Can Job Candidates Fake Psychometric Tests?

It is fundamental that psychometric tests are administered and interpreted correctly. Testing is more than emailing an anonymous link to a candidate and then having the results emailed to the hiring manager.

At Fermion, we have developed a testing methodology that delivers reliable results. From speaking to all candidates before the testing, to the precise nature of the verbal and written instructions, and finally, the context-dependent interpretation of the data with the client. All these factors ensure the results from the tests and assessments are reliable and valid.

In addition to this, there are measures built into quality psychometric tests and assessments that increase reliability of the results. These measures include verification testing and validity scales. Verification testing is used for aptitude and skills testing and is where the candidate is told they may be required to complete a different version of the same test later to confirm their initial results. Validity scales are used for behavioural and personality questionnaires and these cover positive-impression-management or self-enhancing, consistency scales and self-critical scales. These measures, combined with proper verbal and written instructions, ensure the reliability of the data.

Conclusion: If a job candidate is highly motivated to misrepresent themselves during the selection process then it is a challenge to ensure the reliability of the available data. That said, there are measures that can be put into place to counter this, such as the nature of the written and verbal instructions, but also the interpretation of the data in the context of the candidate's CV and the the role. A comprehensive selection process will identify a candidate who is determined to lie and misrepresent themselves. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christopher Apps is an Organisational Psychologist and owner of Fermion. I enjoy keeping up to date with the latest research in psychology and sharing that information. There are a lot of fads, gimmicks and clichés in the people & culture field, and I believe it is important to be sceptical of hyperbolic claims about human behaviour and to adopt an evidence-based approach to work.

The focus of Fermion is "Psychometric Testing for Recruitment" and “Recruitment to Retention: How to select good staff and keep them”. If you would like to learn how to select good staff and keep them, please feel free to contact us at Fermion.

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

Eleanor Roosevelt.