Applying for internships is stressful.  As well as reading about the company, crafting the cover letter, updating your CV and preparing for an interview, you’ll probably also have to do some sort of online psychometric test – and they’re incredibly stressful.

Here are some tips to help you get better at them!  (Adapted from Assessment Centre HQ.  These links are NOT affiliate links – I just included them because I thought they would provide some helpful extra tips.)

Manage Your Time!

Your performance is not just about accuracy, it’s also about speed.  Employers want to know that you can work under pressure, so make sure that you look ahead and figure out how much time you can spend on each question.

If you start spending too long on one question, skip it!

Read the Question First

You might be tempted to try and figure out what the data in the graph or the table means – this will use up your time.  Instead, read the question first so that you know what to look for.

Look Only at the Relevant Information

Don’t bother looking at all the other information – narrow it down to the parts that answer the question.  Once you’ve found the relevant information, use it to solve the question.  Make sure you’re constantly referencing both the question and the data.

Remain Calm

One way to help you stay calm is to prepare well.  If you need some tips or refreshers on how to solve certain types of questions, check out Job Test Prep’s website.

Find Out the Test Supplier

There are 6 test suppliers

• SHL (normally presents data in graphs, tables and diagrams, which you must analyse and interpret using basic arithmetic and calculations)
• Saville
• Talent Q
• Kenexa
• Cubiks
• Cut-E

Although they all do Numerical Reasoning tests, their formats and question styles are slightly (or very) different.  It might be worth it to try and locate practice tests for each.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Unlike other psychometric tests, you can improve a lot in a short space of time.  This comes down to practice.

Here is a list of some free practice aptitude tests:

• practiceaptitudetests.com
• wikijob.co.uk
• numericalreasoningtest.org
• cebglobal.com (SHL is part of CEB)
• jobtestprep.co.uk
• graduatesfirst.com (scroll right down and there’s a blue button that says ‘Take free sample practice tests now’ and you have to register)
• cubiks.com (only sample questions, not timed)
• graduatewings.co.uk
• Savilleassessment.com
• kent.ac.uk
• psychometricinstitute.com.au
• testpartnership.com

For tips on how to pass the Verbal Reasoning test, check out Assessment Centre HQ’s guide here; Practice aptitude Verbal Reasoning tests can also be found in the links for practice Numerical Reasoning tests above.