Psychometric tests are standardised assessments that employers use to measure skills and traits linked to how you would do the job. In graduate and internship hiring the common types are online reasoning tests (numerical, verbal and abstract or logical), situational judgement tests and personality questionnaires. Practice helps most with the reasoning tests, because it teaches you the format and the timing.
What is a psychometric assessment?
UNSW's careers guide calls them psychometric assessments. The University of Sydney's careers centre describes psychometric tests as designed to objectively measure skills and attributes that relate to workplace performance. Some test cognitive skills such as numerical, verbal or abstract reasoning. Others look at your behavioural style or personality traits. It says they are commonly used in graduate and internship recruitment.
The Australian Public Service Commission gives a similar definition for APS jobs: tests of your abilities, behaviours and interests that may include aptitude or personality tests, covering things like numerical reasoning, abstract thinking, problem solving, interpersonal style or time management.
Why do employers use psychometric tests?
UNSW's psychometric assessment guide puts it down to the cost of hiring the wrong person, in lost productivity, the selection process and retraining. It says tests are seldom used on their own. Other tools include interviews, work samples, case studies, group activities and reference checks. The University of Sydney adds that cognitive results show how you use logic to solve a problem, while personality results may be used to understand your work style or how you might fit a team.
A team leader who hires told us how a graduate program differs from other roles:
I'm a team leader at a global engineering firm and, apart from the Grad Program, I review every application... The grad program attracts hundreds of applicants and it would be totally unrealistic for us to review each one.
Where do psychometric tests fit in a graduate application?
UTS Careers sets out the usual graduate recruitment process in five stages: the online application, testing, a video or phone interview, an assessment centre with final interviews, then the offer. The video interview can come before or after the tests, depending on the employer.
UNSW's guide says cognitive tests are often used earlier, to screen whether you can do the job, and personality questionnaires are more likely near the final stages. The University of Sydney says most tests are taken online through a link from the recruiter, at a time that suits you, and some are run at an assessment centre or interview. For APS jobs, the Public Service Commission says shortlisting may use psychometric testing, and it may also form part of an interview or replace one.
What types of psychometric test will you face?
| Test | What it measures | What it can look like |
|---|---|---|
| Numerical reasoning | Using numerical data to solve a problem | Calculations, reading graphs and tables, ratios and percentages |
| Verbal reasoning | Reaching a conclusion from written information | Reading a passage, then judging whether a statement is true or false |
| Abstract or logical reasoning | Finding the rule in shapes, symbols or information | Completing a pattern, inductive tests (predicting what comes next) and deductive tests (drawing conclusions from what you are given) |
| Situational judgement | Choosing the most appropriate action at work | A workplace scenario, written or animated, with several possible responses to choose from |
| Personality questionnaire | How you like to work | Rating how well statements describe you, with no right or wrong answers |
Descriptions from the University of Sydney careers centre and SHL's candidate pages.
The University of Sydney also lists gamified tests, where the tasks look like a game: puzzles, sorting correct from incorrect information quickly, or a scenario such as building a theme park. Your results still count.
How are psychometric tests scored?
Reasoning tests have one right answer to each question. UNSW's guide says they are usually timed at about 15 to 40 minutes, are designed to separate highly able candidates so few people finish, and in most cases do not take marks off for wrong answers. Check the instructions to be sure, since the University of Sydney lists points deducted for wrong answers as one of the things to look for.
Your score is compared with other people. UNSW's guide says good tests are standardised on a large sample, and that in graduate hiring the aim is to see your strengths and weaknesses in relation to other graduates.
Employers use the scores in different ways. The University of Sydney says many weigh your scores alongside your application, and some set a cut-off score you must reach to go to the next stage. UNSW's guide says decisions usually rest on your whole profile, so being weaker in one area will not necessarily count against you.
Personality questionnaires have no right or wrong answers. UNSW's guide says they are usually untimed and take 30 to 90 minutes.
What are the myths about psychometric tests?
- "You can't prepare." UNSW's guide says this holds for personality, motivation, interest and general ability tests. For the reasoning tests, the University of Sydney says practice teaches you the structure and timing.
- "You can give the answers the employer wants on a personality questionnaire." Both universities say these questionnaires carry scales built to catch answers given to look good, and UNSW says candidates with high or low scores on those scales may not be considered further. SHL's advice is to be yourself and respond honestly.
- "They work like a uni exam." UNSW's guide says they are not generally like examinations, and speed counts in most ability tests, so work as fast and accurately as you can.
How do you practise for psychometric tests?
- Ask the employer which tests you will sit, as UNSW's guide suggests.
- Take practice tests of several kinds. The University of Sydney notes some are easier than others.
- In verbal tests, answer using only the information in the passage.
- In numerical tests, watch the units, scales and labels on every graph.
- In abstract tests, look for shapes that move in one direction, rotate, or grow and shrink in size or number.
Where can you practise psychometric tests for free?
- Your university careers service. UNSW's guide suggests asking your careers office for practice tests, and the University of Sydney gives its students, and graduates within five years of finishing, free practice aptitude tests.
- Talogy, a test publisher, links free practice tests from its candidate support page, with example questions for its reasoning tests, personality questionnaire and situational judgement tests.
- Saville Assessment, another publisher, offers free timed practice tests for verbal, numerical, diagrammatic and abstract reasoning, and you can repeat the questions as many times as you like.
SHL also has practice tests on its candidate site. SHL and Saville both note that their practice questions may not match the difficulty of the real test.
What should you do the day before and on the day?
The day before:
- Do a timed practice test of each type you will sit.
- Brush up on mental maths, with and without a calculator, and on reading tables and figures.
- Check your web browser is up to date and works with the test platform.
- Leave plenty of time before the deadline.
- Get a good night's sleep. UNSW says you are unlikely to do your best if you are too tired.
On the day:
- Choose a time and place where you will not be interrupted.
- Have a calculator, notepad and pen ready, and check whether a calculator is allowed.
- Read every instruction, even if you have sat tests before, including whether marks come off for wrong answers and how long you have.
- Complete any practice and example questions at the start.
- Work quickly without rushing. If a question has you stuck, move on and come back if time allows.
- In a personality questionnaire, go with your first response. UNSW says it is the best indication of how you would generally respond.
From UNSW's guide, the University of Sydney careers centre, SHL and Talogy's candidate pages.
What if you keep failing psychometric tests?
Start with feedback. SHL says many organisations offer it whatever the outcome, and suggests asking if it isn't offered. For APS jobs, the Public Service Commission says unsuccessful applicants can ask the contact officer for feedback on their assessment activities.
Then practise the test type that let you down, under time limits. Saville says its practice questions are there to get you used to the format and to working to strict time limits.
If a disability or condition affects how you sit timed tests, tell the recruiter early. SHL and Talogy both say the recruiter may be able to make adjustments.
SHL also says that where there is more than one exercise, you will have other chances to show what you can do, so don't give up after one that went badly.
What comes after the tests?
In the UTS outline, a video or phone interview comes next, then an assessment centre and final interviews. Behavioural questions there ask about something you have done, and our guide to the STAR method for interview answers covers how to answer them, and what an internship is and how to get one covers the programs that lead to graduate offers. To see what graduates earn once they are through, read our Graduate Salary Survey.
Sources
- University of Sydney, Psychometric and aptitude tests (definition, use in graduate and internship recruitment, how employers use scores and cut-offs, online and assessment centre testing, gamified tests, verbal, numerical, abstract and personality examples, test tips, practice for structure and timing, some tests easier than others, free practice aptitude tests for students and graduates within five years)
- UNSW Employability, What are psychometric assessments? (April 2023) (why employers use them, combined with other tools, when in the process, timing, few finish, no penalty for wrong answers in most tests, comparison with other graduates, whole profile, personality questionnaires and inconsistency scales, preparation tips, the belief that you cannot prepare, not like examinations, first response, practice tests from the careers office, sleep)
- UTS Careers, The 5 Stages of Graduate Recruitment (27 February 2023) (the five stages and where testing sits)
- Australian Public Service Commission, Cracking the code: interview and other assessment (definition of psychometric tests, use in APS shortlisting and interviews, feedback for unsuccessful applicants, read from a plain download on 8 October 2026 after the page reader timed out)
- SHL, Take Practice Tests (inductive, deductive and situational judgement descriptions, practice tests, difficulty may differ)
- Talogy, Candidate support, read 8 October 2026 (free practice tests)
- Talogy practice tests, Assessment tips and What you need to know, read 8 October 2026 (practice test types, read every instruction, time before the deadline, calculator, notepad and pen, no interruptions, browser, work quickly, skip and return, adjustments)
- Saville Assessment, Practice tests, read 8 October 2026 (free timed practice tests, the test types, repeat as often as you like, format and strict time limits, difficulty may differ)
- SHL, About Assessments (situational judgement and personality questionnaires, practice questions, feedback, adjustments for candidates with a disability, be yourself and respond honestly, more than one exercise)
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