Certain professions encounter vulnerable citizens or high-pressure situations. Employers may administer psychological testing for new employees. The tests can provide valuable insight into the candidates and how they will be able to handle the situations that occur throughout the workday. The tests can also catch behavioral issues that may lead to the mistreatment of those cared for by your organization. When an employee botches something important, it can create disastrous consequences and may lead to a lawsuit. If you work in a volatile vocational environment, you should know the psychological testing available for you to administer to new employees in case you may want to use them in your onboarding processes. 

Personality Tests 

One of the most popular personality tests today is the Briggs-Myers personality test. Participants will receive one of 16 personality types based on a combination of four categories. 

• Introverted vs. Extraverted
• Sensing vs. Intuition
• Thinking vs. Feeling
• Judging vs. Perceiving

Everyone receives a result that consists of 4 letters — one from each category (ex. IITJ). 

Certain personalities tend to succeed in certain positions, so a personality test can help determine if an employee's personality is the right fit. 

Emotional Intelligence Personality Tests

Emotional Intelligence tests rate a person based on the maturity of their emotional responses and their control over their emotions. This can indicate how the new employee will manage under extreme pressure. 

Two of the most popular emotional intelligence tests are the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and the Emotional and Social Competence Inventory. MSCEIT measures emotional intelligence in four different categories:

• Perceiving Emotions
• Facilitating Thought
• Understanding Emotions
• Managing Emotions

Projective Tests

Sometimes we don't know that we have psychological problems until something brings them out in us. Projective tests introduce stimuli into the subject's environment to see how the subject will respond. The subjects don't know what to expect throughout the test. An initial response can indicate how we feel about certain things before we can adjust our reply. 

IQ Tests

An intelligence quota (IQ) test measures a number of factors that contribute to a person's intelligence, such as language skills, math, logic, and problem-solving (to name a few). Some careers require a high level of intelligence to understand certain material and make decisions that minimize risk. A high IQ does not necessarily mean high emotional intelligence, though. 

Tighten your employee screening process by having prospects take a psychological exam before you make your final decision. Contact a psychological testing service in your area to learn more.