The post 4 Key Psychometric Tests Areas To Prepare In Accountant Job Interview appeared first on Career Point Kenya.Click on the TITLE link for the original.
By Mark Namaswa,
During a recent recruitment at a top audit firm in Nairobi, one candidate made his otherwise tensed counterparts to burst into laughter as he mentioned to a friend on phone that he was ‘just about to do an ‘amplitude’ test’ (What he meant was an uptitude test).
And while many interview candidates have a fear of such tests, they continue to be part and parcel of the interview process. And uptitude tests tend to vary with professions, skills and competencies that each job demands for.
As Liza Shaka, HR – The Monarch Insurance, says, uptitude tests serve a number of purposes among them trimming the numbers of applicants from a large pool. “This often works for example during graduate trainee recruitment where you need to minimise the number from the hundreds of applicant so you can have your focus as a recruiter narrowed down to a smaller number,” she says.
As an Accountant, here’s what to Expect in an Uptitude Test
1. Tables, Graphs and Charts
“Accounting jobs require detail-oriented individuals so the uptitude tests are tailored to analyze these strengths in the candidates,” says Ms Shaka.
“The main focus of the test is usually a candidate’s technical know-how of accounting aspects, numerical competence as well as problem-solving capabilities,” she says.
And a candidate’s ability to interpret tabulated data, make comparisons, determine percentage increases and decreases are usually a plus.
2. Basic Mathematical/Numerical Computations
“Numerical reasoning tests; such as knowing how to utilise ratios used in the interpretation of financial statements are some of the fairly technical aspects that one heading to an accounting uptitude test should brace themselves for,” says Daniel Muhia, Managing Partner at MGK Consulting and an accountant by profession.
“Speed and accuracy are some of the skills being sought during such tests,” points out Ms. Shaka. “And the simple rule at play here is being able to accurately compute a certain number of calculations within limited time,” she says.
3. Current Trends in the Accounting Field
While it might not be enough to have standard tests for all candidates, a good grasp of what’s going on in the accounting field will be a boost.
“A candidate’s grasp of the latest statutory compliance regulations like Value Added Tax (VAT), Pay As You Earn (PAYE) National Social Security Fund and National Hospital Insurance Fund might also be tested,” Mr. Muhia says.
“And a candidate’s demonstrated ability that he is well kept abreast with the latest developments regarding accounting will definitely earn him points,” he adds.
4. Communication Skills
As Dorcas Karuana – Psychometric Test Administrator with Corporate Staffing Services points out, an accountant should not only focus on the figures alone, but during uptitude tests, one’s communication competence will also be evaluated.
“Sometimes a set of questions to test one’s language competence, speed and cognitive capability are given out to candidates. Some questions are presented for the first time then rephrased and the candidate’s ability to respond faster than the initial interaction with the question is noted,” she says.
How to prepare
Having a basic understanding of what might be coming in a test as outlined above is a good precaution. And according to Mr. Muhia, knowing different levels of accounting roles will guide an interviewee on what questions to expect. “However,” he says, “a mastery of the principle of double entry among others will always play a central role in an accountant’s profession.”
In respect to uptitude tests, Ms Shaka observes that fresh graduates tend to fare better than veteran accountants as ‘they display a keener grasp of accounting and numeracy skills they learnt a short while ago in school.’
The best advice for those who left school a while ago—do plenty of practice on your numeracy skills and keep up to date on current accounting trends to be on the safe side.
The post 4 Key Psychometric Tests Areas To Prepare In Accountant Job Interview appeared first on Career Point Kenya.Click on the TITLE link for the original.
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