For most students looking for a career in the legal industry, the clerkship process may be one of the first times that you have ever been asked to complete a psychometric test. This usually occurs after you have submitted your written application to the firm. This usually comes in the form of an automatic reply from the firm, directing you to the links in order to complete your psychometric test. The type of psychometric test differs for different law firms – some firms use Revelian Cognitive Ability Test (RCAT), SHL and pymetrics, while other firms have begun to create their own online tests that could involve general reasoning, mathematics, comprehension, and emotional intelligence.
In our article, we explore what psychometric testing is all about, why law firms use it and how you can prepare for these assessments.
Why do law firms have Psychometric Testing?
Psychometric tests have become a very popular and widely used recruitment tool for many industries, not just law firms. The reason that firms use it is simple – it helps reduce the pool of candidates, so recruiters are able to review all applications in a timely manner. As psychometric testing has gained industry-wide support and recognition as an effective tool for recruitment, most firms have now adopted this online testing to reduce the candidate pool.
Many firms are well aware that there may be discrepancies between the actual online testing and a candidate’s capabilities, so the weighting of these assessment results is not as important when compared to a candidate’s actual written application. Having spoken to different recruiters at large and mid-tier law firms, psychometric testing is only really used to remove candidates who perform particularly poorly in these assessments. That is, as long as your psychometric results are not in the bottom percentile, it should not really impact your assessment as a candidate for the firm.
What can I expect in a Psychometric Test?
As outlined briefly above, different law firms test for different concepts. However, a few common themes in these assessments are that you are tested for your reasoning and deduction skills, your response time and your values that define who you are. These can take in many forms, from reflex type games and your response in certain professional settings to verbal reasoning and patterns. While the breadth of coverage of these psychometric tests may seem daunting, there are important tips on how to figure out what is being tested and to prepare for these assessments.
1. Figure out what psychometric tests you are required to take.
Knowing what type of questions you will receive in the actual psychometric assessment helps most students deal with the stress and anxiety of sitting this online testing. Once you submit your written clerkship application to the firm, you will receive an automated reply directing you to sit the assessment. This email may come to your inbox as soon as you submit your written application, or even after the application deadline date.
A few things to look out for in that email, include:
- The company who will be running the psychometric test (whether it is Revelian, SHL, psymetrics or some other entity). This will help you find out the style and format of what your testing would look like;
- The type of test(s) you will be required to sit. If you cannot determine the type of test in the automated email, click into the assessment link (but do not start the assessment) and you should be able to find what type of test it is (i.e. inductive reasoning, personality, comprehension etc.); and
- Deadline for completing the psychometric test. There is no reward for completing it early, but make sure you carve out sufficient time before the deadline to actually sit the test.
2. Take Practice Tests
If you have the time and it has been some time since you sat a numerical, comprehension or general ability type test, you may want to do some practice before the assessment.
As you know the company running the psychometric testing and the type of test you are expected to sit, a quick google search will direct you to many different online resources to either see how to complete certain questions or conduct practice tests yourself. Most companies who are running these assessments have their own links to practice tests that you can complete prior to the actual assessment. These are quite useful as it allows you to familiarize yourself with the testing environment while also learning about the typical techniques and methods that are used to solve certain numeric and pattern type questions.
If you don’t have the time to complete any practice tests, there are some practice questions in the actual assessment that you can do before the actual assessment. These are equally helpful in preparing you for the online test but are limited in number.
3. Performing in the Psychometric Test
On the day that you take your online psychometric test, there are a few simple tips you should ensure you follow to ensure that you perform at your best.
- Be well-rested. As many of these assessments require quick thinking and reflexes, being tired when completing the assessment will affect your performance. Ensure that you take the test when you feel the most awake and active, so you are able to react quickly to any test that is given to you.
- Be aware of your testing environment. It is important to make sure that you have a strong internet connection when sitting the assessment. Also ensure that you will not be disturbed for the duration of each test.
- Keeping time. Psychometric testing is about efficiency and accuracy. A very common mistake that most students make is not keeping time and missing out on large sections of the online assessment. There are often simple questions at the later questions of the online psychometric assessment so make sure that you have enough time to view and attempt each question. Each question is generally worth the same, so answering more questions correctly is more important that figuring out a very difficult one.
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