The tests are used by companies during the selection process when recruiting new staff, and internally to help employers better understand the development needs of employees. Sometimes, the tests are used to help the employees themselves understand more about self-progression and the roles they would be best suited to. The goal of a SOVA assessment is to find out the most information possible about an individual in the least possible time. Psychometric testing is an effective method of measuring an individual’s potential. It is fast, reliable and most crucially, a fair way of testing, ensuring everyone is assessed equally. SOVA offers companies the option of purchasing an off-the-shelf test, or a bespoke assessment specifically designed in accordance with the company’s role requirements (the qualities they need in the new recruit). Ready-made tests are available in Ability, Situational Judgment (SJT), Personality or video assessment. The custom tests include a mixture of questions across some or all of those categories, and there may be additional numerical, logical or verbal reasoning questions.
What Is Being Assessed?
Different tests are used to discover different things:
The Ability Test
This test is designed to assess how capable the candidate is of doing a certain job or performing a certain task. The test assesses whether you possess a certain skill and how likely you are to develop the skill you have further, or learn to do it.
The Personality Test
The personality test is used to assess your personality, motivations, interests and values within the parameters of a specific role. These tests usually ask the candidate to rank statements in a certain order or make a choice about something. The answers you give will provide the employer with vital information about:
How you problem solve How motivated you are How you manage complex situations Your flexibility Whether you are a keen learner Whether you are a decision-maker or leave the decision making to others How well you engage with colleagues and clients Whether you are open to new ideas and can adapt to change How resilient you are
The Situational Judgement Test (STJ)
This looks at how you would tackle a certain situation that could quite possibly arise in the role you are applying for. The STJ test is assessing competency and aptitude in certain areas and therefore uses psychometrics to establish whether or not you have what it takes to perform the job. You have to choose your response, allocating ‘least effective’ and ‘most effective’ to two options out of a possible three or four.
Example STJ Question
You realize you forgot to find out the answer to the caller’s questions. However, you haven’t heard back from them and it has been two days since their call. Rate one statement as Least Effective and one statement as Most Effective. In these tests, you are likely to have to interpret graphs, diagrams, patterns or a section of text.
Example Numerical Reasoning Question
a) 150 b) 125 c) 200 d) 145 The results of a marketing survey of six-thousand online shoppers shows that despite growth in online retail year-on-year, growth in clothing shopping online is set to decline over the next 10 years. Nearly a third of those surveyed said they had had an issue with an online clothing order, which included soiled goods, unravelled hems and missing items. Almost 70% of 40 to 50-year-olds said they had never purchased clothing online and don’t plan to in the future. All clothing retailers will see a drop in online sales over the next five years. a) True b) False c) Cannot Say
Example Logical Reasoning Question
Identify the pattern and choose the answer that fits in the middle square. For each row, column three minus column 2 equals column 1.
Personality Test
The SOVA Personality Test assesses behaviour – the way an individual reacts to and deals with different scenarios, their preferences, and their likes and dislikes. In this SOVA test, a set of four statements is presented to the candidate. The individual must rate the statements on a scale of which is most like them, to which is least like them.
Example Personality Test Question
To what extent do the following statements reflect your behaviour in the workplace? There are no right or wrong answers here. The answers you give will help the employer assess whether or not you are right for the role they are recruiting for. Although you should answer honestly, it is worth spending some time thinking about the key attributes that are vital to the role and how you can demonstrate those. You will have one minute to consider the question and prepare an answer. A further three minutes are given for you to record your response. There is no special software needed and you can access the AC via laptop, PC, mobile or tablet. Despite the tests being digital, you will still need a pen, paper and calculator within reach for certain elements of the test. Candidates can try out a practice question at the start of every individual assessment. There is no defined time limit; however, SOVA does calculate your final score based on how long it took you to answer the questions, so time still matters. Time yourself when practising the different types of questions; you should aim to complete a numerical or logical reasoning question in under 45 seconds and a verbal reasoning question in under 30 seconds.
How to Do Well on a SOVA Assessment Test
Whilst psychometric tests are specifically designed to test what you can’t revise, there are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable during the test, and therefore stand a better chance of being able to answer the questions on the day without feeling pressured. Here is our step by step guide for doing well on the SOVA test: Make sure you are in a quiet environment, especially when taking the video interview. Make sure you read all of the instructions and advice surrounding every question. Read all of the details carefully and make sure you’re only answering based on the information you have been given. However, putting in the practice before your SOVA assessment will help you get used to the style of questions used in the test so that you don’t get flustered on the day. It’s important not to rush and potentially miss vital details. When answering questions, you are being timed; however, the timer stops when you are reading the instructions between sections. Use your time wisely; read through carefully and ensure you understand what you need to do fully before proceeding. The numerical and logical reasoning questions will often have a single correct answer, and all of the other options will be considered the wrong answer (for example, 2 + 2 = 4, it cannot be 5, 6 or 7), but for a lot of the questions, the answer is more ambiguous. When answering qualitative questions where what is ‘correct’ is open to debate, think about the role you are applying for and the qualities the employer is looking for. These assessments aren’t designed to test individuals in the same way a maths exam would. This is not about seeing how good you are at percentages or fractions, it is about assessing your competency at interpreting data, processing information and reacting to certain situations.
