As per Wikipedia “Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and technique of educational and psychological Management, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits” The field is primarily concerned with the construction and validation of measurement instruments, such as questionnaires, tests and personality assessments.
It involves two major research tasks, namely:

(i) the construction of instruments and procedures for measurement;

(ii) The development and refinement of theoretical approaches to measurement.

Those who practice psychometrics are known as psychometricians and although they may also be clinical psychologists, they are not obliged to be so and could instead be (for example) Human resources or Learning and Development professionals. Either way specific, separate, qualifications in psychometrics are required.

Psychometric tools valuate the individual’s behaviour through questionnaires. The results are mapped on a graph which analyses this pattern and accordingly profiles it with the company’s work culture. Thomas Profiling, for instance, utilises predictive ability and aims to match the behaviour to jobs. This software can also map the existing work behaviour of an individual helping the company analyse and assess the individual’s behavioural aptitude. The gap between behaviour and the company’s requirements can be bridged through retraining and re-defining the individual’s skill sets and processes.

• For mid and senior management positions, psychometrics offers an insight into whether the candidate has leadership/managerial qualities.

• These tools enable the company to test the candidate’s personality and behavioural aptitude in a measured and structured way.

• Psychometric assessments play an important role by being consistent and impartial and they can enhance the objectivity of the selection process. They are standardized in terms of the questions asked, the time allowed, and instructions given, which means all candidates are placed on an equal footing, making the assessment fair and objective.

• These tests judge employees on their skills for the problem solving and the supervising ability of the employees and also judge them on various parameters.

• Psychometric tests also are a source to check the thinking ability and the decision making power of the person. It helps in throwing lights on the attitude and the personality of the candidate. It is very important to have a healthy and a peaceful environment at the workplace, which can only be the result of intelligent and well- behaved employees.

Let me share a real life example which I got to know recently:

A candidate applied for a position of Sr.Manager (Marketing and Sales) in a well renowned company. This Company has created a niche in the market already and is admired for its work culture and environment among other things. This candidate had cleared almost all the rounds, before finalizing on the Compensation structure this candidate was asked to appear for an online psychometric tests – Thomas Profiling.

And to our surprise he could not fit in to the parameters of the company and the Management refused to hire him even when they were impressed with his career graph and all other things.

This is how Companies should give value and importance to the Psychometric tests. It should not be just considered as another tool which is done for the sake of it only but it is a powerful tool and most of the time giving accurate results and right fit candidates for the job.

Hence, a psychometric test must be:

• Objective: The score must not affected by the testers’ beliefs or values
  
• Standardized: It must be administered under controlled conditions
  
• Reliable: It must minimize and quantify any intrinsic errors
  
• Predictive: It must make an accurate prediction of performance
  
• Non Discriminatory: It must not disadvantage any group on the basis of gender, culture, ethnicity, etc.

So these are few of the reasons psychometric testing has now become widely accepted as a benchmarking tool in the selection process. But a special training is required for the people who can assess the results of the psychometric tools such as MBTi, DISC profiling, Thomas profiling and many more.

Source > Internet