Why do people fail the psychological exam?

[ba9428]

Most of the time when I hear about guys not getting on the job, it is because they failed the psych. What are the most common reasons guys fail? Are they giving stupid answers? Does it depend on the mood of your investigator/examiner that day? Are there tricky questions?


Your thoughts?

[kyleap]

psych exams are only as good as the psychologist who interprets them. whether it be an MMPI, TAT, MyersBriggs etc etc the written portion is only 10% of the results. it is up to the psychologist to pick apart certain questions/answers and read and interpret the affect of the tester/applicant/recruit.

there are certain questions that are usually dead giveaways that someone is lying - for example the MMPI asks many 'physical health' questions including simple ones like "i never get headaches" or "sometimes i get stomachaches". people try to answer these questions to satisfy criteria, unfortunately this confounds the data and otherwise tips off the psychologist that you're trying to cover something up. besides, who the hell doesnt get headaches? and what kind of superhuman robot is immune to stomachaches? nobody. for the most part, these questions try to determine whether or not the applicant is a liar.

other questions like "sometimes i feel like im going to fall to pieces" are used to elicit certain emotions from applicants while being interviewed. applicants may interpret those questions in a variety of ways, so its up to the psychologist to look for key responses that elude to particular character 'flaws' such as depression, anxiety, lack of coping skills etc.. If you answer 'yes' to that question and your response to the psychologist when he/she asks about it is "during finals week when i'm getting 3 hrs of sleep a day, watching the sun come up every morning when im trying to study, and I'm down to my last bag of ramen, YEAH i feel like i just might just fall to pieces" then you come off as a responsible student with normal college-life stressors. However if you answer with "i cant deal with my coworkers, theyre so critical all the time and my head is pounding when i leave work everyday. on the weekends i cant even manage to do stuff but hang around the house. I just cant take that place anymore!!" .. well, youve pretty much killed off any chance in being in LE! lol

the psychologists that do this for a living often have to undergo extensive training as 'profilers' during their graduate work. they are taught to be VERY objective and completely poker-faced - having a bad/good day and projecting on their subject is highly inappropriate and unprofessional.
there are no trick questions! people over-think, over-examine and the wind up screwing themselves.

just remember that you are HUMAN! you get sick, you get tired, and believe it or not things are allowed to erk or otherwise annoy you. answer honestly and be prepared to defend your answer truthfully and articulately.

[NYPD13]

KYLEAP...you wrote a book. Try writting in paragraphs next time. My eyes were going crazy after a few sentences.

The psych. written exam is all about being truthful in your answers and when you do the oral should match the written. If you seen a therapist or taken any medication then that will hold you back until APD investigate/receive paperwork from the therapist. The whole process is an interview and to see if your mentally stable. The guidelines that APD Docs. ask is all pre-written. Some Docs will grill you or talk to you in a calm manner.

Some will say that APD Docs don't know what there doing. I would disagree...I'm sure there's an extensive interview with the Docs to find there views in this field. A candidate being disqualified that doesn't meet the standards could be a variety from past therapy, medication, or the mental ability to comprehend certain events. Just be honest and see where the chips fall.

[kyleap]

KYLEAP...you wrote a book. Try writting in paragraphs next time. My eyes were going crazy after a few sentences.

lol. sorry, guys.
i copied it from an email template - didnt realize it clumped it all together.
:D

[Sled]

Q. "Why do people fail the psychological exam? "




A. Because they are crazy?

[nasa808]

Q. Why does a fat kid love cake??

A. No one will really know!


IMHO, I believe that it all depends on the shrink and their interpretation of what they are hearing. I had a buddy fail one pysch, but passed another one. I guess it depends on how the moons are lined up.

[Outshined]

Psychological tests in NY work. I have seen two people take it, and I said if they pass this test it doesn't work. They both failed.

[CRS1]

Psychological tests in NY work. I have seen two people take it, and I said if they pass this test it doesn't work. They both failed.

What was it about those two people that made you think they are going to fail it?

[FutaCOP]

What was it about those two people that made you think they are going to fail it?

They were, maybe.. CRAZY? heh. The Psych test for the NYPD is not to see if you are crazy or not.
It's used to figure out if you are right for the job or not.