Psychometric tests and career guidance

Have you ever completed a questionnaire about yourself and then been told you are a good match for a very specific job? If you have, you’ll know that some results seem uncannily accurate, some present new possibilities previously ignored or unknown, others will likely appear completely bizarre.

If you have completed such an exercise, you were undertaking what’s known as a psychometric test. The examinations are popular in schools across the OECD, but do they work? And how can schools make the most of them as a career guidance tool?

Why use psychometric tests?

The 2018 OECD PISA study showed that globally many students are uncertain, confused and unoriginal about their job plans. Students’ aspirations are heavily influenced by gender, social, and migrant backgrounds.

A quarter of 15-year-olds, particularly those with lower academic performance, can not specify the type of job they would have in adulthood. Those who can often have limited aspirations, with many targeting the same 10 jobs, such as a doctor or teacher. 

Although 20% aim for careers that typically require a university education, they aren’t planning for such education. Socially advantaged, high-achieving students are over twice as likely to plan for tertiary education compared to their disadvantaged counterparts.

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