No Test Qualifies to Be an Accurate Personality Test. However, Every Hire Needs One!

Is there any accurate personality test?

This is the question that every manager faces while looking for a personality test to screen the applicants for a particular position. They know that making a bad hire can create a future liability after spending huge on the training of such applicants. But personality tests don’t seem capable always to weed out a bad hire or go for the best selection.  We know that most of the personality tests are subjective to the skills of psychologists. Well experienced psychologists may be able to identify the problems deeply rooted in the applicants’ personalities. 

However, less experienced may not be able to register the best hire despite using all available personality tests in the market.

Despite this fact, more and more organizations are integrating personality tests to be an integral part of their hiring and recruitment process to evaluate the characteristics and performance of the candidates applying for a particular position. These tests are also conducted to assess the behavior and personality of existing employees to determine their job performance. A well-reputed personality test is considered to be a somewhat reliable way of understanding the particular characteristics and traits of an individual.  For example, are you a team player? Are you patient? Are you respectful? Do you have the tendency to listen well? These tests are designed to measure the values, preferences, choices, interests related to job, behavior, and decisions. 

What type of personality test can be accurate?

Had you ever been a little curious about what type of personality you have, you may have come across various kinds of personality tests, and you might also know that the reliability and accuracy of such tests vary drastically. Some personality tests are based upon actual data like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, where the results are based upon the researches of experts and psychologists. Although there is news that even this test does not provide accurate results, however, it is still the most utilized personality test by organizations and businesses for hiring new candidates and assessing the potency of existing employees. 

As the personality of a person changes constantly, conducting personality quizzes for determining their personality traits do not serve to be a reliable indicator of one’s abilities. A report published in Boundless under the title ‘Validity and Reliability of Personality Assessments ‘where different personality tests were discussed, it was rendered that there is no such thing as an accurate personality test. The only thing which can make these tests reliable and precise is the scenario in which these tests are applied.

Many corporations have understood the fact that merely implementing personality assessment quizzes cannot be an excellent way to measure the abilities and personality traits of a job applicant. This is why; they have made the interview process to be an integral part of their selection process so that they can assess the capabilities of the candidate in person. 

What can make an accurate personality test?

The reliability of a test can deliver the most probable test results. For example, a personality test that is designed to measure a particular human trait should approximately produce the same results every time it is put on administration to the subject. Though, it can be challenging to calculate the reliability of the test, but, it can be estimated in various ways.

In addition to this, accurate personality tests should be administered twice in different periods. In this way, the consistency of the test can be determined and across time. Moreover, in this way, determining stable characteristics like intelligence can be defined suitably. A general fact is that any test will reveal higher accuracy and reliability when a short period has passed between the tests.

Another way to make personality tests accurate is inter-rater reliability. This renders the test to be evaluated by two or more judges for scoring the test. Comparing the test scores helps in determining the consistency of the estimates and hence helps in obtaining somewhat accurate results.

A probable accurate personality test is designed to measure the level of intelligence, personality traits as well as behaviors of individuals so that they get a deeper understanding about their strengths as well as working on areas that need improvement. The results of these tests are considered to be the basis of several decisions, including both your personal and professional life; however, they should not be wholly relied upon as different tests are designed to assess different abilities and are conducted under different situations. It much depends upon how you interpret the results. There are personality tests that are held on the big scale and which are being used in several organizations to assess an individual’s capability whereas, there are several other tests that are fun and exciting and are designed to be taken lightly.

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