IQ Test as part of hiring process

Hey guys,

I've had two interviews for a Voice Engineer position over the last week. Both went very well, and I was sent an assessment that turned out to be the CCAT IQ test and a personality test. I think I did well but was somewhat surprised to see an IQ test being used in the hiring process. Does anyone have any insight into how prevalent this is and how much it typically weighs into hiring decisions?

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Comments

Russell77

I would not say this is the norm. From time to time you run in to a company that just seems to go over the top when it comes to screening. I would not worry too much about the test. It is something HR makes them do and unless you raised a bunch of red flags I doubt it will get in your way.

Chev Chellios

You guys are lucky, loads of companies in the UK seem to use this as part of the recruitment process in general. I don't think it really weighs on the decision massively generally unless you do very badly, it's just one thing that might differntiate two very closely matched applicants

omegadown3

I'm honestly kind of hoping they give it some weight in the decision in this case. I've always had a knack for IQ tests, and this would mark the first time it's ever been a skill with any real value.

OfWolfAndMan

It sounds like something uncommon. Measuring someone's job intelligence based off an IQ test (That may not even be official) seems trivial to me. Oh no, he can't do geometry! The UC platform is doomed!

As for a personality test, that's common. The Myers-Briggs model seems to be the most prevalent. It is a baseline for things like if you do well in a team, alone, if you're adaptable, time management, if you're rational vs intuitive thinker, etc. Just check out Myers-Briggs on Google. There is no "Bad" personality, as what you say on paper, what you say in an interview, and how you actually carry yourself could be three different things. I find these stupid personally as information and application are two different realms. It's a baseline really. Accurate on paper, not necessarily in practice.

"What would you do if someone pointed a gun at you and told you to give them your Social Security number?" While your answer may be one, the actual results of the situation aren't necessarily accurate of your projected method.

markulous

I'd rather see a personality test than an IQ test. An IQ test doesn't really say much whereas at least a personality test is a good tool for a conversation (even if the test itself is flawed). I had one at my current job and it really didn't weigh a ton into their decision to hire me, however it did allow me to tell them a little bit more about me and I could find out more about my boss (he did it too).

discount81

I tend to stay away from jobs that want to delve too deep.
I had a job interview for a very high security position, it involved several interviews, personality tests,etc and one of the final requirements was for me to give my facebook password to them, which I was not comfortable doing, I understood why they wanted it, to make sure I'm not a nutcase but I felt it was too invasive at that point.

Mooseboost

I have seen a personality test before, but not an IQ test as part of the hiring process. I think that is rather unusual, but not completely off key. Do you know anyone else who works for the company? What were their experiences being hired in?

ratbuddy

So here's a question, is it to make sure you're smart enough, or to make sure you aren't too smart?

stryder144

ratbuddy wrote: »

So here's a question, is it to make sure you're smart enough, or to make sure you aren't too smart?

Short answer...yes. One place that I interviewed at lined up the results from the Wonderlic test for the position you were interviewing for. The admin assistance told me that I missed one question (out of 50, 12 minute time limit), which would seem to be too far outside of the scope of a help desk position (for that company). Of course, the problem with all personality and IQ-type tests is that they are not good predictors of future success or ability.

omegadown3

I read Glassdoor on the company and there were quite a few interviewees who mentioned IQ test as being something they had to do. Might just be this company, might be a trend to look out for in the future.

IIIMaster

My company does it and I usually answer it with neutral answers. I was advise one day to never answer those questions honestly

N2IT

Yep had to do an IQ/Wonderlic exam for my current employer. How I understand it, your score is linked to your SSN and applicant ID. Certain positions are required for the applicant to have a certain level of aptitude, once the score has been locked in that's your IQ rating. You can apply 100 times for that position, if you are below threshold you will not be getting an invite to interview for that company or maybe just the role type.

They would never disclose my score, even upon request. I'm assuming it was above the threshold since I was asked to interview.

I found this rating piece off of Wiki

Systems analyst – 32
Chemist – 31
Electrical engineer – 30
Engineer – 29
Programmer – 29
Accountant – 28
Executive – 28
Reporter – 28
Teacher – 28
Copywriter – 27
Investment analyst – 27
Librarian – 27
Electronics technician – 26
Salesperson – 25
Secretary – 24
Dispatcher – 23
Drafter – 23
Electrician – 23
Nurse – 23
Bank teller – 22
Cashier – 21
Firefighter – 21
Clerical worker – 21
Machinist – 21
Receptionist – 21
Train conductor – 21
Craftsman – 18
Security guard – 17
Welder – 17
Warehouseman – 15
Janitor - 14

I had to answer 50 questions in 15 minutes. The questions were progressively harder as I worked my way through the exam. Around question 40+ I began to have to spend a lot more time working the questions.