified professional to interpret the results of the test. 

Myths associated with psychometric testing:

Most Human resources professionals in India do not possess adequate knowledge about psychometric testing.  The use of psychometric tests by HR Managers is dependent on several things: their education & experience, the country they work in, test publisher marketing, access to popular articles about testing and assessment, etc. Most of the B-schools barring a few do not teach a course on psychometric testing and the learning happens mostly on the job. Often the information that the HR professional has is incomplete and incorrect and therefore it is important to clarify some of them.

1. The psychometric test tells “inside–out” & reveals what is hidden: Often, most psychometric tests, referring to personality tests, assess an individual on certain parameters or traits. If the test is standardised and has sound psychometric properties and has been interpreted by a trained & certified professional it would be safe to assume that the picture presented by the test more or less resembles the actual personality characteristic. However, some “discredited psychometric tools” are never accurate, reliable, or fair. Also, as mentioned above the results should be used as additional information and not as a ‘stand-alone’ decision-making criteria. It is also important to keep in mind that all these measures have an “error” component.
2. All personality tests are the same: Another misunderstanding which prevails with most HR managers is that all personality tests are the same. It is important to understand that the ‘labels’ assigned to personality characteristics could be the same, what one needs to see is the way those ‘labels ‘are defined. For example, two tests would define “leadership” differently; therefore, it is for the organisation using the test to pick up and choose which definitions meet their requirements and use it accordingly.
3. “80” is the double of “40” and more is better: Often the test scores are interpreted ‘literally’. The score of ‘80’ on a dimension, for example, trust is interpreted as being double of ‘40’, accompanying this interpretation is ‘higher the score, the better it is. This is not always the case and the situation or context has to be taken into consideration. “High Extraversion” might be the job requirement in some jobs or professions and would not add value to another type of job.
4. Tools developed in one cultural setting can be used in another: This is a debatable issue and people have differing views. One school of thought says that we need global thought leaders to build the next generation enterprises so that the tools developed in western countries can be used here. A different point of view is offered by Vijai Pandey, Central Test, who says that ‘using global tools in India is not going to work anymore; we have to consider the cultural context. India is diverse and the entire country can be divided into four cultural groups. We cannot ignore that.”
5. There exists a typical “success profile”: Unfortunately, there is no one ‘best’ profile which will guarantee success across the board, as different organisations require different competencies at different times. For example, if looking for a leader of a business keen to grow and develop in new directions, one might look for a transformational leader scoring high on forward thinking & innovative scales. If looking for a leader who will come in and manage the status quo one might recruit a manager who scores highly on democratic, conventional, and rule-following scales. 

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Psychometrics & Indian scenario:

There is a need for a professionally managed recruitment process. The most crucial gap between the current & ideal recruitment practices is the failure to pay attention to behaviour-based recruitment. In India, interviewing technique represents the final selection touchstone. There is over-dependence on one selection tool and probing in an interview is done at a very superficial level. It is evident that there is a need for an efficient, quick, and easy mechanism to assist in the recruitment process. 

The use of psychometric testing in India is at an initial stage. More and more companies are seeking newer methods and are keen to know more. SHL, DDI, and Korn Ferry are a few global companies that have made their presence in the Indian market. Additionally, these organisations have also translated many tools into local languages like Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Oriya. You need to rely on an Industrial-Organisational psychologist or a trained professional so that you can make an informed choice.

Mostly psychometric testing is used for recruitment purposes. The IT, retail, and insurance sectors that are labour intensive use these tests mainly to screen out people. With a few exceptions, most organisations do not use psychometric testing for campus recruitment at B-schools. The use of tools for coaching purposes is not uncommon. Using psychometric tools gives more data points to discuss with the individual and gives better insight into understanding the personality. 

Since most of the standardised psychometric tools do not come cheap, most organisations are reluctant to use them. A personality test by a well-known organisation can cost between 3000 – 5000 (INR) (for junior management) and more than 10,000 (INR) (for senior management). HR managers need to convince themselves before they can get a “buy-in” from the line managers to use these tools in their organisation. Often there is reluctance from the senior management to take these tools and use the results for developmental purposes. One of the line managers with whom I had interacted argued that “attitudes, values, beliefs are too subjective and cannot be measured”. But the reality is that they can be measured and are important predictors of behaviour, performance, and potential. 

Interpretation of test results & feedback is an integral part of psychometric testing. Psychometric tools are best used in conjunction with other assessment and selection tools such as interviews. Administration of psychometric tools also includes a feedback interview which, particularly in the case of personality questionnaires, can act as a supplementary source of information on the candidate. This needs a trained & certified psychologist who can handle it in a professional manner. There have been plenty of horror stories reported about the misuse of psychometric tools. Therefore, it is the responsibility of HR managers to either get trained in using psychometric tools or take professional help in the administration & interpretation. There are plenty of training programs or workshops which impart adequate skills and expertise to HR professionals to use various psychometric tools. 

Finally, it is important to understand that the potential for growth of psychometric testing in India is immense. It is the responsibility of HR to educate themselves in a better manner and start using these tools for various HR processes. For organisations engaged in developing assessment tools and providing related solutions, it is important to understand the needs of the companies and accordingly develop simple, easy, and cost-effective tools.