Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Failed Psych. Test (Read 73141 times)
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Failed Psych. Test
Dec 27th, 2006 at 1:37am
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I took a psych. test for a local law enforcement agency and the results weren't good, I'm guessing.  I received a letter from the department saying they had "many"(even though through the whole process their were only two of us) applicants who better met the immediate needs of the department.  Basically the letter said you failed the psych. test and you're an idiot (at least that's what I feel like right now).  I actually thought the whole testing procedure went well.  And too say the least I was surprised when I received the rejection letter.  A little advice for any applicant going through the process, it's not over till it's over.  Good luck to anybody going through it.  Does anybody out there know a good way to prep for the psych. test, please let me know? Thanks. Undecided
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #1 - Dec 28th, 2006 at 12:59am
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i recently took this online psych. test at:

http://www.bitching.org/mmpi2/test.php ;

my result was "probable attempt at faking bad."  i know this sounds bad, obviously, but i don't understand how i got this result. can anyone tell giove me some info. on how i can improve my results?  thanks! ???
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #2 - Dec 29th, 2006 at 1:02am
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just took the same test and got the same result.

Probable Attempt at Faking Bad.

I have no idea what that means

Happy New Year
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #3 - Dec 29th, 2006 at 3:54am
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hahaha ok thanks Wink
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #4 - Dec 29th, 2006 at 9:50am
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I got this, among other things, but not sure exactly what it means....  Perhaps that I am a fairly normal introvert who doesn't like being controlled?

ANX - Anxiety: 47
FRS - Fears: 51
OBS - Obsessiveness: 41
DEP - Depression: 41
HEA - Health Concerns: 53
BIZ - Bizarre Mentation: 46
ANG - Anger: 32
CYN - Cynicism: 46
ASP - Antisocial Practices: 46
TPA - Type A: 41
LSE - Low Self-Esteem: 35
SOD - Social Discomfort: 63
FAM - Family Problems: 50
WRK - Work Interference: 44
TRT - Negative Treatment Indicators: 49
A - Anxiety: 42
R - Repression: 74
Es - Ego Strength: 58
MAC-R - Macandrew Alcoholism Scale-Revised: 37
AAS - Addiction Acknowledgement: 51
APS - Addiction Potential: 38
MDS - Marital Distress: 51
Ho - Hostility: 42
O-H - Overcontrolled Hostility: 62
Do - Dominance: 48
Re - Social Responsibility: 60
Mt - College Maladjustment: 42
GM - Masculine Gender Role: 61
GF - Feminine Gender Role: 52
PK - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Keane: 42


Many of the questions were horribly vague... "I have never done anything dangerous for the thrill of it"..... do roller coaster rides count?... I selected false for this, and suppose that 99.999999% of the pop would also have to select false)

Others, I don't know how they can score without knowing the test taker's actual life situation... I have frequently worked under people who seem to have things arranged so that they get credit for good work but are able to pass off mistakes onto those under them.... Obviously there are some people who would truthfully answer yes, and others no, depending on who they worked for....

All in all, not impressed with the test, but it probably isn't too horrible.  Admittedly I don't know how they are scoring the test either.


I suspect I was hurt on a few questions by my pedantic nature... such as the danger one above and ....       It is all right to get around the law if you do not actually break it.... I answered true... because I believe there exists at least one law that is stupid, and therefore would have no concern with someone who decides to get around it.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #5 - Dec 29th, 2006 at 8:02pm
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Onesimus, did you get a result? And if so, of course if you don't mind, what did it say?  I was just wondering, thanks.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #6 - Dec 29th, 2006 at 9:47pm
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I assumed what I posted was part of my results.  The other parts were graphs and charts that I don't know how to get to show up correctly here. 

At the top of the report it says:

Your test is available at: http://www.bitching.org/mmpi2/scoretest.php?id=

Looks like the id number is missing.  If I put that link in a browser, I get:

Name:
IP Address:
Email:
Allow Contact:
Gender:
Timestamp:
The test protocol was invalidated.
Reason: Probable attempt at faking bad.

And below it there are a bunch of charts and graphs with low numbers for everything.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #7 - Dec 30th, 2006 at 12:38am
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it's pretty weird that all three people so far have received "probable attempt at faking bad."   ???
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #8 - Jan 11th, 2007 at 10:00pm
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Hi People Rep-

Sure, to change your "probably faking bad" score, you should just be honest when you answer the questions.
It sounds to me like you're trying to appear as if you're a "bad boy", but in fact you may <gasp> just be a nice guy who would be a great police officer.

The rest of this post is just general comments, and NOT aimed at you, People Rep. I don't want you to think that this is a personal sort of attack! Smiley

See, the MMPI-2 is a neat instrument.  As a prior poster wrote, the MMPI-2 won't be the reason why you won't get the job (unless you really screw it up).  How can you really screw it up, you ask? Just reply "yes" to a question such as "I like killing people".   

Why do you think that people are told they don't get jobs because of the results of the MMPI-2?  I'll tell you.  Because the interviewers DIDN'T LIKE YOU. Or perhaps your references sucked, or maybe your background check wasn't the best. Also reasons such as cultural differences, language barriers, the fact that you're a s-l-o-w talker, you can't spell your name to get your paycheck cashed, or the boss' nephew is applying for the same job as you. There are a lot of reasons why people don't get jobs.  By the employer "blaming" the MMPI-2, it mostly absolves the hiring committee of any personal libility.  Plain and simple.  We all know that a potential employee isn't going to press charges against the MMPI-2, but if the job candidate finds out that an interviewer didn't like him or her --- well, then attorneys can be involved (or at least ugly letters can be sent up the chain of command).

I think if folks put as much effort into being themselves as they have into beating the MMPI-2, then eveything will work out.  If you don't get a job because of the reported reason of the MMPI-2, then let it go!  Move on. And start looking at possible other reasons why you didn't get the job.

PS. I'm a clinical psychologist, used to work for a Prison,  and was on their hiring committee. I have administered the MMPI-2 too many times to count, and agree that life is not fair.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #9 - Jan 12th, 2007 at 1:35am
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I have done a little research on MMPI, not as much as on polygraph, and it too is a crock of defication. I believe it has mislabeled more people than the polygraph and that's going some.

I took a MMPI, just to test its validity, and had it scored by a professional. The results were that I was a wimpy introvert. I garin-damn-tee-you that I'm no such animal. I just believe all should be honest and fair to all. I treat everyone like I desire to be treated. However, screw me and I become a bioling pot of oil that most likely will be poured on you regardless of who you are.

If a prospective employer shoved either MMPI or polygraph at me as abasis of employment, they get the finger and I walk.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #10 - Jan 12th, 2007 at 2:00am
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CrisisDoc wrote on Jan 11th, 2007 at 10:00pm:
By the employer "blaming" the MMPI-2, it mostly absolves the hiring committee of any personal libility.  Plain and simple.


Quote:

PS. I'm a clinical psychologist, used to work for a Prison,  and was on their hiring committee. I have administered the MMPI-2 too many times to count, and agree that life is not fair.


If you were an active participant in using the MMPI-2 as a scapegoat, it sounds like you made it part of your job to make life unfair.

Quote:
Sure, to change your "probably faking bad" score, you should just be honest when you answer the questions.
It sounds to me like you're trying to appear as if you're a "bad boy"


The "probable attempt at faking bad" message, at least when I got it, was likely due to a bad link or programmer error on the website.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #11 - Jan 12th, 2007 at 10:45pm
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Onesimus,

Ah, there you go... who needs an MMPI-2 to assess YOUR personality?  Why so hostile?

I actually never used the MMPI-2 as a scapegoat for not hiring someone; I just told the committee why I think the person would be bad for the job.  Unless they really flunked the MMPI-2 (again, indicating "true" to a question such as "I like killing people") if I thought the person was a crackerjack candidate... well they're hired (at least that would be my vote).

Frankly, you would not believe the weenies that apply for jobs at a prison.  If you would like a description of some of the folks who lacked two brain cells to rub together whom I had the complete amusement of interviewing, please let me know.  MMPI-2 results not withstanding, I would NEVER want one of those bozos watching my back.

And you wouldn't want them watching your back, either.

So, regardless if the HR Dept tells them they scored poorly on the MMPI-2 or if they were just politely told that someone more qualified had gotten the job.. the bottom line is that I feel 100% confident that I did my part to keep the employees and citizens safe.

Sorry if that means anyone's feelings were hurt... but this may have nothing to to with the MMPI-2 anymore.
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #12 - Jan 15th, 2007 at 10:52pm
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CrisisDoc:

what are some things you look for that you believe make a good candidate (while you're interviewing)?   

i honestly believe that i would make a great police officer and when i found out that i wasn't going on with that agency i was very surprised.  now that the agency never said," you failed your pysch. test," but i assumed that to be the reason why i wasn't going on to the next step b-c it was my last step.  i believe after i left that psych. test that everything went as planned.  i mean i don't know what kind of tests the interviewer might give you, as a candidate, while they interview you, but i sat there for over an hour talking to this psychologist and at no point did i think, "man i'm doing bad."  we had a solid conversation. and on another note, i never really messed up on any of my written tests, like you said, answering "yes" to a question like, i hear voice in my head.  i think the most disturbing thing about this whole process is that the agency can't give you an explanation to why you're not moving on, instead they send you a lame letter stating some B-S reason.  How, as a candidate trying to get hired, can you improve then, if you don't know where it supposedly went wrong?  This is why i came on this web site, to hopefully find out what, how, where, or anything i can can do to improve on my pysch test.  so crisisdoc you have any advise? ???
  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #13 - Jan 16th, 2007 at 7:35pm
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Hi People_Rep,

Great note!

I know the blog has to do with the MMPI-2, but I want to take a little time to describe some of the people who I immediately put on the "no" list when they came through the prison looking for employment.

- The S-L-O-W talker.  I don't mean, the guy who was thoughtful about his answers; I'm talking about the fella who took about 90 seconds to tell me his name and where he was from.  Why did I not like this? Because if slow guy needed to tell me that an inmate escaped, was planning violence, or is otherwise involved in evil deeds... I need to know NOW. And face it; if you need 90 seconds to tell me your name and where you live, then what will happen if I ask you something that you'll really need to think about? A prison is a bad place for a slow guy.

- The people who told me they wanted a job with the State because of the benefits.  Although it's a perk, don't make it sound like it's the primary reason why you want to work in a prison.  Show some interest in the job, will ya?

-I swear to god, this happened.  The guy who was in a wheelchair who applied to be a CO. Don't get me wrong, I am all for hiring folks with handicaps if they can do the job; but sending someone in a wheelchair into a building surrounded by violent sadistic offenders is not in anyone's best interest.  Trust me, trust me, trust me. This fella would have won the Darwin award for certain. What does it say about his judgement? And if he can't keep himself safe, how can he be counted on to keep YOU (or other inmates) safe? A non-hands on job with inmates would have been a much better fit.

- The people who lied about misdemeanors on their legal records. Yes I have hired people with misdemeanors as long as they TOLD ME ABOUT THEM.  I don't care if you were arrested in a bar-room brawl 15 years ago during college; in fact, I'm moderately impressed if you fess up and tell me you were young and stupid, but learned a lesson from it and never did it again (as long as you didn't).  Don't think your criminal past will go overlooked no matter how long ago it has happened, and for the love of God, be prepared to tell me you were a weenie about it and have better problem solving skills NOW. Don't linger, just be honest and move on. BTW, your background report has all this info on it; the info doesn't "disappear" after x number of years.  It's there, and I see it.

- The people who live an hour or more away, the people who are frequent job hoppers, the people who have such pre-identified potential problems that they are brought up in the job interview (ex: "I don't have a car and rely on my neightbor to drive me"; "I have to be out by 5:00 sharp everyday to pick up my kids at daycare"; "I have a medical condition and sometimes need to be off for a week or two at a time", etc.) Working a prison is not a normal 9-5 job; there are swing shifts, you are required to be there to watch the inmates (who's going to cover for you??), and if you are susceptible to stress/physical illness, this job won't be for you for the long run.  You will get sick, and then you will quit.   

See, I've done this for a long time.  I know the red flags and how much paperwork is involved with removing an employee versus just not hiring them in the first place. Am I wrong about some folks? I'm sure I am, but as an employer I'd rather take the gamble on hiring someone who fits the profile as a whole as opposed to someone who has a huge gap in their profile.  I'm not Superman, and I am not about "giving someone a chance".  I am about hiring the best person for the job given the limited amount of knowledge I have about them.  Working in a prison/law enforcement is an extremely serious matter; A mistake "to give someone a chance" could result in serious injury or death, and I'm not willing to risk myself.  Or yourself.

On the upside?  Once you're on "my team", I will protect you to the very end with every physical, legal, and emotional fiber of my being.  Working in a prison isn't a job; it's a dedication. It's something that will be with you the rest of your life, and one wrong move can be a disaster. One right move can be a miracle. 

My suggestion, sincerely, is to contact the agency that you had applied to and speak to one of the interviewers you had. Doesn't matter which one, and let them know you weren't offered the job this time around and that you'd really like to reapply.  Ask the interviewer if there were any obvious weaknesses that you could work on improving in order to be a better candidate.

This impresses the pants off of people for a few reasons: (1) It shows that you have tenacity and REALLY want the job.  You're not just some flake who applied for the job, didn't get it, and are moving on to work somewhere else.  Employers LIKE someone who is dedicated to the cause. (2) It shows you have introspective qualities and are willing to accept constructive criticism to do better the next time around.  DO NOT argue with the person no matter what they say about you, no matter how silly, misguided, or completely wrong the feedback is.  Why? Because they can't hire you on the spot ("Jeepers, sorry, come on in you're hired") and they may need "proof" that they were wrong about you.

For example, many years ago I applied for a job with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in NY.  I did everything they wanted, and received a generic rejection notice.  I called the HR department and was told that the Discover Credit Card people had me as delinquent debtor for $57.00 that went back about 4 years.  No kidding! I called Discover, had the matter cleared up, and reapplied for the same exact job in the same exact prison.  Who would have thought? That's an example of something that I never would have known if I didn't ask - and also a situation where "evidence" was needed to clear up a weird mistake.  Too bad I didn't know about this Discover Card issue a few months prior, because I just bought a new car and I'm sure my credit score (and resultant interest rate) was affected by Discover Card's "oopsie".  Ah, those kookie credit card people.

But I digress.  When you talk to your intrviewer, ask him/her what skills a great candidate can offer to the police department and how you can make yourself a more attractive candidate.  Don't say, "what are YOU looking for" because now it's becoming a little too personal. Always look at the facility as if you're joining a team, beacuse that's what it is.

Honestly, People_Rep, it sounds like you may be a little hard on yourself. There are SO many reasons why a qualified candidate isn't offered a position that you are probably barking up the wrong tree. And don't forget, sometimes the interviewers aren't as invested in the process as they should be, either.  It's a pain to interview people, a bigger pain to train them. If another candidate has prior job experience, a relative in the business, specialized college classes or training, has "veteran's credits" (comes from armed forces background), is asking for less money, or frankly their resume landed at the top of the stack due to a random toss of the mail sorter (versus a "priority one" situation)... well, those are all factors that can bump you.  Don't be dicouraged! 

I know this was way of the MMPI-2 track. Sorry!

  
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Re: Failed Psych. Test
Reply #14 - Mar 2nd, 2007 at 8:45am
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CrisisDoc wrote on Jan 11th, 2007 at 10:00pm:

Why do you think that people are told they don't get jobs because of the results of the MMPI-2?  I'll tell you.  Because the interviewers DIDN'T LIKE YOU. Or perhaps your references sucked, or maybe your background check wasn't the best. Also reasons such as cultural differences, language barriers, the fact that you're a s-l-o-w talker, you can't spell your name to get your paycheck cashed, or the boss' nephew is applying for the same job as you. There are a lot of reasons why people don't get jobs.  By the employer "blaming" the MMPI-2, it mostly absolves the hiring committee of any personal libility.  Plain and simple.  We all know that a potential employee isn't going to press charges against the MMPI-2, but if the job candidate finds out that an interviewer didn't like him or her --- well, then attorneys can be involved (or at least ugly letters can be sent up the chain of command).


This guy hit the nail on the head.  It's a cop-out (pardon the pun) for not hiring someone, when they can't come up with a legitimate reason not to hire them.  Hope that makes sense  Undecided
  
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