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Advice on Taking Assessment Tests

Assessment tests, such as numerical and verbal reasoning tests or personality questionnaires, play a part in many companies’ recruitment and staff development processes. Practising these tests can help you prepare for assessment centres and recruitment but it is also useful to familiarise yourself with the rest of the assessment and recruitment process.

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SHL Direct – advice and help in more than 20 languages

SHL’s www.shldirect.com website can help you prepare for many aspects of the recruitment selection process. As well as giving you the opportunity to practice ability tests such as verbal and numerical reasoning, it also has useful hints and tips to take you through each stage of recruitment from applying for a job through to requesting feedback after an assessment. The site is offered in more than 20 languages.

Take a look at our assessment advice on SHL Direct

Books for practice tests

For fully worked examples of our test questions we suggest you take a look at psychometric practice books from Andrea Shavick. In particular the following books are useful for practising SHL tests:

  • Passing Psychometric Tests 2007 Edition (ISBN: 1845282221)
  • Psychometric Tests for Graduates 2008 Edition (ISBN: 1845282620)
  • Management Level Psychometric and Assessment Tests (ISBN: 1845280288)
  • Practice Psychometric Tests (ISBN: 1845280202)

There are a number of other books on the market but the test examples are not based on SHL's tests.

Assessment tests as part of the recruitment process

Do not feel too daunted by assessment tests, they benefit you as much as they benefit employers. By taking assessments as part of the recruitment process you are less likely to move into a job you’re not suited to.

If you’re not successful with your application do ask for feedback on how you performed in the assessments and overall process as this will help you understand your strengths and development needs ready for the next time. The feedback should also help you to target the types of job where you are likely to be happier and most successful.

Join the SHL Direct Facebook fan page

If you find SHL Direct useful why not become a fan on Facebook?

Use our Facebook page to ask us any questions you have about our assessments, keep up-to-date with any changes to our products, or even just to chat to other people who are also preparing to take a test.

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