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Cantidates & Students

These pages are for those who have been invited to take one of Assessio’s tests in a recruitment process and for those who are curious to know more about psychometric testing.

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Tests in recruitment

The fact that the employer you are interested in working for has invited you to take a test is very positive. It means that it is an organization that works with a systematic recruitment process where everyone gets an equal chance, that the organization actively wants to prevent prejudices and preconceived ideas from playing a role in the selection of the candidate and that they really want to get to know you as a candidate to make sure that you will enjoy working together and that you will have the best possible chance to succeed in your new role.

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Why are tests used?

Tests are used to help recruiters eliminate human bias and prejudice and instead assess all candidates on equal terms. When you are asked to take tests early in the recruitment process, i.e. before you are called for an interview, you know that you have the same chance of moving forward regardless of your appearance, age or educational background compared to the other candidates.

It is important to note that there is no right or wrong in the tests. The goal is simply to find out who you are and what type of role you would thrive in and be your best self.

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Can the tests really be trusted?

At Assessio, we have been working on psychometric testing for selection and development since 1954. Our tests are developed by experienced psychologists and psychometricians (psychometrics refers to the statistical and mathematical techniques used in the development and analysis of psychological measurement instruments). We place great importance on following new research and continuously developing our tools to provide modern, user-friendly interfaces. Since we handle sensitive personal data, ethics and personal data management are of the utmost importance to us, so that you as a candidate and the companies that use our products can trust us and our platform. Of course, we follow the industry’s ethical guidelines.

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What is the point of doing tests?

Consider it a positive thing if an employer chooses to use tests during the recruitment process. It indicates that the organization is serious and really wants to find the best fit for the job. If you get the job, you are also likely to enjoy it.

FAQ

Read more about frequently asked questions.

How does your personality test work?

Our personality test, MAP, is based on the five-factor model, the most widely researched psychological theory for describing personality, and the one with the strongest support among researchers as a tool for predicting behaviour in the workplace.

Is there a right or wrong personality type?

No, there isn’t. The recruiter is looking for behaviors that are successful in the particular company you are applying to, and in the particular position. In one role, the fact that you like to have a lot going on around you might be a great strength; in others, someone who likes a slower pace, and more structure might be a better fit. (This is also why it pays to be honest!).

What do recruiters look for when they look at my results?

Behaviors that are successful in the company you are applying to, and in that particular role. There is no right or wrong. In one role, the fact that you like to have a lot going on around you might be a great strength; in other cases, someone who likes a slower pace, and more structure might be a better fit.

I don’t recognize myself in my results, why is that?

The norm group we use does not consist of a cross-section of the whole population, but only of the working age population because our tests aim to predict workplace behavior. This means that very young people, pensioners and people unable to be active in the labor market are not included. For example, a higher percentage of those in our norm group have post-secondary education than a cross-section of the whole population.

The result of our personality test indicates what your natural behaviour is. If you get a test result that says you are an introvert, it certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t speak up, stand on stage and mingle like a professional. It just means, roughly speaking, that if you’re good at it, it’s not innate, you’ve trained hard for it, and you probably find it quite exhausting if you had to be an extrovert all the time, day after day. 

How should I prepare myself?

Make sure you can sit undisturbed and with a stable connection when taking the tests.

When answering personality questions, it is good to put your answers in a work context, except for those questions that obviously refer to how you are outside of work (e.g. I enjoy the excitement of gambling). Think about how you are in work-related situations rather than how you are with your friends, for example.

Matrigma is 12 minutes long. The questions you get are dynamically calculated – if you answer a question correctly you get a more difficult question, if you answer incorrectly, you get an easier one – this means that the test will feel tough in order to find your natural maximum level. There is also a 40-minute version with progressively more difficult tasks that is not used as often, if you get that version, it is clearly stated in the instructions.

In which languages can I take the test?

MAP
– Arabic (United Arab Emirates)
– Danish (Denmark)
– English (USA)
– Estonian (Estonia)
– Finnish (Finland)
– French (France)
– Dutch (Belgium)
– Dutch (Netherlands)
– Italian (Italy)
– Chinese
– Latvian (Latvia)
– Lithuanian (Lithuania)
– Norwegian (Norway)
– Spanish (Chile)
– Spanish (Mexico)
– Spanish (Spain)
– Swedish (Sweden)
– German (Germany)

Matrigma
– Arabic (United Arab Emirates)
– Bulgarian (Bulgaria)
– Danish (Denmark)
– English (USA)
– Estonian (Estonia)
– Finnish (Finland)
– French (France)
– Dutch (Belgium)
– Dutch (Netherlands)
– Indonesian (Indonesia)
– Italian (Italy)
– Japanese (Japan)
– Chinese
– Korean (South Korea)
– Latvian (Latvia)
– Lithuanian (Lithuania)
– Norwegian (Norway)
– Polish (Poland)
– Portuguese (Brazil)
– Romanian (Romania)
– Russian (Russia)
– Slovak (Slovakia)
– Spanish (Spain)
– Swedish (Sweden)
– Thai (Thailand)
– Czech (Czech Republic)
– German (Germany)
– Hungarian (Hungary)
– Vietnamese (Vietnam)

I have taken the tests for another company; can I reuse my results?

No, unfortunately not. For your security, the organization that invited you to take the test is the data controller under the GDPR, and therefore the data cannot be shared between companies.

How long are my test results stored?

This is decided by the organization that invited you to take the test, if the information is not included in your test invitation, get in touch with your contact person. Usually, the setting is 2 years, but it can vary. As with any other personal data, you can of course contact the test administrator and have your results deleted.