Career Analysts

your report - Frequently Asked Questions

I've read the report and attended a group presentation on how to interpret the results –what next?
Can I show my report to an employer?
What would happen if I did the tests again?
Do people go into the jobs you suggest?
Why have you included things I 'double-crossed' on the questionnaire?
I didn't feel well when I was tested, will this have changed my results?
I was very anxious at the beginning, do you take this into account?
I've had a bad time at home recently, will this affect my results?
I'm colour blind, will this have affected my results?
Do people get better or worse at tests as they get older?
Is the order of job suggestions important?
My first language isn't English, can this affect my results?
I didn't finish the tests, does it matter?
I guessed lots of the answers, what will the effect be?
How do you interpret the results?
What does it mean if the results are off the end of the scale?
Can I redo the questionnaire?
What about things like musical interests?

I’ve read the report and attended a group presentation on how to interpret the results –what next?
It’s up to you. The recommendation is to speak to a careers adviser but not everyone needs (or wants) to do this. Check if your school offers feedback for free during school hours - or can arrange for feedback at school at a discounted price.

Alternatively, contact Career Analysts, who will suggest a trained careers adviser in your neighbourhood. Feedback can often be arranged in the evening if your parents would like to be involved.

Can I show my report to an employer?
You can if you wish but remember that not all employers are familiar with psychometric tests or reports. It's probably better to check with your careers adviser or Career Analysts first.

What would happen if I did the tests again?
If you did the tests again after a reasonable period of time had passed, you might well get slightly higher scores. But it is unlikely that the 'shape' of your profile would have changed.

Do people go into the jobs you suggest?
People go into jobs for all sorts of different reasons, and background, opportunity and luck can play a big part. However, that being said, we have conducted surveys that suggest that 70-80% of school students go into courses that are linked to our career suggestions.

Why have you included things I 'double-crossed' on the questionnaire?
If your test results suggest that you should consider a particular career we will include it, even if you have said you aren't interested.

This is because test results are usually more reliable than those from questionnaires. It might be also that you don't have an accurate picture of a particular job.

The same goes for those jobs that you 'double-tick'; you might be interested but your test resuLts suggest something completely different and so we exclude them from your selection.

I didn't feel well when I was tested, will this have changed my results?
If you weren't feeling well and couldn't concentrate your results may well be lower than they should be. This is something you will need to discuss when you have your feedback interview; and in a few cases a re-test may be the answer.

I was very anxious at the beginning, do you take this into account?
It's usual to feel a little nervous at the start of a test. In fact it can be quite useful as it helps to tune up the senses and make you work quicker. However too much anxiety will get in the way of you doing your best.

Obviously we cannot alter your scores but you can discuss your feelings with your adviser when you have your feedback interview - he/she can then tell you what effect it might have had.

I've had a bad time at home recently, will this affect my results?
Any recent stressful or traumatic incidents can effect test performance. As with the other factors that influence how you perform you should discuss the matter at your feedback interview.

I'm colour blind, will this have affected my results?
The first test, the Compound Series, uses sequences of shapes of different sizes and colours. The colours have been chosen to be easily distinguishable by the majority of colour-blind people.

Research shows that there is no difference between the performance of colour blind and non-colour blind people. However if you are anxious about the use of colours talk it through with your careers adviser.

Do people get better or worse at tests as they get older?
There is some evidence to suggest that test performance decreases with age.

In Morrisby terms, the tests that seem to be the most affected are the Compound Series (solving problems from first principles), Perceptual (diagrammatic reasoning), Shapes (moving two-dimensional shapes in three-dimensional space), Speed & Accuracy and Manual Speed. In addition, flexibility seems to decline.

Is the order of job suggestions important?
No, the order is not important. The 12 job suggestions in your report fit your results in various different ways. The twelfth suggestion is as good as the first.

My first language isn't English, can this affect my results?
This really depends on your fluency with English.

If you have a reading age in English of 10 years or greater then your results should not be markedly affected. If you don't, the three tests that are most influenced are the Verbal (understanding and reasoning with simple words), Mechanical (which contains descriptions of mechanical situations) and Speed test-3 (making up four letter words).

I didn't finish the tests, does it matter?
No. The tests are designed so that there is plenty to do whatever your level of ability. It's very unusual to finish all the tests.

I guessed lots of the answers, what will the effect be?
There are a number of answer options for each question and so it is unlikely that you will have guessed many correct answers. If anything because you weren't thinking about the answers you will not have got as high a score as you would have done usually.

How do you interpret the results?
We know what our tests measure because they have been compared to tests and other ways, such as examinations, of measuring the same thing. We also know that certain patterns of results are characteristic of particular occupations or careers.

What does it mean if the results are off the end of the scale? Sometimes clients produce extremely high scores that appear to go off the end of the scale. In reality these results are in the top 1% and the bar represents the estimate of the scale score above 20.

Can I redo the questionnaire?
All of us at any age can change our interests but the younger you are, the more likely it is that your view of different work activities will change.

If you think that the questionnaire does not reflect your current interests then it is possible to do it again. Your updated information can be merged into your original test data.

What about things like musical interests?
People have all sorts of different skills and interests, some of which are difficult to assess using psychometric tests. If there are things that you think may not be taken into account, make sure you discuss them with your careers advisor.