Psychometric Test

Clearlaw has developed various employment tools including a psychometric assessment1 to assess comprehension, literacy, numeracy and cognitive ability.  Also known as a Cognitive Ability Assessment (CAA)2, it was designed to measure the overall reasoning ability of employees and job applicants, specifically for law graduates and junior lawyers (called the ‘norm group’)3.   This assessment was developed by a psychometrist (an expert in a special area of psychology)4.   Often used as part of the recruitment5 process, psychometric testing provides a fair and objective way of assessing the potential of a candidate to perform well in a job role.

Psychometric assessments are always presented in a multiple-choice format and the questions have definite right and wrong answers.  They are strictly timed and to be successful you need to work through them as quickly and accurately as possible. This assessment consists of 55 items and should take about 50 minutes to complete.

The fee you pay for access for candidates to the psychometric assessment is a cost of access and a report, not a licence. That is why you have to pay each time6.  The test is available online through the Clearlaw platform to all registered users for a fee of R1380.00 per test which includes a report. Once payment has been received, an email with instructions and log-in details will be generated. Once the assessment has been completed, our system will compile the report7 which will be sent to you by email.

Click HERE to register

The other employment tools assist in assessing skills levels of junior lawyers in drafting and language. They were developed by and belong to Clearlaw but anyone can buy a licence to use them as and when required.  Candidates can test themselves before going for an interview. Contact us  if you wish to buy a licence.

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Important notes:

Note 1: A psychometric assessment is a very specific type of psychological assessment, not a knowledge test. This type of assessment is used to measure an individual’s cognitive ability. It has been found that cognitive ability, also known as general mental ability (GMA), is essential for effective onboarding and learning in the workplace.  You will usually see your test results presented in terms of numerical scores. Standard scores indicate where your score lies in comparison to a norm group.

Note 2: The CAA measures the following constructs:

  • Comprehension: the ability to read and understand business-level English
  • Verbal Reasoning: the ability to use written/verbal information to make inferences and decisions
  • Numerical Reasoning: the ability to manipulate numerical information in a practical context
  • Cognitive ability: the ability to detect patterns and relationships in figures and shapes

Note 3: The norm group in this case is a set of university graduates and final-year students studying or having completed a law degree.  As people’s abilities differ, our norm group took account of educational level, language and cultural backgrounds, and other demographic characteristics of the individuals.

Note 4: A psychometrist is a psychological professional with special expertise in the use of acknowledged and registered psychological tests to objectively measure knowledge and abilities, personality, interest, attitudes and educational performance. All psychometrists are required to write the national board exam of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and to register with the HPCSA before practicing independently. The assessment was developed by a psychometrist and an industrial psychologist, working with a lawyer and after extensive research, surveys and preparation.

Note 5: Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary).

Note 6: Developing the psychometric assessment was a significant investment and it is the intellectual property of Clearlaw.

Note 7: A turnaround time of one business day is required for the final report to be generated and sent. More detailed insights and feedback from an Industrial and Organisational Psychologist may be obtained at an additional fee.