High quality delivery of test practice to individuals and groups Jonathan Wolff Careers Consultant, Loughborough University AGCAS East Midlands Regional Training Event “Supporting Students' Test Practice Needs Through Online Psychometric Testing Delivery” Tuesday 16th September, Loughborough University

Test practice in careers services How we used to do it Testing students a week in classrooms using SHL paper & pencil tests. This required lots of: Physical resources (test materials, pencils, rubbers, calculators etc.) Up-front expense (costs of licensed materials / psychometric training) Staff time (taking bookings; preparing for and running sessions; scoring answers and collating information; delivering one-one feedback) Professional expertise: most services had at least two BPS Level A qualified practitioners The ready availability of online tests, many of them free, has saved us a lot of expense and time and made everything easier Or has it!?

Pitfalls of the online practice test revolution (1) It’s easy to push students towards tools/experiences that won’t help them Many students assume that doing lots of practice will eventually get them through Once they’ve exhausted the “free” tests they’ll spend lots of money on more tests Students often fail to realise that it’s important to: − be absolutely certain they have all that is required for the job BEFORE they apply −(particularly with numeracy) refresh their skills before they take practice tests

Pitfalls of the online practice test revolution (2) The quality of tests found through “Googling” is extremely variabl e Many “free” tests are not psychometrically constructed Unless they provide normed feedback reports, practice tests are of limited value “Free” tests often suck students into “Buy 9 tests for £8” offers

Pitfalls of the online practice test revolution (3) There’s a danger of our expertise being lost or compromised All of us can use our guidance skills to help students make appropriate choices Those of us with psychometric training can provide additional insight AND – If we don’t use our knowledge we could lose it!

Features of a high quality practice service (1) I’d argue that we should work towards an offer that is: Professional well marketed & “owned” by the Careers Centre Free For all the students, staff (& graduates?) of the institution Students are actively discouraged from paying for tests Good quality Using psychometrically constructed products Ideally, a variety of complimentary tools would be used Quality & effectiveness of feedback to students is of primary importance

Features of a high quality practice service (2) I’d argue that we should work towards an offer that is: Supported by guidance Test practice provision is integrated into other guidance services Ideally, psychometrically qualified practitioners are involved Responsive To the specific needs of students (individuals/groups) Available online For students to access easily in their own space Introduced in group sessions Both centrally and in courses

Why we like using Graduates First for our main test service delivery (1) The tests are constructed psychometrically by experienced psychologists It’s easy for students to use, free of charge, wherever they are It enables students to replicate the online experience in their own room It’s also ideal for introducing in group sessions, centrally or in departments The reports are very detailed, containing normed scores and helpful tips A key feature is the ability to see solutions for wrong answers

Why we like using Graduates First for our main test service delivery (2) The branded portal gives us ownership The administration option gives us control over users and usage stats The technical support is quick and effective It costs £795 per year but we can use it to deliver a more cost-effective, higher quality service to greater numbers than we did with SHL tests Graduates First are very responsive to our suggestions for changes and have several major improvements in the pipeline