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Positive Personality Testing - Tips to Improve Your Performance

With every other type of psychometric test I have been able to give you some suggestions as to how to improve your performance. However, with personality questionnaires, there are no tricks of the trade or useful exercises you can do. As I have already said, the most important thing to do is to be yourself. Remember:

• Personality and competency questionnaires do not have right or wrong answers. You don't have to worry about passing or failing - just concentrate on being honest, truthful and accurate.
• Make sure you answer all the questions. There may seem like a lot of them, but it is necessary to complete the whole test.
• Personality questionnaires do not have time limits, but try to work your way through reasonably quickly. This is particularly useful when being asked to decide which 'qualities' are most or least like you. Here, your intuitive answer is usually the most accurate - if you sit and think too hard you'll find the questions much more difficult.
• Some questions may seem completely irrelevant. Don't worry about this. Just answer as truthfully as you can and move on. The same goes for questions you don't fully understand. Do your best and don't leave any of the answers blank.
• Many questions ask you about the way you typically behave in a work situation. If you have no formal work experience, think about how you behave in similar situation at university or college or in other areas of your life.
• As mentioned above, many big firms actually list the personality traits they look for in graduate recruits on their web sites. Treat this information as a useful guide but don't try to second-guess the examiner - always be honest.

After taking a personality questionnaire, you should be offered the chance to discuss the results (and if the offer is not forthcoming, ask). Use the opportunity to find out as much about yourself as you can. Even if you are not offered that particular job, a better understanding of your strengths and limitations is always useful.