Pymetrics (Harver) assessment: every task explained

Short behavioural games measuring traits rather than right answers.

Used by: BCG (and many more).

Tasks

Balloons

Measures: Risk tolerance and learning. Length: 39 rounds (reported by candidates).

Each pump adds 5 cents to the balloon; collect to keep it, but a pop loses it. Learn how far each colour goes.

Cards

Measures: Learning from reward and loss. Length: 80 rounds (reported by candidates).

Pick from four decks to grow your money. Each deck has its own wins and losses; find the ones that pay over time.

Digits

Measures: Short-term memory. Length: set by the employer.

Digits flash one at a time. Type them back in order; one more digit each time you are right.

Easy or Hard

Measures: Effort versus reward. Length: 2 min.

Each round, pick an easy task for $1 or a hard one for more, then press fast enough to finish it. The shown chance says how likely the round pays.

Faces

Measures: Emotion recognition. Length: 14 rounds.

Pick the emotion the face shows, sometimes with a situation to read. 7 s per face, 30 s with a situation.

Keypresses

Measures: Processing speed and persistence. Length: 3 rounds.

When GO shows, press Space as many times as you can until STOP. Presses before GO or after STOP are logged.

Stop

Measures: Impulse control. Length: 80 rounds.

Press Space when the light is red; hold back when it is green.

Arrows

Measures: Attention and task switching. Length: 135 rounds.

Blue or black arrows: answer the middle arrow. Red arrows: answer the side arrows.

Lengths

Measures: Learning from feedback. Length: 90 rounds (reported by candidates).

A face flashes a short or a long mouth for a tenth of a second; say which. Some correct answers win 5 cents.

Towers

Measures: Planning. Length: 2 min.

Move the discs one at a time to match the target, in as few moves as you can. Plan before the first move.

Money Exchange 1

Measures: Trust and fairness. Length: 4 rounds.

Decide how much money to share with a partner and rate how fair their choices feel. There are no right answers.

Preference only: there is no better answer.

Money Exchange 2

Measures: Generosity and fairness. Length: 2 rounds.

Split $10 with a stranger, then rate how fair other splits were.

Preference only: there is no better answer.

Practise

Practise these in Agisse — invite-only beta.