Mastering the Saville Wave Assessment: A Detailed Guide

The Saville Wave Assessment is a common personality test that employers use to assess job candidates. Employers use this assessment to help them make decisions in terms of hiring, placement, and development. So the results of this test stick with employees throughout their careers with the corporation.

What makes the Wave personality assessment so attractive is its flexibility. It is offered online in four different styles. This allows employers to customise the test based on what they are looking for.

This article covers the Saville Wave assessment, the different types of wave styles, and how to prepare for them.

Who is the Saville Company?

The Saville Company is a reputable business management consultancy and talent acquisition firm. It is rapidly growing in the fields of evaluation and assessment. The Saville personality test is gaining popularity and is being used more frequently by employers. So, your chances of encountering this test in your recruitment process are highly likely.

Some of the companies that use this test in their hiring process include British Sugar, Lego, HM Revenue & Customs, and Novo Nordisk.

The Saville Company’s personality test provides employers with in-depth information about the candidate. The test results will not only determine whether your application is successful but also other factors such as your leadership abilities, sales skills, etc.

That is why you need to take this test seriously. You will carry your results throughout your career with the company, and it will heavily influence your roles and growth within the firm.

What is the Saville Wave Personality Test?

The Saville Wave Personality Assessment is a psychometric test that helps an employer learn how graduates and job-seekers work within teams, in a work environment, etc.

The test results help companies shape the firm’s corporate culture by recruiting candidates who have the required skills and the right personality for the position. So the Wave personality test serves to match the right candidate with the company’s culture and environment.

The questions are designed to discover more about an applicant’s working style, preferences, and behavioural tendencies.

This assessment is used with several other Wave reports as well. It is available online and sent via email to candidates. This makes the assessment convenient for both employers and job-seekers.

The test does not have a time limit and comes in four different styles: Wave Professional Styles, Wave Focus Styles, Wave Strengths, and Match 6.5.

The Wave Professional Styles and the Focus Styles are commonly used in the recruitment process of organisations. We will be focusing on these two versions.

Types of Wave Personality Tests

The Wave Professional Styles Test

The Wave Professional Styles test is the long version of the personality questionnaire. It can take you up to 40 minutes to complete.

This test provides employers with precise information about the applicant’s motives at work, talents, strengths, weaknesses, and if they are a good fit for the position. It also helps show employers if any areas of development are required.

The Wave Professional test helps employees see if they suit the position and, if not, which other positions would be a better fit for them. It allows candidates to assess their personality traits and how they influence their work life.

Each question in this test contains six statements. The candidate will need to select which statement best suits them on a nine-point scale.

On the scale, “1” is “very strongly disagree,” while “9” is “very strongly agree.”

If the candidate provides the same answer to two or more statements, they may be required to answer the questions again.

Below are some examples of statements you may encounter:

– I enjoy learning new things

– I do not like administrative work

– I have many creative ideas

– I prefer to work on my own

– I like being praised highly at work

Preparation Tips

• Answer the questions from a work perspective.
• Read each statement carefully because what you are good at and what you believe you need may be very different.
• Make sure your surroundings are quiet and free of interruptions.
• Do not rate statements in the same set with the same rating. Otherwise, you will be asked to answer the question again.
• Make sure your answers are consistent with your responses earlier in the assessment.

The Wave Focus Styles Test

This questionnaire is very similar to the Professional Styles test but much shorter. It should take no longer than 13 minutes to finish. This assessment examines similar indicators to the Professional test, but it is less extensive.

Candidates will once again be given six statements per question. They will be required to answer on a nine-point scale, ranging from “1” being “very strongly disagree” to “9” being “very strongly agree”.

If candidates give the same answer to two or more statements, they may be required to answer the question again. They will be asked which is more like them and which is less like them.

Preparation Tips

• Ensure that your answers reflect how your personality matches the firm’s job description and corporate culture.
• Practice tests will help familiarise you with what to expect in the actual test.
• Make sure you answer each question with complete honesty.
• Even though there is no time limit, try to avoid spending too much time on this test. Try finishing it in half an hour.

Types of Questions in the Saville Assessment

The Professional and Focus assessments consist of a combination of normative and ipsative test questions.

The first group of questions are normative. Candidates will be required to rank a set of statements on a nine-point scale, ranging from “very strongly disagree” to “very strongly agree”.

The second set of questions is ipsative. Candidates will be asked to select statements that are most like them and least like them. The Professional and Focus assessments both have four clusters. The clusters focus on adaptability, delivery, influence, and thought.

Each cluster is then divided into twelve smaller parts. These parts are further broken down into thirty-six dimensions. Facets are then created from these dimensions.

Wave Professional Styles Personality Questionnaire

In this personality assessment, candidates will encounter 216 questions with 108 facets. Each facet will have two multiple-choice questions. One question is about talent and the other about motive.

A candidate’s answers will be used to identify gaps between their talent and motive. While gaps are common, extremely large gaps are concerning.

Wave Focus Styles Personality Questionnaire

This Wave personality assessment includes 72 questions and 36 facets. Each facet has two multiple-choice questions. One asks about motives, while the other asks about talent.

In both these assessments, candidates should be able to figure out whether a question is assessing their talent or motive. Talent questions are directly linked to personality traits and are often phrased as “I am”. Motive questions are not as direct.

Candidates must answer all the questions honestly and consistently. But, they should also remember that the gap between talent and motive should be small.

Saville Swift Aptitude Assessments

Aptitude tests have become an increasingly common part of the recruitment process. They are used to assess a candidate’s cognitive ability and key performance indicators. If they are used effectively, they can help employers find the right candidate for the job. Saville’s psychometric aptitude tests examine verbal, numerical, logical, and mechanical aptitude.

These assessments can be taken individually, but generally, they are combined to form a blended test. This is known as a Saville Swift assessment. A Saville Swift assessment can take anywhere from 9.5 minutes to 24 minutes to complete. Individual assessments take longer to finish.

Verbal Aptitude Test

The verbal analysis aptitude test has two different versions and takes 24 minutes to complete. Candidates who are applying for graduate, management, and professional job roles usually take this test.

Candidates will be given passages of text that they need to read through. Then they will be required to select “true,” “false, or “can not say” for a series of statements based on the information provided in the passage.

The Swift comprehension test takes 16 minutes to complete and is aimed at entry-level roles. It is similar to the verbal analysis aptitude test but includes more word-definition problems to solve.

Preparation Tips

• Read different types of written material, including books, news articles, and magazines. Examine the content of a few pages and analyse the different arguments in the text.
• If you come across an unfamiliar word, look it up in the dictionary. Try writing a sentence with this word to help improve your vocabulary.
• Do a crossword, word search, or word puzzle magazine. If there are any unfamiliar words you encounter, look them up in the dictionary.

Numerical Aptitude Test

In the numerical aptitude test, candidates will be required to analyse statistical data to reach fact-based conclusions. They will have to select the correct answer from a set of multiple-choice questions.

Higher-level roles may require applicants to take the numerical analysis aptitude test, which takes 24 minutes to complete. Entry-level roles require a numerical comprehension aptitude test, which takes 16 minutes to finish.

Preparation Tips

• Practice the basics such as addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.
• Practice aptitude tests today. Try finding solutions with and without a calculator.
• Analyse graphs, charts, and tables. Summarise their interpretations in a few sentences.

Diagrammatic Test

On the diagrammatic test, candidates will see a range of operators, including inputs, processes, and outputs.

Questions in this test are given in the form of diagrams that demonstrate the operators. Candidates will need to select the operators that result in the outcome represented in the diagram. Candidates will also be asked to identify faults and compare flowchart sequences. They are given 24 minutes to complete the test.

Mechanical Aptitude Test

Candidates will need to demonstrate an understanding of physical principles for the mechanical aptitude test. It is a popular assessment for technical job roles.

The test questions are about mechanical concepts like direction and force. Candidates will be presented with illustrations of mechanical concepts like levers and pulleys. They will be required to select the correct multiple-choice answer based on the illustration.

The mechanical aptitude test takes 16 minutes to complete. When it is combined in the Swift assessment, mechanical aptitude is usually tested with spatial and diagrammatic aptitude.

Abstract Aptitude Test

The abstract aptitude test is designed to assess a candidate’s logical abilities. Candidates will be asked to examine patterns and sequences and identify relationships and rules between them. In each illustration, part of the pattern or sequence will be missing. Candidates will need to select the correct image from the multiple-choice options. This test takes 16 minutes to complete.

Spatial Aptitude Test

The spatial test is designed to assess a candidate’s spatial awareness when working with various shapes. It is the shortest Saville individual test, taking only 8 minutes to complete. Candidates will need to examine four objects per question.

The objects can be shown at different angles. Candidates then need to identify which object is different. The differences are very slight, so you need to show good attention to detail.

Error Checking Aptitude Test

The error checking aptitude test assesses a candidate’s ability to identify the mistakes in coding or where numerical and verbal information has been interchanged.

It is a popular assessment for entry-level jobs and takes only 6 minutes to complete. Candidates will be given original and interchanged information. They will need to examine the information for errors. Sometimes there may be no errors, while there will be more than one error at other times.

This is a fast-paced test where candidates need to work fast but pay attention to details simultaneously.

 Workplace English Test

Workplace English proficiency tests can only be taken as individual tests. They are not available as part of the Swift assessment.

In this assessment, candidates will be presented with a range of different sentences based on workplace scenarios. One word will be missing from each sentence, and candidates will need to select the correct word from multiple-choice options.

This test takes approximately 16 and a half minutes to complete.

Situational Judgement Test (SJT)

Situational judgment tests are used to help employers determine whether a candidate is a right match for their company.

In this assessment, candidates will be required to rate a series of responses to hypothetical workplace scenarios. These tests are created to suit the employer’s needs, so the details of the SJT will differ depending on the company you are applying to.

Final Thoughts

You can increase your chances of passing the Saville Wave Personality assessment and aptitude tests by taking practice tests.

Remember, the results of these tests are something you will carry throughout your entire career. Proper preparation can help you achieve high scores. JobTestPrep offers professional practice tests and study guides to help you prepare for your assessments and stand out from your competitors.