Mastering ProfileXT Testing: Your Guide to Preparation and Success

If you have been advised that you have to undergo ProfileXT testing, you may be wondering what precisely it involves. In a nutshell, it is a form of testing delivered by a testing company that determines how well you will fit into a given work position.

Following a series of psychometric tests, the system will come up with your profile and give a picture of how you are likely to behave in the workplace.

The test provides the employer with a detailed report on how well your profile compares with the profile of the ideal employee for the job.

To produce the profile report, ProfileXT assesses your thinking style, your verbal and numeric abilities, your work interests, and your behavioral traits.

What Is ProfileXT Testing?

ProfileXT states that the tests use the total person concept giving the employer a rounded view of the job applicant.

Their tests are also designed with a specific employer and a specific job type in mind. For example, when it comes to personality and behavioral testing, a good look at your prospective employer’s website should give you an inkling of the type of person the company likes to hire.

The job you have applied for will also determine the tests you will be asked to do.

Tests are generally multiple choice, with each test having its own time limitations.

You can expect to be tested on the following:

• Verbal reasoning
• Numerical reasoning
• How you think about things
• Your work interests
• Your behavioral traits

What Format Do The Tests Follow?

Cognitive Assessment

The Cognitive Assessment covers the following:

• Verbal Skills
• Verbal Reasoning
• Numerical Skills
• Numerical Reasoning

The prospective employer gives ProfileXT an outline of the verbal and numerical abilities necessary for a specific role. ProfileXT will then assess if you have the necessary abilities for the job.

You can expect Algebra and number series tests as well as vocabulary and verbal reasoning tests.

To get a headstart on your preparation, try the following free sample verbal reasoning practice questions.

Check your math ability with the following questions.

Number Series Sample Question:
6/3 | 5/4 | 4/5 | 3/6 | 2/7 | ?

Please choose one correct answer to replace the ?

A. 1\2. B. 1\3. C. 3\9. D. 1\8.

Mathematical Reasoning Basic Math Sample Question:
Calculate… (5.3)x(2.2)

A. 11.66. B. 10.26. C. 15.46. D. 12.06. E. 11.99

Your Thinking Style

Thinking styles can have a large impact on how we engage with work and how successfully we are able to carry out a task. They also determine if we are likely to collaborate well with colleagues.

With that in mind, ProfileXT tests assess the applicant’s thinking style, and how suited that makes them to the position they are being tested for.

Different positions demand different thinking styles.

An applicant, for example, may have applied for a job that requires a logical thinking style. They can be asked to do tests that demand they use their logical skills to work out the pattern behind a series of images.

Use your logic to find the image in the bottom row that should come next in the top row. To make your task easier, spend a few moments working out the pattern that is being followed in the top row.

Example Question:

Tests along similar lines are used to check if the applicant is an analytical thinker. If someone has applied for a data-driven job, they need to show their ability to assemble and analyze data before coming up with a conclusion.

Thinking styles also include abstract and concrete thinkers who will be given their own specific tests.

Tests of this type are new to many job applicants. Preparation with sample papers will however teach you how to do the tests. You may find that you enjoy doing them once you have mastered the technique.

Your Work Interests

Knowing your work interests will give an employer a strong indication of whether or not you have applied for the role you are best suited to.

Tests are designed to discover if you are suited to one or more of the following work disciplines:

• Enterprise
• Administration
• Financial
• Creative
• Mechanical
• Technical
• Human Resources

It goes without saying that the best approach is to apply for the type of work you are best suited to. However, some people are more adaptable than others and can have interests in more than one type of work.

If you are one of those, taking sample tests will help you focus on the particular job you have applied for.

Your Behavioral Traits

The behavioral traits test will assess your traits under the following nine headings:

• Energy Level
• Sociability
• Attitude
• Assertiveness
• Manageability
• Decisiveness
• Accommodating
• Independence
• Objective Judgment

Testing behavioral traits is akin to personality testing. Preparing for this test is essential if you are to learn how to produce the answers that will see you ace the pre-employment process. To begin your preparation, try working with this sample question.

Behavioral traits example question:
In meetings I usually let others do the talking

To what extent does this statement apply to you?
Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree.

Select each answer in turn, then decide what the answer is saying about your behavior.

If, for example, you are saying you let others do the talking, are you saying you lack assertiveness? Or are you saying that you have a lazy attitude or perhaps lack sociability?

However, imagine the employer has said in the job advert that he wants employees who can take the initiative. What would be the best answer in that situation?

To perform well on this type of test, it is essential to find out as much as you can about the culture of the company. Search job adverts and the company website for that information. With that information to hand, you will be able to adjust your answers to the behavior necessary from an employee.

Try doing the following free sample Situational Judgment Test while keeping an eye on the nine behavior traits listed above.

Can I Prepare For The ProfileXT Tests?

Use the services of a job test preparation company to prepare for the assessments. For that, we recommend using Job Test Prep which has 30 years of experience in helping job applicants ace their pre-employment assessments.

Using their services, you will receive a test prep pack giving you:

• All the information you need about the assessments
• Sample practice papers modeled on the real tests
• A system for checking your score as you do the sample papers
• Explanations for questions and answers

You might like to try the following free sample personality test to get an idea of the type of test they provide you with.

They provide similar sample tests for all parts of the ProfileXT assessments.

Are The ProfileXT Tests Hard?

All pre-employment tests are hard. Essentially the tests determine if you are the ideal person for the position you applied to.

And not only that, the tests decide if you are better than other applicants. It means you do not just have to do well in the tests, you have to do better than a great many other applicants.

But if that sounds discouraging, remember two important factors. Somebody has to get the job, and with good preparation, it could just be you.

Study Tips For ProfileXT Testing

Bear in mind that the tests are challenging, and many of them may be new to you. An organized approach to your preparation will help you deal with this.

Try taking the following tips:

• Begin your preparation as early as you possibly can. Ensure you avoid last-minute cramming immediately before the tests begin.
• Work to a timetable. Leave the day before the tests free for some small reviews and to get some rest.
• Work in small chunks of time. Try doing 50-minute work sessions followed by a 10-minute break. Your brain will retain information more easily by working like this. Long uninterrupted study periods are generally counterproductive.
• Never assume that material you have covered in school, for example, working with numbers, doesn’t need work. Revise everything relevant to the assessments.

Use Your Sample Papers

Using your sample papers will ensure:

• You are becoming increasingly familiar with the style of questioning
• You are training yourself to work within the time limitations of the test
• You can monitor your progress from test to test
• You pick up quickly on areas you should devote more time to
• You can approach the real tests knowing there are no unpleasant surprises waiting for you

Doing The Tests

Make sure you are well-rested and clear-headed when the real tests come around. At this point, you will be familiar with what lies ahead. But all tests demand clear thinking and good concentration.

Go in there knowing you have done the work and owe it to yourself to give it your best shot!

Do you have a ProfileXT test on the horizon? If you do, you will find all the preparation resources you need here.

Written by Elizabeth O Mahony

With 25+ years’ experience as a teacher and state examinations corrector, Elizabeth now writes for the education and careers industry. Her experience preparing students for examinations and running an academy for supplementary education give her invaluable insights into what it takes for job seekers and graduates to succeed in assessments.