Hi all,
I did the aptitude tests recently and they were pretty straight forward. There were four sets of tests, all multi choice:
1: numeracy
eg:
156
-10A
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49
What is A?
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2: mechanical reasoning
eg: if pulley A turns anti-clockwise which way does pulley C turn.
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3: spatial assembly - a three dimensional object unassembled and you have to determine what it looks like when assembled.
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4: sequences - three sequential diagrams and you have to choose the diagram which would be next in the sequence.
In fact I've done these same tests three times (failed the first time and passed the other two attempts) and they have always been the same. I would recommend a book called "How to Master Psychometric Tests" by Mark Parkinson which will help you brush up.
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The key is to watch your time, sounds obvious but you will find yourself running out of time very quickly if you ponder too much. Dont expect to finish all the questions - just concentrate on getting as many correct answers as you can in the limited time. I found the best technique personally was to go through the paper picking out those questions that were easy and then going back to the ones that needed a bit more thought.
Oh and there is no negative marking so make sure you at least answer every question. Make sure you have a watch with you because there wont be a clock in the room - 5 minutes before you finish answer all questions in the section that you haven't yet answered - just tick something - you can't make it any worse!
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Be careful about the answer paper also - in the test there are 4 possible answers A-D but there are five answer squares on the answer paper A-E - its really easy to get the answer as "D" (the 'last' option) and then accidentally mark E (the 'last' answer option on the paper) - I hope that makes sense?
As for the personality test, dont sweat that one - it's all common sense eg: are you at ease within a group of people or do you prefer to be on your own?... that kind of stuff. They say there's no right or wrong answers but if you answer that you would prefer to be on your own....
The same questions are reapeated but reworded to make them seem different. This for me is the worst test possible because there are something like 250 questions - it just goes on and on... very tedious!!
But the key is consistency!
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At the end of the personality test questions there are half a dozen other simple questions which go along the lines of CALF is to COW as PUPPY is to...?
A:Cat
B:Bull
C: Dog
D:Milk
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Hopefully you picked out Dog?
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One thing to be aware of as well is that they also note your dress code and their first impressions of you are marked on your score sheet so be on your best behaviour! (At least until you get out of the door anyway!!
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Good luck with the tests and if you need any advice on the interview let me know as I've been through that as well.
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Hope this helps,
Mr Smiley