I’ve been advised this morning that the DWP (or at least the unit that uploaded the test on its behalf) has now changed its fake online psych test so that you can no longer click through the test without answering the questions, in order to mask the fact that the test is a scam designed to manipulate unemployment benefit claimants. Nice to know I’ve inconvenienced them!
Of course, this does not mean that the answers at the end are genuine. I’ve had quite a lot of people tell me that they’ve gone through the test twice, clicking all negative answers once and all positive answers the second time – and got exactly the same answers.
But since the DWP is now trying to cover its tracks, I need to gather some evidence about these fake results. So I need to enlist your help before they have chance to rewrite the test code.
Please visit the test site and run through the test – ideally, if you have time, 3 times. Once clicking the most positive answer every time, once clicking the most negative option, and once clicking at random. Copy the resulting answers (or even better take screenshots) and add a note telling me which of the 3 answer-methods the results relate to.
Then email me the results at ccgwatch@gmail.com so I can start compiling them in case the DWP tries to deny its test was bogus.
Thanks for your help!
Reblogged this on Vox Political and commented:
Here’s a request regarding the bogus DWP psych test that exercised all of us so vigorously last week. Many of you may have already done as requested here; I’d like to think many more will be willing to help, also. It is important to fight scams wherever we find them – especially when they are perpetrated on us by the government!
Done and Sent – Brilliant idea to monitor this latest scam
Yes good thinking.
Hi,
I have just done the DWP test 3 times. Once just clicking on the top button each time, the second time clicking on the neutral button and the 3rd time clicking on the responses that I would have chosen. I got 3 identical results.
I am attaching screenshots! I think you need to go public with this before they have a chance to make any more changes to it.
Annette
________________________________
Thank you! I can’t see an attachment – did you email it too?
The Register (theregister.co.uk) is going to run with the story in the morning. They claim over 7 million readers (unique visitors, not repeats) a month. If anything can get the word out, hopefully that should!
Reposted @http://jaynelinney.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/urgent-help-request-re-dwp-fake-test/
Done & sent email.
Just took the test twice; if they have changed it they haven’t done a very good job as i got the exact same pseudo Jonathan Cainer result both times.
Thank you – please email me the results! All they’ve probably changed at the moment is that you can’t now click through without answering the question.
Hi SKAWKBOX,
Attached are my test answers.
Test 1 was always the first choice- Very Much Like me
Test 2 was always the last item – Very Much Unlike me
Test 3 was as I would have answered
Tests 1 & 2 are exactly the same. It does not appear to matter that you totally agree or disagree with the statement your get the same profile. Test three is different although text for each strength in all cases is exactly the same. So there is no actual differentiation on strengths. The only thing that appears to register is sequence and inclusion of some strength or not.
Regards
Gerry Toner
gerry@gerrytoner.co.uk
07976271533
Linkedin
_____
Brilliant – thanks to you and to everyone who’s helping! Did you email them, btw?
Ran through 5 tests for you and just emailed them to you!
🙂
Reblogged this on Dawn Willis .
Done. Results sent.
Good luck in your endeavours, but I suspect they’ll come out with an excuse along the lines of : “The way the test is set out – for example Q44 & Q45 if you answer negative for both, they are conflicting questions & when answered the same, will always give the same answer due to the confliction”
Instead of comin’ out with the plain english answer of: ‘Default result’
One other thing that puzzles me. There are 48 questions; yet there are only 5 categories. Why not 6 categories? Or 8? what happens to the spare questions?
The whole thing’s a load of shabbite.
Hi Steve
I am not sure how these tests meet the criteria for helping people back to work.
Jobseeker Directions – The DWP decision makers guide states:
34585 The JSD must be
1. In writing and
2. Given
2.1 by an Emp O and
2.2 with a view to
2.2.a helping the claimant find employed earner’s employment or
2.2.B improving the claimant’s chances of being employed
.
These type of tests are not listed in the criteria required.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch34.pdf
Great point!
The email responder states:
This exercise has been shown to find peoples’ strengths in scientific studies and you may find it useful to identify your strengths and use them to inform your job search, CV or use in interviews. You may also find it useful to try to incorporate your strengths in your daily life and play to them whenever you can.
However, as we have all found the test cannot be accurate reflection of an individuals strengths if we all get the same results. 🙂
Therefore anyone who has received a sanction should ask for a review.
In Maggie’s case the issue of a direction was most inappropriate:
A sanction can only be imposed if:
3. The JSD was reasonable, taking the claimant’s circumstances into account.
I have just rattled through the test twice and put the same email address both times. I only received one email, so I went back and did the second one again and had it sent to another email address, then forwarded it to myself. i did both tests at high speed and both took about 4 minutes each. I ticked the top line on the first test and the bottom line on the second. Both results are identical.
Let me know how you want them sent, I managed to record the second run, but had a problem with the first and had to update the software before it worked properly.
Regards
Steve Mackie
Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:40:52 +0000 To: steve_mackie@hotmail.com
Thanks mate – cut and paste the results with a note of which answer-method you used, and email them, please!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9853384/Inside-the-Coalitions-controversial-Nudge-Unit.html
Ah! NPL as delivered by Goals UK and the brainchild of the ‘Nudg Unit”
There has been some reporting of the ‘Nudge Unit’ over the past year or so
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9853384/Inside-the-Coalitions-controversial-Nudge-Unit.html
Rather than get everyone to run the test, just save the HTML source of the page. File->Save As in whatever browser you use. Do this every time you see a change. Or even if you don’t. Then run tools like WinMerge to compare the different versions of the saved file to show what DWP are doing. See this comment on The Register site for an example of the differences that are already being done – http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/2/2013/04/25/dwp_psych_test/#c_1804470
I’m reasonably tech-savvy, but that kind of thing isn’t ‘just’ lol