The McQuaig Mental Agility Test (formerly McQuaig Occupational Test) – a brief story of 2 candidates 

The McQuaig Mental Agility Test has become a well-known and respected method of judging how people learn, measuring speed of thought and accuracy.

It is not “rocket science”. You will not get that from a 15 minute test, but it does give a highly accurate indication of a person’s ability to learn the necessities of business.

At school and college we are taught how to learn and receive a qualification proving WHAT we have learnt (and remembered!). The McQuaig Mental Agility Test (MMAT) shows us HOW people have learnt. When two candidates have exactly the same qualification from the same institution we tend to judge them equally for the job. But, the MMAT can show us which one studied, revised and was relieved to pass the exams instead of spending time on sports or social events. The other played many sports, went to many social events and yet “flew” through the exam with minimal effort.

There are jobs for both but one will be better in a role which allows time to evaluate and return with answers later, the other for roles which require fast negotiating or reaction skills.

We can also make other judgements from the scores on the MMAT. Expect those who answer a high number of questions but get many of them wrong to be a person who “guesses” when they do not know the answer. This can prove harmful when they are making decisions which impact the business.

Those who answer fewer questions but get most or all correct will be slower to learn but will learn accurately.

Knowledge of a person’s ability to learn quickly and accurately is a must for managers when working with their team.

To find out more about the McQuaig Mental Agility Test and the McQuaig Psychometric System visit www.mcquaig.co.uk or call 0203 111 9292.

About the author: Mike Edwards is an Associate of The McQuaig Psychometric (distributed by Holst). Mike is accredited by The McQuaig Institute to train McQuaig Interpreters, present, consult and give advice on The McQuaig Psychometric System.

To contact Mike email mikeedwards@mcquaig.co.uk or call 0203 111 9292.