the university of kent careers advisory service aptitude tests

1. The University of KentCareers Advisory Service You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

3. Numerical Examples Which is the missing number in the sequence? 2 ? 8 16 A. 3 B. 4 C. 5 D. 6 E. 7 ? 14 12 11 11 A. 13 B. 15 C. 16 D. 17 E. 28

4. VERBAL REASONING

5. SPATIAL OR DIAGRAMMATIC REASONINGWhich is the next shape in the sequence: a, b, c, d or e?

6. Tips Increasingly tests are on-line. Again try our on-line practice tests to gain familiarity. Make sure you are in a quiet place where you won't be disturbed and in a good frame of mind. If the test was taken unsupervised on the web you may be asked to sit another, shorter test at the interview stage to make sure you didn't get someone else to do it for you! Listen to the instructions you are given and follow them precisely. Many people make errors because they've misunderstood what they have to do. Check the amount of time you have and the number of questions you have to answer in that time. Work quickly during the test, but pay attention to your accuracy. Try not to get bogged down on any one question: leave it until the end of the test, but remember that questions may get harder as you proceed. You can only score points for questions you answer, not for those you don't. Often there will be a lot of questions in a short time. Don't panic if you can't complete the test as not everyone will be able to: most candidates find these tests hard! Do try to answer as many questions as possible though. If you have time left at the end, check your answers. You'll do your best if your adrenalin is flowing slightly, so don't worry about worrying! But try to stay calm and focused and try to enjoy the experience.

7. More tips! Practice makes perfect. Evidence suggests that some practice of similar tests may improve your performance (5%) on actual tests but don't spend too long practising. Brush up on your exam technique and perhaps become more familiar with the types of test you may face. Even basic word and number puzzles may help you become used to the comprehension and arithmetic aspects of some tests.� Before the actual test, you will be given practice examples to try: make sure you ask questions if anything is unclear at this stage. Treat it like an interview: get a good night's sleep, plan your journey to the test site, arrive on time and appropriately dressed. Tiredness and alcohol can affect your ability to do well! Take a calculator with you: many maths tests now allow a calculator. If so you will be given one, but may be allowed to use your own. Educated guesses are worthwhile. In multiple choice tests, you may be able to quickly rule out obviously wrong answers and concentrate on those that are left. In maths tests you may be able to estimate the answer rather than working it out precisely, to save time. If you have questions unanswered make educated or (if necessary) random guesses. If you have a numerical test coming up and haven't done any maths since school then brush up on your numeracy - try BBC Skillswise Stop using a calculator for everyday calculations, practice your multiplication and division, ability to calculate percentages, and to read graphs and tables. Similarly if your English is weak brush up on this.

8. If you�re poor at tests �. Remember that few employers will look at test results on their own and will also look at you academic performance and personality. Numerical scores can sometimes be much improved by practice. Others are harder to improve significantly. Some large companies and most smaller companies don�t use tests � apply to these!

9. Personality Tests Which of the following fours words is a) most like you and b) least like you? Gentle Persuasive Humble Original Attractive Dutiful Stubborn Pleasant Easily Led Bold Loyal Charming etc. Used in order to determine your reactions and attitudes to situations: how well you get on with others, reaction to stressful situations or feelings about the kind of people you like to work with. Unlikely to be timed or have right or wrong answers Unwise to fake answers. Questionnaires may have internal checking where the same question is asked with different wording early and late in the test. Little point in pretending to be the kind of employee a firm is looking for if you are not right for them. Find something else you will enjoy doing! May be used as a basis for interview questions

10. Tests On Computer Old Civil Service Practice Test � numerical and verbal - on machine in Careers Service or downloadable from www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/practicetest.htm Aptitude Test Web Page Numerical and verbal reasoning tests plus links to on-line tests www.kent.ac.uk/careers/psychotests.htm

11. Interview Reports www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ivreps/ivrepsmenu.htm

12. Further Help Several books on tests, with practice examples, are available for reference in the Careers Service - ask at Reception. These include: Passing Psychometric Tests! How to Pass Graduate Psychometric Tests Learn to Succeed at Selection Tests How to Pass Numeracy Tests How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests How to Pass Computer Selection Tests File 014 in Careers Service has more examples.

13. The University of Kent Careers Advisory Service You can download a copy of this presentation at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

14. Programming Tests Some computing firms may give you a programming aptitude test. Some of these use "pseudocode", flowcharting, or assembler language. You can find some examples at� www.psychometrics-uk.com/bapt.html "How to pass professional level psychometric tests" - Sam Al-Jajoka (Kogan Page 2001) has a chapter on Tests for IT Recruitment with an example assembly language test. Ask at Careers reception to see our reference copy