Key Clients look for continued SR&A support
May 2011
We are pleased to announce that our work for MoD, involving the provision of assessment centre and other support for the selection of Senior Civil Servants will continue into a new round during the current financial year. We are equally delighted that, following a successful series of contributions to NWP Leadership Development workshops, North Wales Police have decided to continue the series into a new round. We are grateful to both organisations for their continued custom and their confidence in our services.
Client recommendation for Quintax and SR&A Online 360
March 2011
We are pleased to quote a testimonial from one of our clients - Amanda Lindsay at 2bhr - in relation to Quintax and our 360 degree assessment system.
"Having originally been trained by Stuart, we have worked with SR Associates for a number of years. Their customer service is exemplary, always willing to advise and explain how best to use their products. We have had longstanding success using the Quintax profiles when coaching and have found the 360 management appraisal tool to have broad and insightful application. For both personality and ability tests, we are happy to work exclusively with the SR team."
Quintax is a powerful tool for use in coaching, and as a measure of preference it has a lot of value when combined with performance assessment tools such as the SR&A 360 system.
Streamlined Approach to Discovery Sales and Pricing Introduced
January 2011
We are intending to revamp and streamline the approach we have to selling and pricing Discovery, our successful series of Assessment and Development Centre exercises. After considering customer opinions we have decided to offer, for each exercise, an Admin Pack and a Refill Pack. By ordering an Admin Pack, customers will receive enough materials needed to assess a group of up to 12 people. This includes participant briefs, up to 4 assessor briefs, 2 sets of Admin instructions, 2 Role Player briefs (where required by the exercise) and rating/observation sheets to cover the 12 assessments. A Refill Pack will provide customers with all the consumable participant materials, observation and rating sheets needed for a further 12 assessees. Click here for details of the Discovery series, and here for the simplified pricing structure.
Test Training Prices held for a 3rd Great Year!
January 2011
With a VAT rise to contend with, our clients may be pleased to hear that we are holding our training prices at January 2010 levels. This represents a third year of price stability in our psychometric test training services - including both public and in-company courses.
Check out the details for public courses on our course dates/prices page, and look here for the details in relation to in-company training. Remember that you can always call us to discuss or negotiate arrangements and prices for non-standard courses.
Chromis Consulting signs up as a Licensed Quintax Trainer!
October 2010
Our Newsletter readers will be aware that SR&A are seeking to expand the availability of Quintax training more fully across the UK by collaborating with others interested in supporting the instrument and working in a collegiate way to develop it further. We are delighted to announce that we have now agreed to partner with Chromis Consulting in this venture, and that they will look after Quintax training for us in the South West of England. Chromis bring many years of experience in training and in psychometric assessment to this collaboration and we are confident that this relationship will be mutually beneficial and an exciting step both for our two companies and for the future of Quintax and its application in the UK.
Training in Quintax can be obtained from ourselves at SR&A, or from any provider displaying the Quintax Licensed Trainer Logo shown below.
Sign-up to our Newsletter on our home page, so as to see more details of this in our next issue due to be published in November!
SR&A wins North Wales Police Leadership Development contract!
August 2010
We are delighted to announce that SR&A has won a contract with the North Wales Police to support the design and implementation of a leadership development promotion programme for middle managers in the force. The programme is being designed in collaboration with NWP Leadership Development Officers and will be delivered jointly between October 2010 and April 2011. The programme will be based around self reflection and action learning using tools such as our Quintax questionnaire. It will also include a mix of exercises and other inputs to explore a variety of aspects of leadership, including change management, conflict resolution etc. Derek Wilkie (SR&A's Head of Consulting) said "We are very excited by the prospect of working with NWP. It adds to our record of work with other public authorities in the area - such as the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Police. In these cases we have brought our psychometric expertise, tools and consulting experience to the support of selection and development processes in a community setting that is enormously important to all of us".
Refresher training for Affirmation of Level A and B competence for former delegates starts successfully!
August 2010
The British Psychological Society recently set up a mechanism to help delegates who completed (or partially completed) Level A and/or B training in the past but who (for one reason or another) never collected their Certificates. This could be caused by delegates filing their original Affirmation of Competence forms instead of sending them to the BPS, or when delegates did not finish e.g. a follow-up exercise and therefore didn't obtain the forms in the first place. Many factors have led to the situation where there are many delegates who deserve to finish Certification but who have missed out. At SR&A we are meeting a variety of delegates and working with them on a one-to-one basis (as each case is different) in order to refresh their competencies and sign them off for BPS Certification. The importance of this is that delegates who possess Level A and B, and who join the BPS Register of Competence in Psychological Testing will be automatically 'grandparented' on to the new test regulation framework which the BPS is to introduce early in 2011. See our recent Newsletter for more details of the new system and how to join it. If you don't obtain the Certificates then you may find that you need to complete full training so as to gain the national recognition for your skills that you already deserve. So if you have done the training, but didn't get the BPS Certificates call us (on 0161 877 3277) or email to discuss how we can help you to achieve this goal!
Great Autumn Price Offer on Level A and B training!
August 2010
With so many organisations facing budgetary restrictions and painful cuts SR&A has decided to make a contribution to supporting our clients' intentions in training by reducing our prices by a full 20% for the remainder of the year. This means that delegates can now book to complete both Level A and B training courses before the year end for a total of just over £1900 + VAT. See our training pages for more details!
Quintax Feedback DVD now available!
May 2010
Quintax users and training delegates can now order a copy of our Quintax Feedback DVD. The DVD covers two feedback sessions. The first is a short feedback intended for use as a 'spot the deliberate mistakes' exercise. It illustrates some of the things to avoid in giving Quintax feedback, but these are mixed in with examples of good practice. We have found it provides a good basis for discussion and rating by delegates, helping them to become alert to the 'do-es and don'ts' of Quintax feedback early in their training. The second feedback is done under more naturalistic conditions and illustrates a basic feedback with a development discussion included. The DVD is also useful to Quintax Users who are looking for a 'refresher' on feedback style with the measure, and to delegates converting to Quintax from another personality instrument. The DVD is excerpted on this website at the foot of the Quintax feedback page. Pricing information and order form can be seen here. Or call us now on 0161 877 3277 to order a copy!
TJ Hughes becomes a Quintax User!
May 2010
We have been working recently with members of the TJ Hughes HR team so as to provide them with the skills and facilities to use Quintax On-line in their internal development and recruitment processes for managers. TJ Hughes is a well established and expanding retail chain of 52 stores with many new openings planned in the UK and Ireland. Having opened for the first time in Liverpool in 1912, it now occupies over 1.8 million square feet of retail space around the country. TJ Hughes continues to go from strength to strength, showcasing attractive and re-worked store layouts and designs, and now boasting a thriving on-line store. We are delighted that the TJ Hughes team, along with increasing numbers of other organisations looking for a modern, work based UK personality measure, have seen fit to place their confidence in Quintax.
No course price rises for the New Year!
January 2010
We are delighted to announce that we are holding our 2009 course prices for 2010 for yet another great year! Now providing fantastic value for money, our courses cover all the required content for Level A and B certification. At 4 days and 3 days respectively, they provide an efficient and cost effective way of reaching the major British Psychological Society standards for testing. Plus we are still providing a discount of £400 to those people who book Level A and B at the same time. Given the changes due to come to Level A and B certification mentioned in our other recent news items, it may be beneficial to complete your Level A before the new arrangements come into place. Call us now on 0161 877 3277 to book on one of our public courses, or click here to view dates and make a booking on-line.
Done Level A but never got the Certificate? How to get Re-affirmed for BPS Certification!
January 2010
We get regular queries from people who did Level A in the past but for one reason or another never collected their BPS Certificates. The BPS will not normally issue the Certificate automatically if your affirmation of competence form is over a year old. Another complication is that the BPS is reshaping the content and organisation of its Level A and B certification arrangements this year, and if you don't collect your certificate before this happens you may not be admitted to the new framework without repeating some or all of your training and/or assessment. As a result it may be beneficial to sort this matter out now. Call us on 0161 877 3277 to discuss our Level A Re-Affirmation Process and how we can help you to get your Level A Certificate!
Course Dates for 2010 - book at 2009 Prices!
August 2009
Our course dates for next year have now been agreed and can be seen here. We will be reviewing our prices for 2010 in the next few months. These will be published on this website later in the autumn - they will take effect immediately for any bookings for 2010 course places. Before and until the new prices are published you can book any 2010 course at the 2009 price! So, if you want to book a course in early 2010 - perhaps to get your Level A and/or B qualification finished before the new BPS certification arrangements come in (see below) - you will have the advantage of buying at 2009 prices. Book now, to avoid disappointment!
Important Information for Past SR&A Level A and B Delegates
July 2009
The British Psychological Society has indicated that it will be reshaping both the content and the organisation of its Level A and B certification arrangements in the course of 2010. One of the implications of this is that delegates who already have Level A and/or Level B from previous courses will be able to transfer over to the new system for recognising their competency. However, this will be automatic for delegates who are members of the Register of Competence in Psychological Testing - up to now a voluntary register. For those who haven't joined RCPT, or who have allowed their membership to lapse, a process of application and 'grandparenting' will be necessary. In the new system, delegates' competency profiles will be held upon the new register which will be a public database through which individuals can prove their competency to others. The implication is clear: if you want to transfer to the new system, make sure you join (or rejoin!) RCPT before the new arrangements come into place. See our recent Newsletter for more details of the new system and how to join it.
Newsletter Archive Available
July 2009
We are pleased to announce that our web visitors can now gain immediate access to our past Newsletters (including the most recent July issue) by clicking on the Newsletter Archive link at the foot of our home page. The Newsletters contain a variety of articles meant for a general readership, together with specific resources that our customers and others might find helpful - for example, norm tables and type distribution statistics for Quintax, sample reports, research studies, learning log resources etc. If you see anything that interests you, please give us a call on +44 (0)161 877 3277 or email us for more information.
SR&A Level A Training Re-verified by BPS
June 2009
SR&A Level A Assessors Derek Wilkie and Stuart Robertson have recently been re-verified by the British Psychological Society so that they can sign-off affirmation of competence forms (to enable delegates to collect BPS Level A certification) for a further five years. As a result the materials we use to assess delegates' competence for Level A have been refreshed with some minor changes. These will be used in and from our public Level A course on the 15th September. Delegates still to submit outstanding work will be assessed against the materials they received at the start of their training.
Quintax Leadership Report Launched
March 2009
Quintax users will be pleased to learn that from Monday 30th March an additional report dealing with Leadership Styles will be available on the Quintax Online Website. Running at 10 pages, the report explains the differences between Transformational, Transactional and Passive leadership and provides scores on these styles with a graphical description for the respondent. These are broken down and defined further to yield additional scores with interpretations reflecting the degree to which the respondent is likely to manifest different components of the three main styles. A concluding section provides an opportunity for reflection by the respondent, together with a series of tips on enhancing one's transformational and transactional styles when faced with the requirement to lead. Click here for a copy of a sample report for a fictional respondent.
SR&A launch Career Motivation Indicator Website
January 2009
SR&A are delighted to announce the launch of a website to host our new measure - the Career Motivation Indicator. Details of the new instrument are also available here on this website. Registration and pricing information is given here. CMi is intended to help people to clarify and think about their own career goals and choices. Individuals can visit the new website so as to complete CMi and receive a detailed report. Alternatively, if you are professional engaged in career development work you can set up an account to use it with your own clients. We believe strongly that CMi will make a very valuable contribution to career planning for individuals and advisers. Why not call us to discuss matters on +44 (0)161 877 3277 - we can give you further information about CMi (for example click here for a copy of our new CMi leaflet) and we can tell you what the options are for using the new tool.
SR&A to hold 2008 public training prices for 2009
January 2009
SR&A are once again pleased to spread New Year cheer by holding our public course prices for 2009 at their 2008 levels. This is the second year of price stability at SR&A, and together with our £400 discount on the booking of Level A and B places together provides fantastic value for money! Click here for details of new course dates at our Manchester office. Don't forget that we also have some very competitive pricing for in-company courses - click here for details!
Career Motivation Indicator Website to be unveiled in new year!
December 2008
Plans are in place for the unveiling of our CMi website early in the new year! CMi measures 10 key career motives that help to determine the types of career choices that will satisfy us and provide us with meaning and fulfilment at work. They include things like Work-Life Balance, Security, Power and Influence, Challenge, etc. The questionnaire also enables scores to be generated on 4 underlying global career themes, such as Achievement Orientation vs Balance, and Self-Starting Opportunity vs Career Security. The questionnaire can be used by any professional who engages with clients seeking career counselling or advice related to job or career fit, and it is also open to individuals seeking to gain career choice insights independently. If you are engaged in career or life coaching, or even trying to consider career issues for yourself, the Career Motivation Indicator will help by providing answers and stimulating fresh thinking about career management and direction. Contact SR&A on 0161 877 3277 for more details.
SR&A to Present at 2009 DOP Conference Jan 14-16
December 2008
SR&A staff will be presenting a paper at the forthcoming British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference at Blackpool this year. The paper 'Of Quintax Types and Traits' will be presented as part of Professor Dave Bartram's symposium on the contrast between trait and type descriptions of personality on the first day of the conference. We will also be exhibiting, so both Rob Davies and Vicky Edwards will be attending along with Stuart Robertson and Derek Wilkie. If you are going to the conference and would like to come and meet us please feel free to drop by at our stand or during the symposium - we'd be glad to see you!
Innovative Development Centre Design by Rob Davies
December 2008
As is typical for our consulting team, we have recently been involved in a series of client assignments involving thedesign of assessment and development centres, together with the production of a wide range of exercises to suit client needs. One of these exercises has involved Rob Davies in the design of an innovative new design format for development centre work, in which candidates are provided with opportunities to make substantial learning gains e.g. by being able to repeat exercise types (on which they've shown weak performance) with different specific content in order to enhance development of specific management skills. We hope to extend this model with other clients in the future. Call Rob Davies on 0161 877 3277 if you are interested in the possibility of using this approach with your management team.
Happy 10th Birthday to Quintax!
March 2008
We are pleased to announce that Quintax, the innovative SR&A trait and type personality questionnaire, has reached its 10th birthday with the advent of 2008. First sold in paper form in 1998, we added an On-line site in 2003 - one of the earliest on the web! Throughout this period we have remained committed to continuing research and development so as to ensure that Quintax provides a modern application rich method for assessing personality at work. Based upon the 'Big 5' model, with rich holistic feedback materials available, Quintax is used today about equally in selection and development situations. And in leaving behind older Jungian approaches to type, Quintax is able to provide a broader and fresher picture of the individual respondent which is fully evidence based. With an ever-growing user base of practitioners, and a vigorous approach to the development of further applications of the product, Quintax looks set for many more years of successful use. So it's 'Happy Birthday, Quintax' and 'Many happy returns' from us all at SR&A!
Initial data collection finishes on fire service selection project
March 2008
Earlier in the year we began work for a local Fire and Rescue Service on the preparation of a new screening tool to be used in selection. The instrument, which focusses on the measurement of values and key personality attributes is currently in its pilot stages. When completed it will be used on-line to help sift many thousands of applicants for positions with the fire service. One of our consulting team has been supervising work on the project, which has involved close liaison with the authority throughout the early piloting. Now with a major tranche of data ready for analysis we will be making final decisions around question selection for the tool which should be available for use and evaluation at the end of April. This project gives a good illustration of our work in the area of bespoke measure development - call us on 0161 877 3277 if you are interested in this type of service, and watch this space for further news of how the project develops!
Rob Davies joins SR&A Ltd
January 2008
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Rob Davies as Principal Consultant at SR&A Ltd with effect from January 2nd. Rob is a distinguished Chartered Occupational Psychologist with substantial experience in business psychology gained in senior appointments at Henley Management College and Interactive Skills Ltd. In 2000 Rob led a management buy-out of Interactive Skills and as MD subsequently led the successful re-branding and market re-positioning of the company as Water for Fish Ltd. Following the sale of the company, Rob has decided to return to a primary interest in front-line consulting and business development by joining SR&A as a member of our core team. In this he will be primarily concerned with our portfolio of assessment and development centre work. One of his initial goals will be to help us deal with a newly acquired contract with the MOD, for the delivery of assessment centres for the selection of Senior Civil Servants.
Vicky Edwards joins SR&A Ltd as Assistant Psychologist
January 2008
We are also pleased to announce that Vicky Edwards has joined us an Assistant Psychologist with effect from January 2nd. Vicky has recently completed her MSc training as a mature student at Liverpool John Moores University. She will be engaged on a variety of projects for the company including newly acquired work with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.
SR&A to Exhibit at DOP Conference Jan 9-11
January 2008
SR&A will be exhibiting at the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference at Stratford-upon-Avon this year between January 9th and 11th. Both Rob Davies and Vicky Edwards will be attending along with Stuart Robertson and Derek Wilkie, so if you are going to the conference and would like to come and meet us please feel free to drop by at our stand - we'd be glad to see you!
Public Course Prices held for 2008
December 2007
SR&A are pleased to spread the New Year cheer by holding our public course prices for 2008 at their 2007 levels, thus also reducing our contribution to annual price inflation! Click here for details of new course dates at our Manchester office. Don't forget that we also have some very competitive pricing for in-company courses - click here for details!
Job opportunity for Business Psychologist at SR&A Limited
October 2007
We are looking for a Senior Business Psychologist to join our core team so as to make a contribution to a series of major assessment centre projects we are engaged in delivering. Other work, involving business development and some psychometric training will also be involved. A Chartered Psychologist (or near to Chartering) is required with a minimum of 5 years post MSc experience. If interested, please email Stuart Robertson at this email address with details of CV, salary and salary expectations. Click here for advert copy.
Payment via Credit Card or PayPal
June 2007
With effect from June 1st we have introduced a PayPal facility for payment of invoices by Credit Card (or PayPal account) for test materials (Quintax, Discovery and Portrait) and for individual training places. We will of course be retaining other payment options by cheque, BACS etc. Please call us for details on 0161 877 3277 if you are interested in the Credit Card or PayPal payment options.
Career Motivation Indicator - Version 2 Available!
May 2007
We are now piloting version 2 of our new Career Motivation Indicator with clients and others interested in participating in the development of this new measure. CMI taps into the drivers that motivate us in our choices of jobs and general career goals. We are offering all those interested in completing CMI a FREE Career Motivation Report. If you would like to take part, or trial the measure with others then click here to email us with your details. We will send you a copy of the questionnaire in Word format for you to complete and return. We have had some excellent and very useful feedback which has helped inform the design of this version, so do feel free to let us know what you think of the measure and report if you decide to participate.
SR&A Mailing List Launched
April 2007
Along with a Newsletter we are also launching a related mailing list. Enter your email address into the 'Join Our Mailing List!' panel on our home page and you will be automatically subscribed to our Newsletter. Should you wish to, you will be able to unsubscribe permanently at any point, although we hope we'll have enough interesting things coming up to hold your attention - see below for more detail!
SR&A Launch Newsletter
April 2007
SR&A are launching an email Newsletter with effect from April 2007. We are intending to have around 5 or 6 main items per Newsletter, and to issue it once every month or two depending on news and time availability. Apart from items of news, downloads, and useful links, each Newsletter will contain some attractive offers for existing and potential customers. We will not be bombarding our mailing list, but there will of course be a chance to unsubscribe easily and permanently from the list if you don't want to receive the Newsletter. We hope you will find some benefits in taking the Newsletter and look forward to any feedback recipients can give via email or via telephone contact to Stuart Robertson 0161 877 3277.
BPS Independent Review of Quintax now published on THIS SITE!
February 2007
The British Psychological Society has now agreed a license arrangement to permit SR&A Limited to publish the BPS Independent Review of Quintax on THIS SITE! Check out the review from here or download it from our Documents and Forms Library.
All prices frozen to February end!
January 2007
SR&A are pleased to announce the freezing of our prices until the end of February 2007. This is to mark the launch of our new and revised website on January 4th. Launched initially in the early days of the Internet, it remains one of the most longstanding psychometric websites on the net. So, if you want to get this year's services and products at last year's prices, ORDER NOW!
New research demonstrates lack of incremental validity for EI measurement.
October 2006
New research to be published by Rachel Herbert and Stephen Woods at the University of Nottingham has thrown light on the relative value of making predictions about a candidate's job performance from measures of personality and measures of emotional intelligence. In their study they used over 100 law firm administrators, supervisors, and specialist consultants and asked them to complete Quintax and a measure of 'Emotional Intelligence'. They found that Quintax predicted job performance ratings for the sample to a statistically significant degree, and when they looked to see if their overall measure of EI could add anything to this, they found that it could not. Their evidence suggests that for predictive purposes EI may simply be 'personality repackaged', or old wine in new bottles. If you have access to a good 'Big 5' personality measure like Quintax your prediction of candidates' job performance is unlikely to be improved by EI measurement. Further information about the study can be obtained from Dr Woods - email at
stephen.woods@nottingham.ac.uk .
FREE Quintax Workshop at 2007 DOP Conference
September 2006
SR&A will be presenting a one day FREE Quintax workshop at the DOP Conference in January 2007. This is aimed at people who have Level A or equivalent as a minimum, who want to gain some understanding of the Quintax model and approach, and some training that counts towards BPS Level B. It can also be attended by people already qualified at Level B who would like to convert to Quintax or gain a Level B+ certificate from the BPS. In the case of Level B qualified delegates, the day will be treated as a basis for becoming a Quintax Authorised User.
If you would like to discuss the workshop aims in terms of your needs, what it leads to in terms of Quintax User status, or how it contributes towards BPS certification, please call either Stuart Robertson or Derek Wilkie on 0161 877 3277.
See the link to the BPS below or click to go straight to the
Conference web page.
SR&A at the 2007 DOP Conference
September 2006
SR&A will be exhibiting once again at the DOP Conference in 2007. The conference will be held in Bristol in January - details from the BPS at www.bps.org.uk - see us there!
SR&A Poster Presentation at the January 2006 DOP Conference
December 2005
SR&A have a poster presentation at the forthcoming BPS DOP Conference in Glasgow. 'Images of Competency: Self Report, Assessment Centre, 360 degree, and Personality Perspectives' (Wilkie, Robertson, & Allan 2005) describes some assessment centre work done with a group of civil servants relating together different types of evidence on competency. It also presents some exciting evidence on the criterion-related validity of Quintax, our own personality measure used in the study. Copies of the paper will be available on our stand (see below) and later as a download on this site.
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We are proud to announce that Quintax, the innovative personality questionnaire from SR&A, has been registered as a psychological test with the BPS following a stringent review and audit against the technical criteria established by the European Standing Committee on Tests and Testing of the European Federation of Psychologists Associations (