British Psychological Society Certification in Singapore – Register now to get 50% off Behaviour Based Interviewing and Saville Wave Training Courses
PsyAsia is pleased to advise clients that we have extended our special 50% discount offer for those who register for our Psychometric Test Training Course: BPS Level A & B in Singapore until the end of January. Any client who registers for the Level A and B course will be offered a 50% discount on the Saville Consulting Wave accreditation course that follows the day after the Level B training; and/or, 50% off our Behaviour-based Interview Course which is confirmed for the day immediately before the Level A training. Furthermore, we are pleased to continue to offer a 50% discount off the Behaviour Based Interview Course for any client who registers for our 4-day Human Resource Management Course in Singapore on 22-25 February.
Training places are limited and courses are now beginning to fill, so please register asap to ensure your place. The above discount offers will expire on 31 January.
If you are in Hong Kong, you can also avail the offers by joining our Hong Kong Psychometric Assessment Level A and B course in March.
All course dates and details as well as email links can be found from here: http://dates.psyasia.com
Kindly contact us on Singapore +65 6521 3131 or Hong Kong +852 8200 6005 for full details.
Online Psychometric Test Mini-Course: Lesson 6 – Psychometric Test Scoring
In this session we will explore the following:
1. Computer-based scoring of psychometric tests
2. Hand-scoring of psychometric tests
3. Norming of test results
4. The link between scoring of tests and reliability
Converting raw scores to standardised scores and using representative norms will be covered in a later session.
Once a psychometric test has been properly administered, it needs to be scored. Depending on the test chosen, you may have a few options.
a. You can opt for computer-based scoring.
This would work if you had administered the test using computer software or if you had asked your candidate to complete an online test. For online tests, this option is good because it is less likely to involve scoring errors! Your candidate completes the test online and then the system immediately and automatically scores the test. There is no additional input required and hence less chance for error. This pre-supposes the publisher has used the correct scoring algorithms of course. Whilst most reputable test publishers will, we do know of one who had an error in a test battery that was not spotted until one of their distributors pointed out that his partner had done poorly on a test for which she was a subject matter expert!!
If you administer the test to your candidate using desktop software, you should be able to automatically score it in the same way as above.
b. You can opt for hand-scoring or a bureau service or keyed input followed by computer-scoring. You are most likely to use this option if you administered the test to your candidate using hard-copy test booklets and answer sheets.
Firstly, you’ll need to double-check the answer sheets to ensure that there are no irregularities. Ensure that it’s obvious which answer the respondent selected. Be careful with any “blobs” that may have appeared from ink or pencil smudges etc. If a respondent has changed their mind after selecting a response and has crossed it out, ensure that you only use the most recent response in scoring.
For hand-scoring using a scoring key, you’ll next need to align the scoring key with the answer sheet. The exact requirements will vary based on the test you are using, so ensure that you read and fully understand the instructions provided by the test publisher.
Once you have scored the responses, double-check your scoring. You then need to record the score. The score you calculate at this point is called the RAW SCORE. On its own, a raw score means nothing. If I tell you that you scored 54 on a numerical reasoning test or 75 on the extraversion scale of a personality assessment, you’ll need to ask me more questions before you truly understand your score. The most important question to ask would be how your score compared to others. The comparison of your score with others is called norming.
It is called norming because we compare a candidate’s score to a group of others (called the norm group) who completed the test in the past. To undertake this comparison, you can do it by way of a simple calculation or through the use of norm tables either developed by yourself or, more usually, supplied by the test publisher.
Norm tables allow us to use a standard vocabulary for expressing a candidate’s score in relation to others who have taken the test and it is for this reason that we call your new score a standardised score. A standardised score is simply your candidate’s raw score, compared with the norm group and expressed in terms of how the candidate scored in relation to others. We’ll consider standardised scores in more detail in a later lesson. You’ll see by now that your objective is to calculate the candidate’s standard score as this is the way to achieve maximum meaning. If you opt for paper and pencil tests and hand-scoring, the process can be lengthy. So are there other options?
We have already seen above that we can simply have the candidate complete an online test. However, you may not wish to do this if there are many candidates. This is because you will need as many computers as candidates if you are going to supervise them. If you are using an unsupervised test, the candidate can complete on their own PC, but you may be concerned about possible cheating and so on. This is why you may end up using paper and pencil tests (in a supervised environment). However, there is an alternative to arduous hand-scoring if you have used paper and pencil tests.
You can use the bureau service of your psychometric test distributor. You just need to check that the answer sheet is properly completed, clear and free from any irregularities and then send the answer sheet to the distributor by fax or scanned email. The bureau service will then score the test for you and send you a report.
Furthermore, you may have another option yet. If you have access to a computer or online test system, you can probably also enter the candidate’s responses to each question into the system and have the system produce the report. This is essentially what the bureau service above does for you. Doing it yourself should work out cheaper. Do be careful when you transpose the responses though – accuracy is far more important than speed unless you want to invalidate the whole process!!
Self-scoring answer sheets: Some psychometric tests are supplied with self-scoring answer sheets. These are much easier to use than non-self-scoring answer sheets. In this case you usually need to open up the answer sheet by tearing off some perforated card. Inside the answer sheet, the candidate’s responses will have been duplicated via carbon or similar onto a scoring card. Usually, you add up the number of responses (often black circles) that appear inside a circle. Those outside of a circle represent incorrect answers so don’t get counted. Once you’ve added up correct responses, you have your raw score. Slightly different procedures obviously apply for personality assessments and fewer personality assessments provide self-scoring answer sheets due to their scoring complexity. When using self-scoring answer sheets you need to be especially careful to ensure that the candidate presses hard on the answer sheet when completing the test. If they are light-handed their responses may not come through onto the scoring card!
Finally, let’s consider the link between psychometric test scoring and reliability/validity. As you know, the test administrator can have a huge impact upon psychometric test reliability throughout the whole process. At the scoring stage you can affect reliability simply by scoring incorrectly. This might happen because you miss the fact that a candidate crossed out their answer and changed their mind. It may also happen because you try to score fast and just don’t add up correctly. Perhaps you use the scoring key incorrectly or perhaps the scoring is so arduous (often the case for personality assessments) that you simply get lost in the scoring or incorrectly use your calculator!
Ensure therefore that you fully understand how to score the test, use the scoring key as per the publisher’s instructions, score slowly and double check or have someone else double check your scoring. If possible, use computer based scoring or self-scoring answer sheets. Incorrect scoring reduces reliability and of course that means that a valid test can become invalid and a waste of time or money!
Interested in learning more about psychometric testing for HRM? Keep reading – your next free session is not far away! To ensure you don’t miss a single instalment, we suggest you follow-us on twitter as each new post will be announced there. You may also like to join our face-to-face psychometric training courses in Singapore or Hong Kong – these range from simple introductory courses through to Certification Courses such as the BPS Level A and BPS Level B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. Not in Singapore or Hong Kong? No problem – we also offer both recorded and live online training in psychometrics! For full details please see here or email us.
DO NOT COPY OR SAVE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR COMPUTER.
THIS ARTICLE IS CLEARED FOR PUBLISHING ON PSYCHOLOGY1 GROUP SITES ONLY. IT REMAINS COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF PSYASIA INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD. YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO PUBLISH IT ON ANY OTHER SITE. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO COPY/PASTE THIS ARTICLE OR TO SAVE IT TO YOUR LOCAL DRIVE. YOU ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO READ IT ONLINE AT OUR WEBSITE. VIOLATION OF THESE TERMS WILL RESULT IN BANNING OF OFFENDING IPS AND LEGAL ACTION FOR THOSE WHO REPUBLISH THIS ARTICLE WHETHER IT BE WITH OR WITHOUT A REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.
Online Psychometric Test Mini-Course: Lesson 5 – Psychometric Test Administration
In this session we will explore the following:
1. How to conduct a psychometric test administration session
Previously you were introduced to the importance of ensuring that every test administration session that you run remains the same in order to ensure consistency and hence reliability. By not adhering to this and by not being standardised in your test administration, you run the ultimate risk of invalidating the whole process because reliability is a precursor to validity. So this means that the company purchasing the tests has wasted money at the very least. Worse still however is the fact that many candidates may not see the process as fair (leading to problems in attracting applicants in the future) and likewise, the law in some countries may take issue with the way tests were administered leading perhaps to a bias in the process for one group compared to another. Given this, the following will discuss what is required to ensure you conduct a good, reliable psychometric test administration session.
Be prepared
Firstly, you need to be prepared!
Here is a list of things you need in order to be fully prepared:
1. Find and book an appropriate room. One that is large enough for the group of assessees and one which is in a quiet area. Ensure that on the day there will not be any nearby noise such as construction noise. Ensure that there are no fire drills planned. Consider the room temperature – make sure there is enough time for the room to cool down or heat up to a comfortable temperature before the assessment starts. Layout the room as per regular ‘exam conditions’ whereby desks are separated from each other.
2. Prepare a timetable for the day and send this out to candidates with their invitation letter (which we covered previously). Often, psychometric testing forms only part of a day-long series of assessments, that’s why a timetable is critical.
3. If you are using paper-based assessments, don’t forget to order the right quantity from the publisher or test distributor in good time before the session. We advise you do this at least 2 weeks before the day of assessment to allow for shipping.
4. Whether you are using paper-based or online tests, you must familiarise yourself with the tests and their instructions. Ensure that you fully understand the process of administering the tests. You don’t need to understand the questions in the test, but you do need to know each aspect of the process of administration with the specific test(s) you are using. You need to know when to pass each item (e.g., question booklet, answer sheet) to the candidate and when to collect it back in. You must also know how long each timed test lasts and have a stopwatch to assist with accurate timing. Also have some rough paper so that you can write down the time the test started. This helps if the stopwatch fails – you’ll know “roughly” when to stop the session. However we want 100% accuracy in the session, so let’s hope this backup is not required.
5. Ensure that you have the correct ratio of qualified test administrators to candidates. The best practice ration is 1:10. So for a room of 50 candidates you need 5 test qualified administrators. One administrator can just about keep their eye on 10 candidates, that’s why it would go against best practice to have only one or two administrators ensuring a room of 50 candidates do not cheat by looking at each other’s work or continuing with the test beyond the time limit.
6. Prepare a test log. This is sheet of paper upon which you will record events that happen during the session. The events range from the ordinary (i.e., 25 question booklets handed out and 25 returned or, test started at 3pm and finished at 3.25pm) to the less expected (i.e., candidate 34 reported that she has dyslexia).
Introducing the Psychometric Test Session to Candidates
Be friendly but professional. Introduce yourself and your role. Then go on to cover everything that you previously covered in your invitation letter to your candidates. This will include:
a) Why are we here today
b) Brief description of the assessments candidates are about to undertake
c) Reason why we are using psychometric tests (i.e., they are objective predictors of work performance)
d) How the tests fit into the overall process of selection or development (they should only be part of the process)
e) How long today’s session will last in total
f) What will happen after today’s session (e.g., you will hear from us within 7 days)
g) When feedback on test results will be given
h) A commitment that the results will remain confidential and be used only for this current purpose
i) Then ask candidates if they have any questions so far and thank them for agreeing to take the tests
j) Continuing with the introduction, convey any special emergency/fire instructions to candidates – this is a legal requirement for public gatherings in many countries.
k) Tell candidates where the washrooms are and that if they need to use them, a good time would be right now as they shouldn’t leave the room once the assessment commences and if they do, they certainly won’t get additional time! Also remind them that they may need their reading glasses to complete the assessments and if they left them outside, now is also a good time to go and get them!
At this point, people may have left the room for a couple of minutes following your advice. Once everybody has reassembled, continue with the more formal part of the test administration session. At this point you will refer to the publisher’s official instruction card. The publisher expects you to read the instructions and hand out/collect materials in exactly the same way and order presented here for consistency (and therefore reliability).
l) Tell candidates that you will now read from the test instructions and that this may make you sound a little more robotic for the next few minutes and that the reason you are doing this is to ensure that everybody gets the same instructions every time this test is administered. Ask them to listen very carefully to the instructions.
m) Read the instructions word for word. Ensure that you pause in the right places. Ensure that you hand out materials when told to do so. There are usually example questions which you will need to ask the candidates to complete. Do so and allow them a few minutes to complete. During this time you can walk around ensuring that they are completing the correct section of the answer sheet and are looking at the correct section of the question booklet. Correct anybody who is not but do not correct their answers until the example question time is up for all. Then you’ll need to go through the example question answers with candidates. At this stage you’ll be reading from the instructions. Do not go into lengthy explanations with candidates about why they may have got the answer wrong. Simply tell them not to worry, to do their best and remind them that the test in only part of the process.
o) If you are administering a personality questionnaire, remember to tell the candidates that there are no right or wrong answers – you are who you are! Tell them that personality assessments are used to assess candidate fit with the organisation and are more scientific and objective than interviews. Ask them to be honest and open and tell them that it is usually the first answer them comes to their mind which is most accurate; so do not spend too long deliberating over each question. Some candidates may say that they think their personality is different at work compared with home. Simply ask them to answer from a work perspective. Tell candidates that the test is untimed but that most people take around X minutes to complete.
p) Now it’s time for final questions. Ask candidates if they have any and answer them as best you can. It’s a good idea to consider possible questions before starting the sessions. We’ve put a few together here with answers:
p) That’s it, now it’s time to test. So, as per your instructions, ask candidates to turn over the page and begin. If you’re administering an aptitude/ability test, remember to start your stopwatch at that point and then write down the time the test started as an independent time check. Now you need to walk around the room adjudicating. Don’t answer any more questions – candidates need to concentrate now. If they need replacement pencils/rough paper, fine, but no talking of any kind! Check candidates are on the right page and responding to questions in the correct section of the answer sheet. If not, correct them quietly.
q) As soon as time is up, call “STOP” or whatever is mentioned in your instructions. For personality assessments, wait until everybody has finished. For aptitude tests, ensure that all pencils are placed on desks as soon as you call time. A candidate who continues beyond time can increase their score unfairly and invalidate the process!
r) Collect all materials in the order instructed by the publisher and remember to note down in your test log everything that comes back. You must also collect all rough paper from candidates. This is because they may have written questions down on the paper and now those questions may get leaked out of the testing room – this would obviously invalidate the test.
s) Once you have ensured that all materials were returned, you may close the session as follows:
- Thank candidates for attending
- For aptitude tests, reassure them that they are supposed to be difficult and designed so that not everybody completes all questions
- Remind candidates that everything will remain confidential
- Remind candidates about the feedback session
- Remind candidates about the next part of the selection or development process
- Ask them if they have any final questions
- Thank them all again and then dismiss them
Sticking to these guidelines and the publisher’s test administration instructions will help to ensure consistency in your administration sessions. As you know, this means higher reliability and hence you uphold the validity of the test.
Interested in learning more about psychometric testing for HRM? Keep reading – your next free session is not far away! To ensure you don’t miss a single instalment, we suggest you follow-us on twitter as each new post will be announced there. You may also like to join our face-to-face psychometric training courses in Singapore or Hong Kong – these range from simple introductory courses through to Certification Courses such as the BPS Level A and BPS Level B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. Not in Singapore or Hong Kong? No problem – we also offer both recorded and live online training in psychometrics! For full details please see here or email us.
DO NOT COPY OR SAVE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR COMPUTER.
THIS ARTICLE IS CLEARED FOR PUBLISHING ON PSYCHOLOGY1 GROUP SITES ONLY. IT REMAINS COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF PSYASIA INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD. YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO PUBLISH IT ON ANY OTHER SITE. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO COPY/PASTE THIS ARTICLE OR TO SAVE IT TO YOUR LOCAL DRIVE. YOU ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO READ IT ONLINE AT OUR WEBSITE. VIOLATION OF THESE TERMS WILL RESULT IN BANNING OF OFFENDING IPS AND LEGAL ACTION FOR THOSE WHO REPUBLISH THIS ARTICLE WHETHER IT BE WITH OR WITHOUT A REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.
Online Psychometric Test Mini-Course: Lesson 4
In this session we will explore the following:
1. The relationship between reliability and validity in psychometric assessment
2. How psychometric test administrators can impact the reliability of tests
Psychometric Test Reliability
When choosing a reputable test, whether it be aptitude or personality, one of the properties of the test you will need to look for is reliability. We’ll consider reliability in appropriate detail in a later section of the course. For now, think of reliability as consistency. In order to have absolute confidence in our test scores we need them to be consistent. However, we can’t test and retest our candidates in the real world. Despite this, reputable test publishers would already have done this for you. This would have been carried out under optimal conditions. So, now you know that you are using a reliable test (one that produces consistent scores), it’s your task as the test administrator to ensure that the test remains a reliable test.
Why is reliability so important?
Whenever you assess something, you expect the score you get to be reliable. For example, if you assess your weight using bathroom scales, you expect the reading you get to be consistent across at least the short term. If you weigh yourself over 2 consecutive days and get significantly different readings you know something is wrong with the scales! The same is true of psychometric tests. The publisher first ensures that the test scores will be consistent over time and then you, as the administrator, need to ensure that your actions do not make the test less reliable.
Not only do we want and expect test results to remain reliable over time, but we also know that reliability is a precursor to validity. It sets an upper limit on the test’s validity. In other words, if your test is not reliable then it is not valid. Confusing? Let’s use the weighing scales example again…
Let’s suppose a medical doctor does some research which shows that those who weight more than 120kg are significantly more likely to suffer a heart attack. His research shows that weight is a valid indicator for predicting the heart attack. The scales are fit for the purpose of predicting a heart attack. Validity is all about being fit for purpose. Now if those scales are not reliable, they will provide inconsistent data over the time of the research program. In this case would you have confidence in the doctor’s findings? Of course not!
So, to apply this to psychometric tests let’s take an aptitude test. We’ve carried out research which confirms that a new numerical reasoning test can predict the performance of accountants. Those who score better on the test are rated as better accountants. This is validity. The test is fit for the purpose of predicting accountant performance. You will hopefully have full confidence in this finding if you know the test is reliable. If however you expect the test is coming up with inconsistent scores for your candidates, it is unreliable, and, as in the scales example above, you will not have confidence in the test’s prediction of accountant performance. This is why reliability is a precursor to validity.
And why is all of this so important for this course? It’s because you as the test administrator can enhance or reduce the reliability of the test by how you administer it in the first place. Let’s now take a look at what factors you can and can’t influence in terms of reliability.
How psychometric test administrators can impact the reliability of tests
- Factors Affecting Psychometric Test Reliability (C)2010 PsyAsia International: No Copying
Take a look at the graphic on the left. It shows different factors which can impact the reliability of psychometric tests. This applies to both aptitude tests and personality assessments.
Factors within the test
Generally, a test administrator is not responsible for this. The test publisher must design tests that will be highly reliable. Factors within the test means that the questions chosen must be accessible to all groups for whom the test is intended. If a subsection finds some questions difficult based on their group membership (i.e. non-native-English speaking groups may not understand a colloquialism used in a test question), then the test will be less reliable for that group. Although the publisher needs to ensure a reliable test, not all test publishers are reputable or know what they are doing! This is why the person who purchases the test needs to know how to evaluate it. We’ll show you later how to evaluate the test in greater detail. Know for now that you do not evaluate a test or validate it by trialling it on yourself or your colleague as many untrained users think!
Factors within the respondent
Whilst the test administrator cannot control all the possible factors within a respondent, you can do your best to ensure you control for a much as possible. It’s a good idea to think here about how you would like to be treated if you were undergoing a psychometric assessment for the first time. You’d probably like a friendly invitation letter explaining what is going to happen and why. You’d like to know that your data and results will remain confidential and only shared with decision-makers and only for the purpose that you’re undertaking the test. You’d also like to know what you need to bring with you and if possible, a few example questions as approved by the test publisher might help to set your mind at rest. Finally it would be good to have a number to call should you have any special needs that you wish to convey to the administrators before the day. So, when you arrive at the test centre you already know what is going to happen and why, you won’t be overly concerned, you’ll have all the right things with you (e.g., reading glasses) and you’ll know how long the session is going to last. If it’s a personality test you’ll be more likely to be open and honest because you know your results won’t go further than the selection or development committee and won’t be used for reasons beyond the reason you’ve already been given.
Ultimately here you are attempting to control for mood and expectations. Ideally you don’t want these to vary between candidates in order to give everybody the same start line. On the actual day of the test you will go over all of these things again with the candidates in the room to ensure that they are all clear on what will happen and why. Again, this sets the scene and mood, demonstrates your organisation’s “humanness” in the assessment process and provides candidates with an opportunity to ask questions. Furthermore, on the day you will need to ensure that you administer the test instructions word for word and then administer the test exactly as intended by the test publisher. Doing all of this enhances consistency and thus increases reliability. This is essential as we saw before because reliability is the precursor to validity.
Factors within the environment
How well would you be able to complete an aptitude test in a noisy room? Or how about room that’s freezing from too much air conditioning or too hot due to broken air conditioning? Likewise, you need to ensure that the test environment is conducive to candidate performance each and every time. This applies to personality assessment too. Although there is no right or wrong, your candidate will certainly feel more able to make an effort and respond accurately if you provide them with the right environment! So, some time before the session you’ll need to check the room, make sure temperature controls work. On the day, switch them on in good time before the test so that by the time candidates arrive the room is just right. Place a sign on the door to ensure you are not disturbed during the testing session and be sure to silence all phones in the room. Candidates should of course have phones switched off too. Ensure that once the session is over, all candidates leave at the same time so that they do not disturb others. If a candidate really must make a restroom visit, they should be accompanied by an administrator and only one candidate at a time should go. Ensure that upon leaving and rejoining the room the candidate does not disturb others.
(Note: also a good idea to check there is no planned construction nearby and there are no fire drills scheduled on the day of testing. Do this before sending out your invitation to the candidate!)
Summary
By referring to these guidelines you’ll help to ensure that psychometric tests used by your organisation remain as reliable as the publisher intends them to be. By using short-cuts and not following the guidelines you’ll threaten the reliability and therefore the validity of the tests. If you threaten a test’s validity it becomes unfit for purpose which means your company is wasting its money buying psychometric tools!
Interested in learning more about psychometric testing for HRM? Keep reading – your next free session is not far away! To ensure you don’t miss a single instalment, we suggest you follow-us on twitter as each new post will be announced there. You may also like to join our face-to-face psychometric training courses in Singapore or Hong Kong – these range from simple introductory courses through to Certification Courses such as the BPS Level A and BPS Level B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. Not in Singapore or Hong Kong? No problem – we also offer both recorded and live online training in psychometrics! For full details please see here or email us.
DO NOT COPY OR SAVE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR COMPUTER.
THIS ARTICLE IS CLEARED FOR PUBLISHING ON PSYCHOLOGY1 GROUP SITES ONLY. IT REMAINS COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF PSYASIA INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD. YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO PUBLISH IT ON ANY OTHER SITE. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO COPY/PASTE THIS ARTICLE OR TO SAVE IT TO YOUR LOCAL DRIVE. YOU ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO READ IT ONLINE AT OUR WEBSITE. VIOLATION OF THESE TERMS WILL RESULT IN BANNING OF OFFENDING IPS AND LEGAL ACTION FOR THOSE WHO REPUBLISH THIS ARTICLE WHETHER IT BE WITH OR WITHOUT A REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR.
Expiring Discounts for: BPS Level A Singapore, BPS Level B Singapore, Saville Wave Training Singapore, Personality Test Training Singapore
PsyAsia’s range of early-bird and group booking discounts for our October Psychometric Training Courses in Singapore will expire in just 7 days! If you intend coming on our October training for BPS Level A, BPS Level B (including Identity and Apollo Personality Questionnaire accreditation), Saville Consulting Wave or BPS Test Administration, please do ensure that you register by 30 July. All discounts will expire in our systems and cannot be reinstated! Please view all course dates at http://dates.psyasia.com.
Remember, PsyAsia International is Asia’s Independent Leader in Psychometric Tests and Training. We only sell the world’s best psychometric tests, our courses are run by resident fully registered psychologists and we offer blended e-learning with our face-to-face training for all BPS certification courses.
If you have any queries about our psychometric courses, do please get in touch – an easy way to get an instant response is to use the LIVE CHAT facility on our website. Alternatively, please email us.
Finally, don’t forget that we’ve arranged a session for anyone interested in Singapore Level A and B training to meet with the facilitator online. He will show you course slides and workbooks and answer any questions you may have. This session runs on Tuesday 27th July at 5pm Singapore/Hong Kong time. Click here to register.
Saville Consulting Wave Training Discounts for Singapore and Hong Kong
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The Saville Consulting Wave was developed by the originator of the OPQ and co-founder of SHL, Professor Peter Saville as an alternative to the static assessments available in the market. Wave assesses candidate’s motives and talents within a validation-centric framework. It was validated within 100 separate businesses.
The tool uses both normative and dynamic ipsative questions and has been shown to have greater validity in predicting performance and leadership than any tool it has been compared to in research. Furthermore, the shorter version of Wave, the Focus Questionnaire has more validity per 15 minutes of test-taking time than any comparison questionnaire.
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Follow the links below for further details:
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Take action now! Your competitors may already be trained to use this century’s revolution in personality assessment. We’ve trained people from the big consulting firms to small local careers advisors to recruitment consultants, government ministries and universities. We want to provide you with an incentive to join the increasing number of professionals who value high validity in selection and support from local psychologists in Asia. PsyAsia International, Asia’s leader in psychometric training, runs the Wave training in Singapore and Hong Kong. We’re offering a 25% early-bird discount for our next courses in those locations:
Wave Conversion Course: 1 Day – View course details
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SINGAPORE: 17 June (SG$1200 / SG$900)
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Wave Module Course: 2 Days – View course details
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course which follows their Level B training. More details at http://www.psyasia.com/bpscourses
Course Reviews from Previous Attendees
“Informative, relevant to work, knowledgeable facilitator”
Danny
Hay Group
“Good introduction to the tool and practical session was useful”
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Managing Consultant (Psychologist)
Hudson Global Resources, Singapore
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Ministry of Defence, Singapore
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RMIT International University, Vietnam
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Then please consider PsyAsia’s Psychologist-on-Call™
service instead. Our registered psychologists will take care of the complete process for you, including a call and behavioural interview for your candidates and a feedback session with the decision-maker. More details at http://www.psyasia.com/psychologist_candidate_screening.php.
Free Psychometric Test Training in Singapore
Psychometrics Singapore / PsyAsia International offer Free Psychometric Testing Course in Singapore
Introduction to Psychometric Testing Course: Singapore 11 May 2010
PsyAsia International is Asia’s independent Leader in Psychometric Test products and Training. We choose to distribute only the world’s best, most validated psychometric assessments and offer locally relevant, world-class training in psychometrics. The Introduction to Psychometrics Workshop expands on PsyAsia’s expertise in Psychometric Training in Asia by offering a course geared to those with very little experience or understanding in Psychometrics. Many first time clients don’t understand why they need to be careful in their choice or use of psychometrics and many do not understand why training is a necessity in competent test use.
This one-day course aims to provide experienced-based training in an accessible and economical way. The course is easy to understand and yet covers many of the important issues to be aware of when choosing and using psychometric tests. Given our passion for Asia and our passion for the competent use of psychometric tests in Asia, PsyAsia makes no profit on this course. We charge delegates a small fee that reflects the cost of the hotel venue (including buffet lunch and refreshments) where the training is held as well as materials that we provide to the delegates. What’s more, if you later decide to attend one of our accreditation courses in Psychometrics, we will issue you with a discount code that reduces your course fee by the amount you paid for this course!
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The history of psychometric testingTo view full course details and to register, please click here.
Psychometric Test Products in Singapore and Psychometric Training in Singapore – daily free webinars
PsyAsia International is pleased to announce that until the end of March we will be offering free daily webinars to showcase our product range. Their will be no set agenda. The agenda will be set by attendees. Please note however that product knowledge may differ depending on which of our consultants is running the webinar. Come along and chat with our consultants, see the Saville Consulting Wave, Identity Personality Assessment and the Apollo Profile in action. Ask questions about training and consulting options and so forth!
For times and to register, please click here…
Psychometric Training Singapore BPS Level A and B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing
PsyAsia International has announced new dates for our Psychometric Assessment at Work Course in Singapore.
PsyAsia has been running this course in Singapore and Hong Kong since 2002 and has collected many impressive delegate reviews. We were the first company to bring regular public BPS Level A and B training to Singapore and today we retain the only resident facilitators for this training!
The course is run by a British Psychological Society award-winning resident and registered business psychologist with a PhD earned through work with validation of Psychometric Tests in Asia. For more details of the course and facilitator and to register online, please click here.
The Singapore Psychometric Assessment at Work course will run over the following dates:
BPS Level A:
12-14 May 2010 or 9-11 June 2010
BPS Level B:
14-16 June 2010
Psychometric Test Administration only:
12 May or 9 June / or Live Online Training 30 March-01 April 5pm-6.20pm each day.
The dates are arranged as above to enable our delegates to choose whether to complete the whole course at once (9-11 June and 14-16 June) or to complete Level A first, then have a break before moving on to Level B (12-14 May and then 14-16 June). In addition, delegates may choose to only attend 5 days of the course and instead to attend our online Test Administration Training (see above), removing the need for attendance on 12 May or 9 June. Delegates will still need to be prepared to be assessed on Test Admin and Test Scoring once they attend! Please contact us before registering if you wish to choose this option.
Note: our March 2010 course in Singapore was fully booked (and in fact oversubscribed with a waiting list) 3 weeks before the course. Please ensure therefore that you register early. Early registration has additional benefits which include full access to this course’s area of our innovative online learning center where you can download training videos/courses, interact with other delegates, join in the forum and online chat and benefit from optional online live training with your facilitator even before the face-to-face training commences!
The day immediately following Level B is conversion training for the Saville Consulting Wave®. Level B delegates may register for this training at 50% off the regular fee by selecting that option during the booking process. In addition, anybody who registers for our BPS Level A/B Training before March 18 can join any other PsyAsia course at a 30% discount off the regular fee – please contact us for a special discount code if you wish to use this offer!
Interested in taking this course in HONG KONG?
For the next intake of students for our Psychometric Assessment at Work / BPS Level A and B course in Hong Kong, PsyAsia International is surveying interested individuals to provide us feedback on your preferred dates. Our survey is really simple with just 4 questions and will take you 30 seconds to complete. We’ll be sure to get back to you with the final confirmed dates if you leave your email address at the end of the survey. Click here to take survey
Buying Online and Paper-Based Psychometric Tests from Registered Psychologists rather than non-psychologist distributors
One of the first things clients will want to know when choosing who to work with when ordering psychometric tests is “why should I choose xyz company”?
As the field of psychometrics continues to grow, overseas publishers are working hard to make inroads into local markets. Clients should therefore be wary of the expertise (or lack of it) in organisations that are distributing tests.
We firmly believe that those in the best place to distribute psychometric tests are those who have a background in personality psychology and/or organisational psychology. In fact this premise was shared by many reputable test publishers until relatively recently.
Greed and motivation to expand market share have taken over in many cases and some test publishers have delegated test distribution to non-psychologists or those with short-course qualifications in this area.
The downsides of this are tremendous. Not only does it threaten the very integrity of the test and the industry, but it brings into the fore concerns regarding malpractice and the like.
Registered Organisational Psychologists are registered with government bodies. They therefore report to these bodies on issues involving competence. In addition to their 6-10 years of training in psychology (i.e. as much as a medical doctor!), they are bound to undergo continuous professional development and must submit proof of this on an annual basis. This means they need to attend high-level conferences, read peer-reviewed professional and academic journals and more.
Non-psychologists of course are not subject to any of the aforementioned. In fact, many clients who have come over to us from such distributors have entertained us with stories of gross negligence and incompetence of these “salespeople” who lack expertise and passion for the subject matter. A couple of examples follow:
1. A client told us how when they contacted “******** Assessments” in Hong Kong and asked for more information on how the test has 95% predictive accuracy (as published on their website). They were told that this related to 2 things.
Firstly that the test has a sophisticated lie detection system and so is very accurate. A psychologist will tell you this has nothing to do with predictive accuracy! Predictive accuracy (or validity) is about using the test scores to predict work performance or something similar.
This same client was then told:
“The second form of predictive accuracy is construct validation which relates to the job prediction score”.
Again, a psychologist would point out that this salesperson is getting confused. Construct validity and predictive validity are two different forms of validity. Most importantly though, no psychometric test is 95% predictive! Psychologists know that and if they claim any different they would be reported to their board and struck off!
Unfortunately, at no time was this client provided with hard-data or evidence that this test (which is based on a theory that has not been peer-reviewed and has not been independently tested in Asia or Australia) actually predicts meaningful workplace behaviours and performance.
2. Another client told us how they contacted a non-psychologist distributor of another test brand in Singapore. They asked for information about impact of dyslexia on aptitude test scores and also wanted to know about the comparison between certain tests within that brand and those of the competition.
This distributor had no idea there and then, and said he would need to go away and find out. A psychologist would not need to do this. Unless the client is asking about an obscure test, Psychologists are trained to have the answers.
As we know, there are many things to consider when choosing the right psychometric test. Issues such as reliability, validity, norm groups, standard error of measurement, cost versus validity (ROI), report options, online assessment options and so on. This short article has added to that list and suggested that the background and currency of the people in the distributorship are also important.
To cast doubt aside, it is best to work with distributors who have demonstrated their passion in psychology and psychometrics through years of training in the subject along with years of experience. Choose those holding full registration as psychologists with government/professional bodies who must undergo professional development on a continual basis.
Purchasing psychometric tests from non-psychologists may not achieve your desired goals. It may well equate to the partially-sighted leading the blind!
