FAQ

hlp_at_assessment_5

i. Questions Before Starting the Assessments

Q: What computer requirements are needed in order to take the Assessments?

A: You will need a computer with a mouse and internet access through Explorer 6.0 or above, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator 6 or above, Opera 6.0 or above. Google Chrome may also be used, however, some candidates may experience disruptions entering responses with a mouse.

If you are using a Mac computer you may use Chrome v1.0 or newer, Firefox 2.5 or newer, Camino 2.0, and Safari 4 or newer. Please ensure you have turned off the appropriate pop-up blockers in your Mac web browser.

You CANNOT take the Assessments on a mobile device or tablet.

 

Q: Can I use a calculator or a dictionary when I take the Prevue Assessments?

A: We suggest you have a piece of paper and a pencil or pen available when you taking the Abilities Assessments. Although you can use a calculator, dictionary of other aids of your choice, such aids are generally found to me more of a hindrance than a help. For the most part the questions you will be asked to answer are not of a type that are assisted by a calculator or dictionary. Because the Abilities Assessments are timed the use of aids takes up time that will better be spent seeking out and responding to the questions that are easiest for you to answer.

 

Q: What is the best way to prepare for the Prevue Assessments?

A: The best preparation is to review the “Assessment Advice” and the “Practice Prevue Assessments” pages in this website.

 

Q: How accurate are psychometric assessments or tests?

A: The accuracy of assessments can be measured in terms of their coefficients of reliability and validity. Some assessments are more reliable and valid than others. All assessments that are used for human resource management and particularly for personnel selection should be supported by a technical manual that reports statistics on the reliability and validity of each assessment or test.

 

Q: What do the Prevue Abilities Assessments measure?

A: The Prevue Abilities Assessments (Working With Words, Working With Numbers and Working With Shapes) measure specific reasoning abilities such as numerical reasoning. Together they provide a measure of General Ability which is the ability to solve a wide range of different kinds of logic problems.

 

Q: What does the Prevue Personality Assessment measure?

A: The Prevue Personality Assessment is designed to measure personality traits that are stable and enduring predispositions to act in a consistent manner in different situations, such as being competitive or outgoing. In short, they measure the broad differences between people that we routinely encounter or observe in people every day.

 

Q: What is the best personality to have?

A: There is no such thing as a good or bad personality. Everyone is different and has their own strengths and weaknesses. What may be a strength in one situation may be a weakness in another. For example, being extremely conscientious and detail oriented may be useful for some jobs but for others it might be found to make you appear to spend too much attention to detail and not be able to see the bigger picture, suggesting you are not a strategic thinker or may be lacking in creativity.

 

Q: How easy is it to fake personality assessment results?

A: Virtually all personality assessments contain scales which are designed to identify attempts at faking test results. Most attempts at faking test results can therefore be detected through what are called motivational distortion scales. More importantly however is that if you do manage to fake a personality assessment you are more likely to find yourself in a job you are not well suited for. For example, if you were able to successfully present yourself as being much more extraverted than you really are, in order to secure a sales job, you might soon find yourself becoming stressed and have difficulty coping with the demands of having to constantly meet new people or make cold calls. It therefore really is in your best interest to respond to questions in a personality assessment honestly and openly.

 

Q: What is the difference between “tests” and “assessments”?

A: They can be distinguished on the basis that a test is an examination or trial with pass or fail criteria while an assessment is an appraisal or evaluation of job fit to match people to jobs. In practice these two terms are used almost interchangeably so we don’t place too much significance on distinguishing between them.

 

ii. Questions While Completing the Assessments

Q: What happens if I have to leave an Assessment part way through?

A: The instructions at the beginning of each assessment ask that you complete the assessment in one sitting. However if you find you have to interrupt an assessment or encounter some computer issue that terminates your access to an assessment, you can proceed as follows:

1. You log back into Assessment Station using the same User Name and Password you were assigned when you were first invited to complete the Prevue Assessments;
2. If you were interrupted in the course of taking a timed assessment (one of the three Abilities Assessments) you will be taken to the next of the three Abilities Assessments. To retake a timed assessment that was interrupted you will need to contact the organization that asked you to take the Prevue Assessments and request them to “RESET” the interrupted assessment.
3. If you were interrupted in the course of taking an untimed assessment (the Prevue Interests or Prevue Personality Assessments) you will be taken to the question where you were interrupted when you log back into Assessment Station.

 

iii. After Completing the Assessments:

Q: When I have completed my Prevue Assessments, how do I get my results?

A: For most organizations it is simply impractical to provide feedback to all the persons who apply to a job opening. Assessment results are generally only made available to job incumbents for coaching or development purposes. If the organization that asked you to take the Prevue Assessments is able to provide feedback on your assessment results they will likely have made that offer to you in the invitation you received to take the Assessments.