Subjective "personality" tests

[MrFreeze]

How in the world do they grade performance on tests like that? I've only taken one, but I did real bad. I don't know how to improve WHO I AM AND WHAT I THINK. The test I took only had 15-20 questions with empirical reachable answers, the remainder were what do you think about blah blah blah. WTF do I do?

[CaptBob]

Oh, Yea

Psych Questions on the Written

If you haven't already figured it out yet, there are psych questions being placed in the entry level written test and personality tests like the one your took to eliminate candidates early in the process. The red-hot candidates, who have been the backbone of the fire service are taken out by these purposeless questions. If you answer those questions as you normally would, you could fail that section. Go figure. Are you prepared? Most aren't. We've had several calls from candidates looking for a way to get over this hurdle. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you."

Since we're a resource, we've only found one company that is at the cutting edge of providing candidates with study information to get over this hurdle.

The top program in getting ready for the written test is the Encyclopedia of Firefighter Examinations from The Don McNea Fire School @ Fireprep.com. Phone: 800-989-3473.

Several of our candidates have purchased the home study program. One of our candidates said if he had answered the psych questions on the LA County test like he normally would, he would have failed. He passed. His buddies didn't.

Here’s a segment from The Don McNea Fire School Psychological Exam Preparation program:

Asst. Chief Brent Collins
Psychological Examination

In today's fire entry-level testing field, many departments are moving toward the direction of including psychological testing, not only during the last steps of the hiring process but during the initial testing phase. Some of these examinations are used to decrease the number of applicants taking the examination because of the cost involved in testing large numbers. When giving psychological tests as part of the written test, it will significantly reduce the number of applicants usually be a minimum of 50%. The number one cause of failure on these type of examinations is not knowing what information these psychological tests are trying to retrieve from the fire applicant. The questions used on psychological examinations are determined by identifying major personality traits and characteristics of a successful firefighter. Knowing what personality traits and characteristics are being sought will improve your chance of scoring well on these examinations.

One fire applicant recently emailed us the following question:
One of the questions I am never sure how to answer on a psychological exam is whether a question should be answered "uncertain" or "not sure." There are questions that I have encountered during testing that I feel should be answered that way. My scores are not reflective of the individual I am and I was wondering if you have any insight into whether these questions could be making a difference in my score.

Answer: This is one of the most frequently asked questions from fire candidates taking psychological examinations. When you encounter a question that you aren't sure how to answer, we strongly urge you not to answer "uncertain" or "not sure." Doing this gives the impression that you are a fence-rider and not sure of decisions you make. In a psychological profile of a firefighter (on which many of these questions are based), they are looking for an individual who is very confident of the decisions they make.

Here's a testimony from a candidate who benefited from the Don McNea
Fire School:

Thank you for helping me with the psych portion of the written exam. I took a test a year ago without knowing your information and scored in the low 70's. About 3 weeks ago I took that same test and scored a 94% and will be continuing in the process. That following week I took the same exam at my home department and though I do not know my score I have been invited to continue in their process as well.
I honestly believe that without knowing the information that you gave me and talking to you on the phone I would not be continuing in the process anywhere. I believe in what you have done for me and therefore I have recommended your material and website to many of the candidates that I have talked to in the past few weeks. I cannot say it enough but THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! Larry


Brent Collins is Assistant Fire Chief, Cleveland Fire Department and President of Don McNea Fire School. Visit his website www.fireprep.com for more information on test taking strategy and advice.

For more on getting hired, check out the Career Article section of this Firehouse.com web site by clicking here: http://cms.firehouse.com/content/sec...sp?sectionId=8

Captain Bob

https://www.eatstress.com

[MrFreeze]

Just as I suspected..................

This was no surprise to my wife:
Got my results back, 98% each on cognitive and practical sections.
25% and 48%, respectively, on interpersonal skills section and emotional section............

Guess I need to go to some of those touchy-feely interpersonal dynamics classes..........

How have I ever made it through the past 6 years as a firefighter, what with my retarded emotional development and all........