Psychometric tests are used by employers as part of the recruitment process to measure skills, knowledge and personality. The majority of tests are completed online and normally timed.
There are two main types:
Personality tests – explore your interests, values and motivations, analysing how your character fits with the role and organisation.
Aptitude and ability tests - assess your reasoning or cognitive ability, determining whether you've got the right skill set for a role. Common tests include numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, abstract reasoning, error checking.
It’s advisable to practice any type of test and employers will often give you access to test sites before asking you to complete the real thing.
For more information on what to expect, how to prepare and for practice test sites see Psychometric tests.