Personality Tests

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Personality tests are becoming more and more common in the recruitment process, as they help employers to get a better sense of the people they’re hiring. They’re also proven to be good indicators of aptitude and performance.

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What are personality tests?

Personality tests are structured assessments designed to evaluate various aspects of an individual’s character, behavior, and emotional functioning. They are widely utilized in recruitment processes to gauge candidates’ compatibility with specific roles and organizational cultures.

Most psychology personality tests used in hiring are customized to the job or industry in question. The questions are strategically designed to assess traits and competencies that are crucial for success in that environment. This psychometric assessment of personality provides employers with insights that go beyond qualifications and experience.

Unlike more traditional aptitude tests, personality tests don’t tend to have a time limit. This allows you to answer in your own time and not feel rushed to put down an answer.

While it’s important to think about the values, competencies and skills that an employer is likely to be looking for and apply that in the personality assessment test, it’s also important to be honest. If you’re not true to your own values, then you could end up in a job that’s totally unsuitable for you.

Don’t be surprised if you notice that many of the questions feel repetitive. In order to score candidates as accurately as possible, each trait being tested is assessed by asking multiple questions relating to it. This helps make the test more reliable, as it captures the breadth of the trait being measured.

Why do employers use personality tests?

Employers incorporate online personality tests into their hiring processes to:

Assess Cultural Fit: Determine how well a candidate’s values and behaviors align with the company’s culture.
Predict Job Performance: Identify traits that correlate with success in specific roles.
Enhance Team Dynamics: Understand how a potential hire might interact with existing team members.

These tests are typically administered online and consist of multiple-choice questions that measure traits such as communication style, adaptability, and work ethic.

How are personality tests scored?

When your test is completed, your score will be compared with a normative group. This comparison group is made up of hundreds or even thousands of people who have taken the test before, and it helps an employer to benchmark you against others across the different traits being assessed.

But it’s not quite as simple as that. Scoring the personality test involves a machine reading your ‘raw score’ for each trait you’re being tested on.

More often than not sten scoring is used. Sten scores lie on a scale of 1 to 10, with the mean at 5.5. So if you score a 5 or a 6 that’s likely to be indicative of the normative group, but a 1 or 10 would be a more extreme score.

The traits you are tested on may vary slightly from test to test, but will normally be variations of:

Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism

These are the broad traits that are then broken down further to help employers explore specific competencies.

The role you’re applying for will require you to possess certain characteristics. So as we’ve said, technically there are no right or wrong answers – but there are certainly things employers are looking for. For example, if you’re applying for a customer-facing role and you answer questions indicating you don’t like working with people, that could be a problem.

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Types of Personality Tests

Several personality assessments are commonly used in professional settings:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Categorizes individuals into 16 personality types based on preferences in four dimensions.
Big Five Personality Traits: Measures five key dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
DISC Assessment: Evaluates behavior in terms of dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness.
16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF): Assesses 16 different personality traits to provide a comprehensive profile.

Each test offers unique insights, and the choice of assessment often depends on the specific requirements of the role and organization.

Sample Personality Tests question Test your knowledge!

Score: /5

Imagine you have several projects with the same deadline. How do you prioritize your tasks?

I work on the tasks I enjoy the most first to build momentum.
I prioritize based on the ease of the task, starting with the easiest.
I assess the impact of each project and focus on the ones with the highest stakes.
I multitask to advance all projects a little at a time, rather than focusing on one.

When faced with a challenging task at work that you haven't encountered before, how do you typically respond?

Avoid the task and hope someone else deals with it.
Seek guidance from a supervisor or more experienced colleague.
Put off the task until it becomes urgent, then deal with it hurriedly.
Take some time to research and strategize the best way to approach the task.
Begin working on it immediately, relying on intuition to guide you through.

Which of the following phrases best describes your work style?

I enjoy collaborating with others and sharing responsibilities.
I prefer to follow well-established procedures rather than creating my own methods.
I am driven by results and often set ambitious goals for myself.
I work best under pressure and often procrastinate until the deadline looms.

How do you handle conflict with a colleague?

I tend to avoid confrontation and stay silent even if I disagree.
I seek a compromise by understanding their perspective and finding a middle ground.
I confront the issue directly and assert my position to make it clear where I stand.
I report the conflict to management without trying to resolve it personally.

When you receive criticism about your work, how do you react?

I take it personally and feel discouraged.
I get defensive and try to justify my work.
I reflect on the feedback and look for ways to improve.
I dismiss the criticism if I disagree with it.

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Personality Tests Tips

1Practice past tests before the one that counts

It will make you familiar with how the tests work.

2Make sure you understand what’s being asked of you

Ask for clarification if not.

3Answer honestly

Going with your gut feeling is always the best way to approach personality tests. If you’re true to yourself, that should mean your answers are consistent and the employer gets a true picture of who you are and where your strengths lie.

4Read the questions thoroughly

Sometimes things are phrased negatively or a trick question may be used. Don’t let yourself come unstuck by rushing, especially as the test isn’t timed. Also don’t skip the introduction: it’s really important to read everything thoroughly and ensure you understand what’s required of you.

5Be confident in your position

Answering neutrally too often isn’t something many employers will be looking for.

6Be honest

Remember that if you’re honest, your answers are likely to be consistent — and employers like consistency

7Check through the test before submitting it

So you don’t miss any questions. By all means come back to any you struggle with, but it’s important to answer everything.

8Ask for feedback

Whether you get the job or not. It’s always good to learn more about yourself and how you come across to an employer.

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Personality Tests FAQs

Can you fail a personality assessment?

While your answers are subjective and therefore can’t be marked as right or wrong, it’s important to remember your employer will be looking to see certain traits or competencies in order to hire someone. So making sure you understand what skills and strengths are likely to be valued is important.

What are personality tests used for?

Personality tests are used to assess the character traits of candidates applying for a job role. They can help employers to make a hiring decision, and are used in conjunction with an interview, aptitude test or assessment centre.

Are personality tests timed?

No, personality tests aren’t timed – as it’s important to employers that candidates don’t feel rushed or pressured to answer in a certain way. Take your time when answering; ensure you’ve read the question through properly and understand what it means before answering.

What do personality tests measure?

Personality tests measure everything from your attitude and behaviour, to your strengths, skills, and character traits. This information helps your employer to predict your suitability for both the role and the team you’re applying to work in.

Where can I practice personality tests?

At Practice Aptitude Tests we have numerous practice personality test questions you can try your hand at. It’s a great idea to practice before taking the test for real, as it will help you to get used to the different questions you could be asked.

Which employers use personality tests?

More and more employers are using personality tests to get better insight into the candidates applying to work for them. From HR to sales, there are personality tests for every role imaginable and it’s highly likely you’ll take one at some point in your career.

Reviews of our Personality tests

What our customers say about our Personality tests

Angelique Dushime

Rwanda

January 21, 2025

my personality

This test is helpful for understanding personality traits. It highlights strengths like being supportive, calm, and confident, which are positive qualities in a team setting.