There are dozens of personality assessments used in various fields like psychology, hiring, and personal development.
The exact number can be hard to pin down because new tools are constantly being developed, and many assessments are niche or tailored for specific industries or purposes.
However, here are some of the most widely known and used personality assessments, in alphabetic order:
DISC Personality Assessment
The DISC assessment is widely used in training and team-building exercises but has limitations when assessing candidates in a hiring process.
Hogan Assessments
Includes tools like the Personality Inventory and Development Survey focused on workplace behaviour and predicting job performance.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
One of the most popular and well-known tools for personal development and team-building contexts, but has significant limitations when it comes to hiring when comparing candidates is a priority.
Predictive Index (PI)
Measures behavioural drives and cognitive abilities to assess workplace behaviour and fit for a specific role or culture.
StrengthsFinder (CliftonStrengths)
Identifying an individual’s top strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses can be useful for personal development or team-building.
Choose between quasi-ipsative, normative, and ipsative tests
I am often asked which psychometric assessment tools I recommend.
It’s no different than asking me to pick between a hammer and a screwdriver.
The short answer for both, choosing a psychometric assessment or the right hand tool, it depends.
It all comes down to what you want to measure when using a psychometric assessment.
And for the hand tool? Do you have a screw or a nail in the other hand?
- If you want to compare candidates in a hiring process, use normative or quasi-ipsative categories.
- If you like to use a tool for personal development or team alignment, use an ipsative or quasi-ipsative.
Quasi-ipsative assessments are a hybrid approach that offers the flexibility of Likert-type ratings and the comparative nature of ipsative formats.
It combines elements of normative and ipsative assessments and is particularly useful in leadership assessments, team-building, and employee development.
It offers nuanced insights into behaviour and preferences without forcing rigid choices.
Normative assessment measures how a person compares to others in a given population.
It’s ideal for evaluating how an individual compares to a broader population or a pre-established benchmark (like a job profile).
These assessments can be useful in predicting job performance based on how a person measures against a norm group.
In hiring and employee selection, normative assessments help identify the best fit for a role by comparing candidates to a normative pool or industry benchmark.
Ipsative assessment forces respondents to make comparative choices between paired traits or behaviours, focusing on relative preferences.
This means respondents’ results are relative to themselves, like having your X-ray, rather than being compared to others or a standard external measurement like a job profile.
Because ipsative assessments focus on comparative data, they are not ideal for making objective comparisons across candidates.
They are most effective when used in conjunction with other tools that provide normative (standardized) or quasi-ipsative data for evaluating candidates to each other or against external benchmarks.
One of the most widely used assessments: Predictive Index (PI)
The PI Behavioral Assessment is one of the most widely used quasi-ipsative tools in talent management.
It measures an individual’s behavioural drives across four primary factors (Dominance, Extraversion, Patience, and Formality), allowing the person to rate how much they feel the statements apply to them on a scale.
PI is used in recruitment to compare candidates, but also in team-building and leadership development.
It helps match individuals with job roles or team dynamics that suit their behavioural styles.
Strengths: It’s flexible and offers valuable insights into how individuals will behave in specific workplace settings, helping organizations assess work preferences, leadership potential, and communication styles.
The extremely short time required to complete the online assessments is a huge factor in a deliberate design choice.
- Purpose: By limiting the time available, the PI reduces the chance that candidates will overthink their answers or try to give socially desirable responses. With a quick turnaround, respondents are less likely to second-guess their answers, which helps capture more authentic and instinctive responses.
- Benefit: It encourages candidates to rely on their natural instincts and preferences rather than over-analyzing their choices, which leads to a more accurate reflection of their true behavioural tendencies.
The PI Behavioral Assessment™ is designed specifically for talent acquisition. It’s backed by 60 years of science, including 400+ studies proving its validity and reliability.
PI also helps recruiters comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), supporting a reliable and fair pre-hire process.
How to get more information about PI
In Thailand, Tom Sorensen is an authorized and certified re-seller of the Predictive Index systems.
Join almost 10,000 clients around the world who are using PI.
You should too.
Email: tom.s@tomsorensen.in.th
