Hogan Assessment Tests

Hogan is regarded by employers as an exemplary provider of personality tests. The assessments offered by Hogan are science-based, providing recruiters with an accurate insight into the personality of prospective employees.

Assessment results can be used in both the recruitment of new employees and the professional development of the existing workforce.

What Are Hogan Assessment Tests?

Hogan assessments offer a broad insight into individual personalities. They can be used to:

• Assess strengths and weaknesses
• Identify employees with high potential and develop leaders
• Discover values and motivating factors
• Establish personality pitfalls that might impact on an individual’s performance in the future
• Predict how a person will act within a professional environment and the key driving forces behind these actions

Hogan assessments clearly distinguish between the ‘bright’ and ‘dark’ sides of personality:

• ‘Bright side’ personality describes the qualities displayed when a person is feeling positive and in control of a situation.
• ‘Dark side’ personality tends to show through when someone is feeling stressed or agitated.

Everyone has bright and dark sides to their personality, so Hogan has designed tests to assess both.

For test-takers, the results of Hogan assessments will enable individuals to gain a better understanding of their motivators, demotivators and general personality traits.

Hogan assessments are completed online. If you have been asked to complete one, you will be provided with a username and password which will allow you to gain access to the online assessment platform.

For an analysis of 50 traits employers look for and over 250 Hogan-style questions, check out this Hogan Assessment test package from JobTestPrep.

What Aptitude Tests Are Provided by Hogan?

The assessments offered by Hogan are split into two categories:

1. Personality tests
2. Cognitive ability tests

1. Personality Assessments

In the personality assessments, candidates will be expected to respond to brief statements using true/false or agree/disagree answers.

Some examples of statements you might encounter are:

• ‘I am competitive, even in my spare time’
• ‘Sometimes I show off to my friends’
• ‘I can be quite shy’
• ‘I hate going to the theatre’
• ‘I think deeply about why I do things’

Below are the key personality tests offered by Hogan.

Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)

Established in the 1980s, this assessment is designed to define ‘normal, or bright-side personality qualities’. This can help to identify how a person will relate to others when they are at their best.

‘Normal personality’ is assessed in line with seven primary scales:

• Adjustment (self-esteem, ability to work under pressure, self-confidence)
• Ambition (wish to lead others, ability to act on initiative, levels of competitiveness)
• Sociability (the desire for interaction with others socially, levels of extraversion)
• Interpersonal Sensitivity (tact, relationships with others, likeability)
• Prudence (self-discipline, willingness to take responsibility)
• Inquisitive (inquisitiveness, imagination, creative ability)
• Learning Approach (desire to keep up-to-date with current knowledge, enjoyment of learning)

The results of the HPI assessment can be used to strengthen recruitment decisions. Alternatively, they can be used in the development of staff already working within a leadership role.

Hogan states that the assessment of ‘normal personality’ can offer a useful overview of working styles, leadership skills and the potential for future success. It can also provide insight into how a person might behave in challenging scenarios.

The HPI assessment is formed of 220 questions and usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes to complete. Results are available to the person requesting the test immediately upon completion of the assessment.

Hogan Development Survey (HDS)

This assessment looks at the ‘dark side’ of personality; for example, traits and behaviours that surface during difficult situations.

The ‘dark side’ of an individual’s personality can give an insight into the actions they would be willing to take to achieve success and whether these are ethical or unethical.

Unethical actions can harm relationships, business reputation and chances of future success, but it can be difficult to identify them as part of a traditional interview process.

Pinpointing ‘dark side’ personality traits will enable employers to diagnose and alleviate risks at an early stage, preventing them from causing problems in the future.

Since all organisations will go through times of difficulty and change, this assessment is proven to be a powerful tool in predicting employee performance.

The HDS uses the following 11 scales to assess ‘dark side’ personality:

• Excitability (passion for learning, whether a person is moody, irritable, quickly becomes frustrated or is prone to giving up on projects or colleagues when things get tough)
• Sceptical (ability to identify deceptive actions in other people, willingness to act on this)
• Cautious (avoidance of criticism, fear of failure, aversion to risk)
• Reserved (lack of concern for other people’s feelings, aloof or stand-offish tendencies)
• Leisurely (uncooperative or stubborn approach)
• Bold (unwilling to admit errors, failure to learn from mistakes, levels of self-assuredness)
• Mischievous (testing limits, seeking risks, adventurous nature)
• Colourful (enjoys being in the spotlight, gregarious)
• Imaginative (can be self-absorbed, possibly viewed by others as eccentric)
• Diligent (expects high standards of self and others, detail-focused, conscientious)
• Dutiful (appears dependable and loyal)

The HDS assessment is formed of 170 questions and usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.

Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)

The MVPI assessment takes a deeper look at personality to find out the reasons behind a person’s behaviour and performance.

The results of the MVPI can be used to indicate what someone hopes to achieve in the future by identifying:

• Values
• Motivators
• Objectives
• Interests

By taking a closer look at what a person values, it is possible to find out how best to motivate them, as well as in what type of role and working environment they will perform most productively.

The MVPI assessment is formed of 200 questions and usually takes between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.

2. Cognitive Ability Tests

Here are the key cognitive ability tests offered by Hogan:

Judgement

This assessment combines ‘bright’ and ‘dark side’ personality, values and cognitive ability. It is made up of verbal and numerical reasoning questions, an assessment of post-decision-making reactions (including reactions to negative feedback on performance) and an evaluation of non-cognitive characteristics which can impact how people choose to approach decisions.

The Judgement assessment defines three categories:

1. Learning preferences
2. Decision-making preferences
3. Reaction to decisions

The results of each section of the judgement assessment are pieced together to form a broad outline of your overall personality.

Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)

Designed to forecast work performance, this assessment is used to identify and describe a person’s reasoning style. This is broken down into their ability to:

• Assess groups of data
• Solve problems
• Make decisions
• Avoid replicating previous errors

Assessing a person’s qualitative and quantitative reasoning styles helps to uncover their capacity and problem-solving abilities, as well as any potential development requirements.

The HBRI is made up of 24 questions and although it is untimed, it usually takes between 25 and 30 minutes to complete. It’s also worth noting that the time you take to respond to each question will be compared with the time taken by other test-takers.

How Are the Tests Scored?

Hogan scores assessments through a combination of percentile ranking systems and normative test results.

Results are compared with those of thousands of other people who have taken the test, then a percentile placement is used to give a ranking.

Your test results will also be interpreted by the employer in light of set goals and other criteria. There is no ideal personality or score to strive for. The tests are designed to identify strengths and also weaknesses, so you should be prepared to hear about both.

How to Do Well on Your Hogan Test

Here are some ideas for how to create an effective plan for your Hogan assessment preparation:

• Learn more about the qualities needed for the position you are applying for. Find out as much information as you can by referring to the job description, person specification and competency requirements for the role. If possible, arrange an informal visit to the company you are applying to – this will enable you to find out more about the culture of the organisation and the working style of other staff members. Having all of this information to hand will help you decide whether you are the right fit for the position and company overall.
• Don’t pretend to be somebody that you are not. When completing the personality aspects of the Hogan assessments, it important to ensure that your responses are truthful. Try not to overthink your answers – there is little point in saying you would respond to a situation in one way when you know that your reaction in real life would be the complete opposite. Assessments are designed to identify inconsistent answers, so honesty is the best policy here. Providing false answers could mean you end up working in a job you don’t enjoy.
• Be realistic. With all that said, you still need to be pragmatic. When faced with answering ‘always’ or ‘never’ to a statement such as ‘I have never been late to work’, you might be tempted to select ‘never’ because you think that is what the recruiter wants to hear. That may be so, but most people have been late to work at least once, so answering in this way could indicate that you don’t like to admit weaknesses, or you have unrealistic expectations.
• Put in the practice. Personality tests don’t have right and wrong answers, so are not something you can revise for. However, completing a few practice personality assessments will help you to become familiar with the format and what to expect on the day of the test. When it comes to cognitive ability assessments, it is sensible to invest time in completing plenty of practice tests and focussing on any areas you do not feel confident in. We recommend the Hogan Assessment test package from JobTestPrep.

Final Thoughts

Remember that the results of your Hogan assessment will be considered in conjunction with other factors when employers make their hiring decision.

Some recruiters actively use your result from the Hogan assessment to inform their recruitment choice, whereas others merely keep the results on file for future reference during performance appraisal or development activities. You may wish to ask your recruiter to explain the role of the Hogan assessment during the recruitment process.

To ensure you perform well during the test, put in as much preparation as you can – there are many online resources available to help you. Feeling prepared on the day should help you to feel calm and confident when starting the test and, hopefully, this will lead to the result you need.

Whether you are successful or not, consider asking for feedback from the recruiting manager on your performance, both during the interview and Hogan assessments.

If you were appointed to the job role, you might like to ask which parts of the Hogan assessment report were used to make their hiring decision. This information will give you a better understanding of their overall perception and expectations of you.

If you were unsuccessful, any feedback you receive can be used to help you gain a better understanding of your personality type, whether your chosen career path complements this and how you might be able to improve your performance in the future.