The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service use psychometric tests as part of the firefighter recruitment process as they help to identify the correct people for the job by aligning their ability and skills with those required for the job itself.
Psychometric tests give us a real measure of your strengths and limitations, and research has consistently shown that people who do well on the tests usually go on to do well in the job itself.
The tests that you will undergo are as follows:
Cognitive Ability Tests (Logiks Intermediate)
This is a timed assessment (12 mins) that will assess your verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning skills.
These tests assess your ability to understand and work with information of a type that a firefighter is likely to experience within their daily routine.
Firefighters require to be able to make basic mathematical calculations e.g. for interpreting gauges on Breathing Apparatus or calculating how much hose is needed at a fire. They also require to be able to understand and interpret written information and use information to solve problems.
Your performance on these assessments will be validated by further testing of these skills at various stages of the recruitment process.
Personality and Preference Assessment (Cubiks Factors)
Personality Questionnaires are designed to explore your preferred working style and personality characteristics that drive your behaviour.
This test is untimed but takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Your answers should reflect how you really feel you are at work, not how you would like to be or how you would like to be seen by other people.
Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is designed to assess your aptitude and suitability for the role of Firefighter.
SJT questions take the form of a brief description of a situation that you might be faced with at work. This is followed by a list of possible actions that might be taken to respond to the situation. For each situation, you will be asked to RATE and/or RANK the possible responses according to effectiveness.
The test does not require or assume any operational experience or knowledge.
The test is untimed but should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Preparation for Psychometric Tests
Full instructions will be provided for all assessments, please ensure that you read the instructions carefully. The assessments can be completed using a computer, tablet or mobile phone. We strongly advise that you take the test in a suitable quiet environment where you will not be disturbed.
Your performance on these assessments will be validated by further testing of these skills at various stages of the recruitment process. In particular, you are advised that a further written calculation test requires to be undertaken and successfully completed at the Practical Selection Testing Session. Example questions are available.