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INTRODUCTION
Psychometric Technology Limited publish the following assessments/tests and more information on these is contained below:
Please note all measures are supplied with technical manuals that contain comprehensive information.

NEW KEY SKILLS ASSESSMENT (KSA) ... more information click here
An assessment designed to identify key skill levels 1 to 3 in Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology.

INTEREST, MOTIVATION & LEARNING PREFERENCES MEASURE (IMLP)
MOTIVATION & LEARNING PREFERENCES (MLP) ... more information click here
A questionnaire designed to identify areas of occupational interest, motivation (social anxiety, social hostility and self-esteem), and learning preferences (reader, achiever, questioner, fretter and doer). Obviously the MLP does not assess areas of occupational interest.

PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE (PQ10+) ... more information click here
A questionnaire designed to assess ten personality scales PLUS a positive self-presentation or social desirability scale.

GENERAL LEVEL APTITUDE (GLA) ... more information click here
The GLA is comprised of three separate measures to assess verbal, numerical and abstract aptitude. It has been designed to assess general level aptitude and requires only a general level of education. This measure is suitable for any role that does not require high levels of aptitude or education.

NB:
Level A/B (BPS) is NOT required to administer any the above measures.
Product specific training in ALL the measures can be provided if required.

 

NEW KEY SKILLS: QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOKS

COMMUNICATION: LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2
Contains questions and answers in Communication at Levels 1 and 2 and is designed for candidates, tutors and assessors involved with the external tests in Communication.

APPLICATION OF NUMBER: LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2 AND LEVEL 3
Contains questions and answers in Application of Number at Levels 1, 2 and 3 and is designed for candidates, tutors and assessors involved with the external tests in Application of Number.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2
Contains questions and answers in Information Technology at Levels 1 and 2 and is designed for candidates, tutors and assessors involved with the external tests in Information Technology.

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION




NEW KEY SKILLS ASSESSMENT (KSA)

Psychometric Technology Limited has been involved with the assessment of young people for several years and has recently developed new assessments following the introduction of the new Key Skills standards by the Qualifications Curriculum Authority (QCA). The assessments were developed with the support of schools, colleges, training providers and a National Training Organisation.

Three assessments are available: Communication, Application of Number; Information Technology - all assessments are at Levels 1 and 2. The three assessments are contained in a single re-usable booklet and each one is time constrained to 20 minutes - overall assessment time is 60 minutes. Separate 2 part NCR answer sheets are used which can be immediately scored and interpreted by the administrator - about 2 minutes - thus enabling immediate feedback.
All of the questions contained in the assessment have been designed using the QCA template and have undergone rigorous testing with several hundred young people to ensure they adhere to psychometric principles. Examples of the types of questions are reproduced below.

NEW KEY SKILLS ASSESSMENT

      • Paper and pencil based
      • Carbonised answer sheet
      • Provides immediate feedback on performance
      • Identifies new key skills level
      • Identifies development needs of each respondent
      • No BPS Level A requirement
      • Half day training available to administer, interpret and feedback

NB
The assessment also considers Level 3 in that the research indicated high scorers at Level 2 would probably achieve Level 3.

Below are examples of one question from each of the three key skill areas of Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology.

Communication:
Question 12 is based on extract from a leaflet below:

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
If you have been subject to criminal activity that has resulted in you suffering any physical or mental injury you are entitled to make a claim for compensation from the Board. Physical injury will normally have resulted from some form of criminal assault on you by another person or persons. Mental injury will normally be associated with stress or trauma you have experienced following your exposure to criminal activity. If you believe you are entitled to compensation you are advised, in the first instance, to discuss the matter with your solicitor or the Victim Support Service that is located in your locality.

Question 12
What do you consider to be the purpose of the above Criminal Injuries Compensation Board leaflet?

A) To give information
B) To ask you to comply with something
C) To persuade you to believe something
D) To tell you a story


Application of Number:
Question 19

The plan of an office with a work-area and computer bay is shown below.



What is the area of the Office Work Area?

A) 35m²
B) 40m²
C) 48m²
D) 50m²

 

Information Technology:
Question 9

A draft letter has been prepared and a spelling mistake has been found. Which of the following could be used to correct this mistake?

A) font checker
B) word checker
C) spell checker
D) grammar checker




INTEREST, MOTIVATION & LEARNING PREFERENCES MEASURE (IMLP)
MOTIVATION & LEARNING PREFERENCES MEASURE (MLP)

In addition to the key skills assessment Psychometric Technology has also developed a new questionnaire that is designed to identify an individual's occupational interest, their motivation for learning/working and their learning preference (or style). Again, this assessment was developed with the support of schools, colleges, training providers and a National Training Organisation.
The questionnaire contains 160 statements and takes about 30 minutes to complete. The booklets are re-usable and as with the key skills assessment the answer sheets are 2 part NCR that enable them to be scored and interpreted immediately with use of the manual provided with the materials.

Occupational Interest
The questionnaire uses the standard occupational classification (SOC) areas for young people and considers their high, moderate and low interests. It is unique in that (a) it has been specifically designed for the target audience, and (b) identifies individual occupations where the respondent has shown low interest albeit overall the area is high.
Motivation
This part of the questionnaire seeks to provide information in relation to an individual's self esteem, social aggression and social anxiety. This enables the individual and assessors to determine appropriate responses in respect of any future education, training or work placement.
Learning Preferences
The questionnaire seeks to demystify and provide a more acceptable categorisation of individual learning preferences or styles. Developed using the theoretical models of how people learn it contains five separate categories: Reader; Achiever; Questioner; Fretter; Doer. The trials found that young people related well to the categories being able to identify themselves with their descriptor(s).

NB:
A Motivation and Learning Preferences measure is also available where the assessment occupational interest is not required.

 

 

PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE (PQ10+)
The PQ10+ is a cost effective, quick to administer, score and interpret, measure of the basic dimensions of human personality.
The measure utilises a carbonised answer sheet that allows the user to score, norm and profile results very rapidly. Each answer sheet is accompanied by a summary feedback sheet, which is designed specifically for the recipient.
The measure does not require the use of expensive software and the interpretation provided covers all the key aspects without the unnecessary padding of speculative narrative (which often results in lengthy reports that are unwieldy).


The PQ10+ Dimensions

  • Reserved/Discerning vs Social/Outgoing
  • Accommodat ing/Co-operative vs Competitive/Assertive
  • Restrained/Introspective vs Spontaneous/Enthusiastic
  • Conscientious/Dutiful vs Expedient/Non-conforming
  • Realistic/Objective vs Intuitive/Aesthetic
  • Practical/Conventional vs Imaginative/Creative
  • Vigilant/Sceptical vs Accepting/Trusting
  • Emotional/Reactive vs Calm/Controlled
  • Tense/Driven vs Relaxed/Composed
  • Apprehensive/Self-doubting vs Secure/Confident
  • + Low Self-Presentation vs High Self-Presentation

 

GENERAL LEVEL APTITUDE (GLA)
The three measures to assess verbal, numerical and abstract aptitude are combined in one booklet and require only one carbonised answer sheet per candidate. However, it is not necessary to administer all three measures as each measure is individually scored, norm referenced, profiled, with a results summary within the one answer sheet. Each answer sheet is accompanied by a non-technical summary feedback sheet, which is designed specifically for the recipient of the assessment.

A brief description of the three measures follows:

Verbal
The verbal measure contains 40 questions and is a timed assessment of 10 minutes plus administration time. This measure assesses general level vocabulary, grammar, spelling, meaning of words etc. Most roles require a level of verbal aptitude in order to communicate effectively, produce documents and to read instructions etc. This measure is therefore, suitable to assess for desired levels of verbal ability for most general level roles.

Numerical
The numerical measure contains 30 questions and is a timed assessment of 10 minutes plus administration time. This measure assesses general level computation, use of fractions, percentages, decimals etc. Roles in administration, finance, engineering, retail, etc. require at least a basic understanding of the application of number. This measure is therefore suitable to assess for desired levels of numerical aptitude for such roles.

Abstract
The abstract measure contains 25 questions and is a timed assessment of 10 minutes plus administration time. This measure assesses general level mental aptitude and tends to be a good indicator of future potential as the results on this measure are less likely to be impacted upon by qualifications, attainment or previous experience. Used in conjunction with the verbal and numerical assessments this measure will provide an indication of current levels and the potential for future development.



NEW KEY SKILLS: QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOKS
COMMUNICATION: LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2
APPLICATION OF NUMBER: LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2 AND LEVEL 3
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2


These books provide an easily to understand guide to multi-choice-questions and their use in the key skills external tests. The main part of the books replicate actual key skills tests in both their design and number of questions they contain. In the Communication and Information Technology books there are two tests at Level 1 and Level 2. In the Application of Number book there are three tests at Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3.

The answers to the questions are provided in a separate Chapter. Apart from providing the rationale for the correct answers, the books also examine the incorrect answers and identify why they were in fact incorrect. This is seen as a useful learning and development tool where the correct rationale for a question is reinforced for the reader.

Because the questions replicate the external tests they can also be used as 'real time' examinations. The books also provide an answer sheet, which can be photocopied, and a set of administrative instructions similar to those used in the external tests.

In addition, the books contain the full 'syllabus' for the key skill areas. All of the questions in the books are reliable and have been validated on a significant sample of young people between 14 and 20 years of age.