Have a knack for casting new light on an old problem?

PsychTests.Com Adds The Creative Problem-Solving Test To Its Battery Of Career And HR Tests

MONTREAL, CANADA -- November 17, 2003

PsychTests.com, a leader in web-based psychological testing, has added the Creative Problem-Solving Test to its extensive collection of more than 100 career, personality, IQ, health and relationship tests. HR departments can use the test to supplement the employee selection process, while individuals can use it as a tool to gain insight into their problem-solving approach and possible blocks to creativity, such as a rigid mind-set, inflexibility, apprehension, and general lack of self-assurance. The test provides an efficient, user-friendly way to determine whether one has the attitude, comfort level, and behavior vital to creative problem-solving.

Over the past few decades, creativity has become a highly fashionable topic in both the academic and business worlds. The rapid growth of competition in business and industry is often quoted as a reason for wanting to understand more about the creative process. One of the key aspects of any organisation's success or failure is its ability to stay ahead of the competition in a rapidly changing environment. The modern business, with its emphasis on competition, building larger markets, strategic planning, and teamwork has created the need for new problem solving and decision making strategies. "Nowadays, the majority of organizations are fully aware of just how vital creativity is to their prosperity," explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, the scientific director and president of PsychTests.com. "To assist HR specialists in the selection of the right personnel, we have developed a number of highly effective tools. The Creative Problem-Solving Test is the latest addition."


What does the Creative Problem-Solving Test measure?

The Creative Problem-Solving Test was designed to assess an individual's overall creative problem-solving potential. The test is comprised of 30 questions evaluating a wide range of attributes key to the creative process, such as fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. It also measures attitudes conducive to creativity such as open-mindedness, tolerance for change, and adaptability; comfort with the unknown, self-assurance and general decision-making competence; and typical creative problem-solving behavior. Véronique Sylvain, creator of the test says, "Creativity is linked to fundamental qualities of thinking, such as flexibility, tolerance of ambiguity or unpredictability, and the enjoyment of new things. The Creative Problem-Solving Test results suggest whether the test taker has these fundamental qualities of thinking."

The Creative Problem-Solving Test report contains detailed results on three subscales, each assessing possible blocks to creativity. The analysis includes an overview of the overall strengths and limitations of both the creative and more pragmatic problem-solver and extensive advice counting over fifteen different detailed techniques to employ in order to build on one's creative potential.

Individuals can take the test online to gain better understanding of their own problem-solving approach and benefit from the advice and tips provided. In HR departments, the test can be used to support hiring and promotional decisions, including matching a person to the right position and assigning the most suitable problem-solver to specific teams or particular tasks. The test report is available both in an individualized format (as presently seen online) and in the HR version, written specifically for employee testing purposes. "Although there may not be a perfect solution to a problem, creative thought leads to further insight into a problem and can generate several promising solutions. Recruiting imaginative and innovative problem-solvers and enhancing the creative performance of existing employees is a necessary step if organizations are attempting to achieve competitive advantage", explains Sylvain.


PsychTests.com and ARCH Profile: Precision HRM in action

The Creative Problem-Solving Test is only one of many tools for employee testing available on PsychTests.com. Other tests cover factors such as leadership potential, readiness for promotion, risk for burnout and stress-related problems, self-monitoring potential, success likelihood, sales personality, conflict and anger management, communication skills and power issues - just to name a few. The site also hosts a vast collection of intelligence, personality, health, and relationship tests that can be used to supplement employee assistance and training programs. A team of psychologists, statisticians, and experts on research methods and artificial intelligence collaborated to develop PsychTests' impressive battery of assessment tools. Each test undergoes large-scale studies that yield a plethora of normative, validity and reliability data.

PsychTests.com not only provides the tests, but also offers ARCH Profile, a sophisticated database system, to manage the results. The ARCH Profile system allows HR departments, psychologists, and researchers to save and view test-takers' results, in an individual or aggregated form. They can track progress, display graphs, and organize test-takers' information. Essentially, the system serves as a flexible, easy-to-use online testing center that can be customized to satisfy the requirements of any organization.

For more information this and other pre-employment tests PsychTests offers, please visit: http://www.archprofile.com/corporate/.


About PsychTests.com

PsychTests.com is a subsidiary of Plumeus Inc., a privately owned high-tech company that also runs the #1 mental health site Queendom.com. The combined traffic from Plumeus' sites tops a million unique visitors per month. In business since early 1996, the Plumeus team has years of experience in the online testing field, and hundreds of tests and quizzes under its belt. Plumeus' proven ability to combine mass appeal with cutting edge psychological testing has earned the company the top position in online testing.

By bringing state-of-the-art tests to new markets, PsychTests.com carries on the Plumeus tradition. The site's team of psychologists, statisticians, and artificial intelligence specialists are committed to advancing psychology and technology by providing mental health professionals and HR managers with assessment tools of the highest quality.

For more information, contact Ilona Jerabek @ media@psychtests.com