Ways to improve your score

Spending hours practising will not significantly improve your
score but will make you more confident and improve your
time-keeping.

Get examples of these tests and practice. There are several books on the market or check out in the library
Have a watch in front of you and work out roughly how long you have got for each question. Bear in mind that the questions can get progressively more difficult
Strike a balance between speed and accuracy. Do not waste time on too difficult questions but do not give up too easily
Avoid wild guessing – some test marks are deducted for incorrect answers (called ‘negative marking’)
For numerical reasoning, brush up on basic arithmetic as well as fractions, ratios and percentages.
For verbal reasoning, try the very exciting activity of reading manuals, technical reports, as well as academic and business journals. Extracting the main points from the passages of text and summarising their meaning will also help.

Personality Questionnaires

They are designed to indicate if you are suitable for a job as success in a job also depends on your personal characteristics and qualities. Unlike aptitude tests, there are no right or wrong answers. Selectors are looking for certain characteristics rather than an overall profile.


Questions focus on personality aspects such as:

How do you relate to other people
Your work style
Your ability to deal with emotions (your own and other people’s)
Your motivation, determination and general outlook

There is no point in trying to answer questions how you think the company would like you to be as these questionnaires have checks build in to catch you out so corny as it sounds, just be yourself as you will have to be once at work.

Group Exercises

The most common sorts are Group tasks and Group discussions

Group tasks tend to be of a practical nature, e.g. asked to build something using limited materials. If it is a group discussion, you may be assigned a chair to steer the group. The discussion topics are often related to the context of the work for which you are applying, i.e. leisure, hospitality.

The traits that a company will be looking to see that a candidate can:
1. Make regular contributions
2. Influence the group
3. Express themselves with clarity
4. Show original thinking
5. Acknowledge the views of others
6. Facilitate the discussion

Do not dominate the group, make yourself heard but do not bore everyone with the sound of your voice.
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