Psychometric Tests- Occupational Personality Questionnaire

Psychometric Tests- Occupational Personality Questionnaire

IQRA UNIVERSITYMBA(MORNING)SUBMITTED TO:DR.JAWED[Pick the date]SHARIQ AHMED KHANReg No:24887Course: Recruitment and SelectionClass Day: Saturday-Sunday Semester: Summer 2015Date:26/7/2015

Psychometric TestsPsychometric tests are structured exercises used for measuring a persons aptitude, competence, skill, sensitivity, memory, intelligence and personality. Some employers may use these tests as part of their recruitment and selection methods. Individuals may also use a test to help with career decision-making. There are two main types of test: Aptitude tests, which assess your abilities Personality questionnaires, which give a profile of your personality.

These tests may be used at various points in the selection process. Some employers use them early on, perhaps interviewing only those who achieve a certain score in an aptitude test. Others use them later, towards the final stages of the process.

Personality Test:Apersonality testis aquestionnaireor other standardized instrument designed to reveal aspects of an individual's character or psychological makeup.The first personality tests were developed in the 1920sand were intended to ease the process of personnel selection, particularly in the armed forces. Since these early efforts, a wide variety of personality tests have been developed, notably theMyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), theMMPI, and a number of tests based on theFive Factor Modelof personality, such as theRevised NEO Personality Inventory.Personality tests are used in a range of contexts, including but not limited to, individual andrelationship counseling,career counseling, employment testing,occupational health and safetyand customer interaction management

Occupational Personality Questionnaire

Employers are interested in different personality traits as indicators of job-relevant behaviors. TheOccupational Personality Questionnaires, OPQ or OPQ32, are widely used occupationalpersonality questionnaires. The authors wereSavilleet al., including Roger Holdsworth, Gill Nyfield, Lisa Cramp and Bill Mabey, and they were launched by Saville and Holdsworth Ltd. in 1984.The series included the first commercially available Big Fiveinstrument. Distribution is done today by CEB SHL Talent Management. The most recent version of the OPQ, called the OPQ32r.OPQ32 provides an indication of an individuals preferred behavioral style at work; to help employers gauge how a candidate will fit into certain work environments, how they will work with other people and how they will cope with different job requirements. The OPQ measures 32 different personality traits that are relevant to occupational settings. Ultimately the test measures traits with the purpose of determining your behavioural style at work. The OPQ32 is used in selection, development,team building,succession planningand organizational change. OPQ32 is now available in more than 30 languages and usesitem response theoryto shorten the questionnaire down to less than 30 minutes. Has both a normative version 230questions and an ipsative version with104 questions. When undertaking the OPQ, you are asked to make forced choice responses (otherwise referred to as an ipsative approach). For instance, each question in the OPQ has 4 statements or adjectives such as friendly, leader, team player and confident. You are required to rate which is the most and least like you out of the 4 statements/adjectives, rather than rating each individual statement or adjective on a scale. Thus your final score is likely to indicate your relative strengths and weaknesses. It is therefore important to prepare for such tests through online practice psychometric tests so that you are confident that you are demonstrating your strengths to your potential employer when you undertake your real psychometric test.

Classification Content Domains: Personality Trait Intended or main area(s) of Use: Work and Occupational Counselling, Advice, Guidance, and Career Choice Intended mode of use (conditions under which the instrument was standardised and validated): Controlled unsupervised administration. Control over conditions (timing etc) and some control of identify of the test taker (e.g. tests administered over the Internet but only to known individuals password restricted access) Supervised and controlled administration. Test administration under the control of a qualified administrator or proctor Description of the populations for which the test is intended: As a broadspectrum test of personality it can be used with most working adult populations. Its primarily use is likely to be for managers, professional workers and graduates. Designed with the international market in mind, versions are available in a range of languages with specific country and occupational group norm data. Number of scales and brief description of the variable or variables measured by the test: There are 32 trait scales which fall into 3 main clusters: relationships with people; thinking style; feelings and emotions. The scales related to relationships with people are: persuasive; controlling; outspoken; independent minded; outgoing; affiliative; socially confident; modest; democratic; caring. The OPQ also includes a social desirability measure to detect faking responses.The scales related to thinking style are: data rational; evaluative; behavioural; conventional; conceptual; innovative; variety seeking; adaptable; forward thinking; detail conscious; conscientious; rule following. The scales related to feelings and emotions are: relaxed; worrying; tough minded; optimistic; trusting; emotionally controlled; vigorous; competitive; achieving; decisive. The normative version (OPQn) contains an additional social desirability scale and the ipsative version (OPQi) contains an additional consistency scale.Items format: Likert ratings Forced choice, mixed scale alternatives (ipsative) Number of test items: The normative version has 230 questions where respondents indicate an agreement on a 15 Likert scale. Each scale is based on an average of 7 items. The ipsative test has 104 blocks of four choices where the candidate chooses the statements most and least like them. In each tetrad a respondent indicates the most appropriate and the least appropriate statement.Administration modes: Supervised Group administration Computerized locallyinstalled application supervised/proctored Computerized locallyinstalled application unsupervised/selfassessment Computerized Webbased application unsupervised/selfassessment Computerized Webbased application supervised/proctored Response mode: Paper and pencil Computerized Time: Preparation: 5 minutes Administration: 35 45 minutes Scoring: 5 10 minutes Analysis: 20 minutes Feedback: 1 hour

Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32) ScalesLow score descriptionHigh score description

Relationships with People

rarely pressures others to change their views, dislikes selling, less comfortable using negotiationPersuasiveenjoys selling, comfortable using negotiation, likes to change other peoples view

happy to let others take charge, dislikes telling people what to do, unlikely to take the leadControllinglikes to be in charge, takes the lead, tells others what to do, takes control

holds back from criticizing others, may not express own views, unprepared to put forward own opinionsOutspokenfreely expresses opinions, makes disagreement clear, prepared to criticize others

accepts majority decisions, prepared to follow the consensusIndependent Mindedprefers to follow own approach, prepared to disregard majority decisions

quiet and reserved in groups, dislikes being centre of attentionOutgoinglively and animated in groups, talkative, enjoys attention

comfortable spending time away from people, values time spent alone, seldom misses the company of othersAffiliativeenjoys others company, likes to be around people, can miss the company of others

feels more comfortable in less formal situations, can feel awkward when first meeting peopleSocially Confidentfeels comfortable when first meeting people, at ease in formal situations

makes strengths and achievements known, talks about personal successModestdislikes discussing achievements, keeps quiet about personal success

prepared to make decisions without consultation, prefers to make decisions aloneDemocraticconsults widely, involves others in decision making, less likely to make decisions alone

selective with sympathy and support, remains detached from others personal problemsCaringsympathetic and considerate towards others, helpful and supportive, gets involved in others problems

Thinking Style

prefers dealing with opinions and feelings rather than facts and figures, likely to avoid using statisticsData Rationallikes working with numbers, enjoys analyzing statistical information, bases decisions on facts and figures

does not focus on potential limitations, dislikes critically analyzing information, rarely looks for errors or mistakesEvaluativecritically evaluates information, looks for potential limitations, focuses upon errors

does not question the reasons for peoples behavior, tends not to analyze peopleBehavioraltries to understand motives and behaviors, enjoys analyzing people

favors changes to work methods, prefers new approaches, less conventionalConventionalprefers well established methods, favors a more conventional approach

prefers to deal with practical rather than theoretical issues, dislikes dealing with abstract conceptsConceptualinterested in theories, enjoys discussing abstract concepts

more likely to build on than generate ideas, less inclined to be creative and inventiveInnovativegenerates new ideas, enjoys being creative, thinks of original solutions

prefers routine, is prepared to do repetitive work, does not seek varietyVariety Seekingprefers variety, tries out new things, likes changes to regular routine, can become bored by repetitive work

behaves consistently across situations, unlikely to behave differently with different peopleAdaptablechanges behavior to suit the situation, adapts approach to different people

more likely to focus upon immediate than long-term issues, less likely to take a strategic perspectiveForward Thinkingtakes a long-term view, sets goals for the future, more likely to take a strategic perspective

unlikely to become preoccupied with detail, less organized and systematic, dislikes tasks involving detailDetail Consciousfocuses on detail, likes to be methodical, organized and systematic, may become preoccupied with detail

sees deadlines as flexible, prepared to leave some tasks unfinishedConscientiousfocuses on getting things finished, persists until the job is done

not restricted by rules and procedures, prepared to break rules, tends to dislike bureaucracyRule Followingfollows rules and regulations, prefers clear guidelines, finds it difficult to break rules

Feelings and Emotions

tends to feel tense, finds it difficult to relax, can find it hard to unwind after workRelaxedfinds it easy to relax, rarely feels tense, generally calm and untroubled

feels calm before important occasions, less affected by key events, free from worryWorryingfeels nervous before important occasions, worries about things going wrong

sensitive, easily hurt by criticism, upset by unfair comments or insultsTough mindednot easily offended, can ignore insults, may be insensitive to personal criticism

concerned about the future, expects things to go wrong, focuses on negative aspects of a situationOptimisticexpects things will turn out well, looks to the positive aspects of a situation, has an optimistic view of the future

wary of others intentions, finds it difficult to trust others, unlikely to be fooled by peopleTrustingtrusts people, sees others as reliable and honest, believes what others say

openly expresses feelings, finds it difficult to conceal feelings, displays emotion clearlyEmotionally Controlledcan conceal feelings from others, rarely displays emotion

likes to take things at a steady pace, dislikes excessive work demandsVigorousthrives on activity, likes to keep busy, enjoys having a lot to do

dislikes competing with others, feels that taking part is more important than winningCompetitivehas a need to win, enjoys competitive activities, dislikes losing

sees career progression as less important, looks for achievable rather than highly ambitious targetsAchievingambitious and career-centered, likes to work to demanding goals and targets

tends to be cautious when making decisions, likes to take time to reach conclusionsDecisivemakes fast decisions, reaches conclusions quickly, less cautious

Benefits:The OPQ helps organizations: Identify the best-fit applicants for a given role Improve interview hit rates Identify future leaders Redeploy talent across the business Evaluate the talent pool following a merger /acquisition/ restructure Create winning project teams Manage the transformation of a technical specialist to an effective people managerThere is a range of user-friendly, business relevant reports available based on the OPQ32. OPQ reports are designed to ensure that results can be meaningfully interpreted and understood in business contexts. Designed for use in businesses by managers or trained HR professionals Targeted, user-friendly and professional formats Clear, concise language with easy to understand graphical summaries In-depth, insightful information to use across a wide range of contexts. The report range includes reports designed for use by HR professionals, line managers and candidates for a variety of purposes including recruitment, development, team building and career guidance.