Frequently Asked Questions

What's the story behind Step One?

Step One was formed in 2000 in the UK and is now operating across the world in Europe, Africa, India, The Middle East, South East Asia, North and South America and Australia. Step One is experiencing a growth rate of more than 25%each year.

To maintain new developments and school requirements, Step One is constantly improving its products and services.

Step One has been involved in educational and vocational support and guidance together with psychometrics, for many years. Its packages are specifically designed for the international and independent communities. The resources Step One utilises in addition to its own, are only from world renowned companies.

Step One respects local communities and wherever possible employs local professionals for its delivery.

Step One re-invests to continually improve the range and quality of its products and processes and to support emerging economies.

In which countries does Step One operate?

Step One operates all around the globe.

Click on this map to show a diagram of the many
countries in which Step One's programs are being used:

For more information on Step One in your area, please contact us.

What are the language implications of Euroquest and InterQuest?

The questionnaire

Great care has been taken to ensure that the English language used in these programs is both simple and as readily understandable as possible. The questionnaires have been written to ensure that most people with a basic understanding of the English language will be able to comprehend the nature of the questions and the terminology used. However there may occasionally be the odd word that a student does not understand. In which case there is no problem with using a language dictionary for that particular question. There is no time limit to the questionnaire; students can take as long as they like. In a manual completion situation, a student may even ask the test administrator, their teacher or any other member of staff for help. A student may even take the questionnaire home for completion.

The tests

Only one of the tests is language related: Verbal Reasoning. If the student is attending an English speaking school, it is advisable for them to complete the Verbal Reasoning test in English. After that they may also complete the same test in one of 14 mother tongue languages. It is usually interesting to compare the results of Verbal Reasoning in both English and mother tongue.

What are Step One's personnel credentials?

All Step One personnel are trained and qualified in guidance counselling. Most have postgraduate qualifications in this area of work. All personnel are highly experienced at working with students in the international community.

Refer to the Meet the Team section of this website for more details of Step One's personnel.

How do the programs used by Step One compare to other programs available for the purpose of career and vocational guidance?

These notes simply represent an overview of Step One's perspective on the matter of vocational tests and questionnaires. To cover every eventuality would require a dissertation. However any individual questions not addressed here may be referred to Step One for an immediate response.

There is a considerable range of careers and vocational questionnaires available both in manual and on-line format. So many in fact that it would be impossible to list them all, but for example consider "My Road" and "Do What You Are" as very simple questionnaires suitable for simply raising awareness of opportunities but certainly not for major decision making. These sorts of questionnaires are excellent for younger years to simply gain some thoughts on the range of possible opportunities available beyond school. To make significant decisions on subject choices, University choices and career selection more sophisticated resources, checked for reliability and availability, should be used. Questions should always be raised regarding the validity and reliability of any questionnaire used for a student to make a decision, For example, “Have serious studies been undertaken in respect of the questions' appropriateness and accuracy to deal with the area being questioned?”

Personality tests abound, for instance the Myers Briggs personality profile and 16 PF. The question should seriously be raised whether personality tests such as this should be used with young people. Young People's personalities are emerging, developing as they mature, as they become more experienced and exposed to the world. Step One's philosophy is not opposed to tests such as the junior Myers Briggs but would urge major caution on the grounds that any form of personality test could dangerously and adversely affect the natural development of a child's personality. For example, after completing a test a child may discover that the test results indicate introversion, when, because of their still developing maturation and emerging personality, this may not actually be the case. Nevertheless, the child may believe and assimilate the test results and thus believe and declare him or herself as an 'introvert'. "0h see; I'm an introvert because the test says so."

It's because of this very situation that Step One avoids personality tests for young people less than 18 years of age, as a general rule.

Other careers and vocational psychometrics

Step One recognises that there are two major career and vocational psychometrics available in English with emphasis on the psychometric aspect.

Step one has chosen Euroquest and InterQuest for International Schools, British and American schools overseas for the reasons explained here. Nevertheless, Step One recognises the value of the Morrisby Psychometric Profile for the purely British community. With this in mind, Step One makes good use of the Morrisby Psychometric Profile within the United Kingdom plus with any British schools overseas who wish to avail themselves of the Morrisby Profile.

Why does Step One advocate the resources it currently offers?

Step One resources have been specifically written for the international community, for instance International Schools, British schools and American schools overseas as well as many bilingual schools where one of the principal languages is English.

Step One resources (with the exception of Euroquest and InterQuest) have been written by Step One. This is on the grounds of the company's experience, expertise and credentials working with the international community across the globe. All Step One programmes have been devised following requests and recommendations from schools in the international community.

Step One resources are all available on-line for completion and downloading of results, with storage and referral facilities on Step One's Academic Portfolio Management (APM) site.

Step One resources are available for total integration into a school's curriculum and student support provision. Many competing facilities are merely "bolt on" and not fully integrated as Step One's resources are.

Step One resources are available as component parts or as a planned strategy of continuity and progression from grade 7 (year 8) to grade 12 (year 13).

Step One resources come automatically with Step One's Academic Portfolio Management (APM) system, which is a free personal web space for students and a support mechanism for guidance practitioners and teachers for all academic progression and post school preparation matters.

In addition, Step One values the following aspects of Euroquest and InterQuest:

• The impressive validity and reliability coefficients.
• The ease of administration for completion.
• The availability for completion and downloading online, securely safely and reliably.
• The presentation of the reports.
• The fact that vocational interests are paramount.
• The test results are entirely suitable for any school wishing to use them for data driven assessments.
• The compatibility with Step One's other resources and its Academic Portfolio Management facility.
• The bespoke quality of the Euroquest and InterQuest resource for individual school requirements, including its adaptability to different examination and course provision.

What are the questions of validity and reliability?

Euro/InterQuest has obviously been tested for validity and reliability, particularly with the ability and aptitude tests.

Consequently a considerable amount of significant data exists to back up the validity and reliability of the programs.

This data is confidential both in terms of its psychometric nature and commercial sensitivity. However, it can be provided in whole or component parts upon request and written undertaking of confidentiality. Alternatively, Step One is able to talk schools through the relevant data if required.

A full technical evaluation of the tests is attached to this website.

What is the norm group used for Euroquest and InterQuest?

A norm group is the group of students that the individual test participants are compared to in order to reach a percentile result.

This approach is used for career psychometrics, as future destinations are increasingly competitive, whether they are career areas or College and University entrance tests. It is therefore of value for a student to know how they are placed in the general scheme of things and therefore what they must do if they need to compensate or adjust their thinking.

The norm group for Euroquest and InterQuest comprises of students attending schools in the international and independent communities.

Approximately 1500 to 2000 students are dynamically included in the norm group.

To what extent are Step One resources tailored to individual school requirements?

All Step One resources have been written in such a way that individual schools will identify with the reports as though they were tailored for their needs.

With Euroquest and InterQuest, a school's own examination system is automatically included within the report, including subjects offered and levels offered.

The individual participant's name and the name of the school are included on each page.

Consequently, the reports of Euroquest and InterQuest will appear as bespoke for that particular school.

How does the guidance interview work?

The guidance interview with Step One personnel looks at the results of the various tests and questionnaires completed and is conducted along pure guidance lines. It is client centred.

Consequently, there is no set pattern to the way the interview is conducted as the individual's needs and requirements are treated as paramount.

The interview is positive and looks at all aspects of a person's situation, circumstances and general disposition. This allows the most comprehensive advice and guidance to ensure that aspirations and potential are recognised. Furthermore, routes to achieve success are thoroughly explored, then agreed, with an action plan decided upon.

If any reader would like a further explanation, please contact Step One.

In the meantime, please review the testimonials received (and as shown elsewhere the website) for evidence of the success of the guidance interviews.

What if there is a difference between the client's aspirations and interests and their test results?

It is very difficult to make general statements regarding such a situation. In the guidance interview a thorough examination of the client's approach to testing, feelings on the day and genuineness of their aspirations and interests is explored. Also, it may be necessary to consider how the client arrived at such aspirations and interests.

It has also occasionally been discovered that the test results do not necessarily represent school performance. In which case a thorough examination would again be necessary.

It is the overall intention that the client's welfare in terms of future direction and positive feeling towards their aspirations and desires results from the whole exercise including, in particular, the guidance interview.

Occasionally, the client is asked to complete either the questionnaires or the test again.

What is the difference between Step One and Naviance?

Step One enjoys a good relationship with Naviance. Alan Beckett, Step One's Founder and Managing Director, and Steve Smith, President of Naviance, have met on many occasions to agree a working dynamic. The result of this is the facility for Step One results to be included within the Naviance site.

Beyond this, Step One's provision and that of Naviance widely differ in purpose.

The Step One provision is all about:

A provision that holistically looks at values, lifestyles, interests, aspirations, abilities, aptitude, emotional intelligence and more, and then substantially helps young people to decide on courses, higher education, eventual potential vocational destinations. So therefore far removed from a simple "shopping list" of job ideas not necessarily linked to a young person's holistic personality, disposition or circumstances.

Educational and vocational guidance based on the results of psychometric testing linked to vocational questionnaires.

Step One is linked firmly to the international community; International School, American and British schools overseas.

Step One therefore embraces worldwide higher educational and vocational perspectives, not just those in the USA.

Step One provides a complete continuity and progression provision:

• Grade 7/8: Pioneer - early as awareness of the world of work in respect of values and lifestyles etc.
• Grade 9/10: Prospero - learning and study styles analysis
• Grade 10: EuroQuest and InterQuest - educational and vocational guidance questionnaires. Potential locations linked to highly validated and reliable ability and aptitude psychometric tests, multi--culturally adapted. These programs also provide substantial guidance on post-16 course choices e.g. IB, APs and A-levels.
• Grade 11: Mindwise - emotional intelligence survey.

Step One's provision can be totally integrated into a school's curriculum, rather than simply "bolt on".

The psychometric test results significantly contribute towards schools data driven assessments in order to help post-16 subject choices.

Step One naturally advocates, recommends and supports the Naviance provision as complementary and not an overlapping facility.

Naviance is of course primarily a USA higher education application and academic results support delivery mechanism.

Step One's resources are to provide holistic educational and vocational guidance, learning style support and emotional intelligence for the individual student, looking at values, interests, abilities, aptitude, personality and many other matters.

All the above is supported by Step One's unique and free Academic Portfolio Management (APM) facility, which again complements and does not overlap with Naviance.

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