Psychometric testing works to an extent, no doubt. BUT it has become more of a legal requirement, than anything else. Most people with a half a brain, will give you answers, the job expects of them. To use it as a vetting tool - it is not fool proof, and is something most decision makers will ignore.
On an online forum, a questionnaire can be more of "breaking the ice" than anything else.
THE MOST important thing we want from users is "Respect". There are users here, who I don't agree with, and vice versa, but as long as everybody knows where the "red line" is, it's all good!
Best Regards
I don't disagree with you, but only want to point out that it depends on where and how these are used, and for what. I have used it not for legal requirements (it was nearly 20 years ago, in an environment where I could more or less make my own rules) but to try and uncover personality traits. Of course, it was only a partially effective tool; it revealed much, but certainly not all, and had to be tempered with the experience of the individual at work and his/her ability to work in teams. In software, keeping in mind Phillippe's Law, keeping in mind Brooke's theories from The Mythical Manmonth, teamwork was more or less mandatory, and only work experience validated that. Having said that, and having acknowledged that it was not foolproof, it did serve an important purpose.
Incidentally, a good psychometric instrument is not quite as evident as one might think; look through the F-Test, read its administration rules and the point becomes obvious. Faking an attitude becomes increasingly difficult under time pressure, and given good 'scrambling'.
There is no doubt that your point about 'respect' is good, and that allowing each other space is good, and more important, at this stage, than complex tools, but when numbers go, and people swarm in, these processes do help. You might never find them useful in running this forum, of course, given your commitment to quality rather than to numbers.f
