Interpreting personality assessments (b)

In this unit, you will be introduced to the mechanics of three personality assessments used in the workplace: the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire, the Apollo Profile, and the Quest Profiler. Dr Tyler explains how each assessment works, including their approaches to test development, scoring methods, and how results are interpreted. You will also learn about the key differences between these tools, particularly how they predict work performance and what makes each one unique in assessing personality traits for business settings.

After this talk, you will:

• Understand the key features and scoring mechanics of three personality assessments: Identity, Apollo, and Quest Profiler.

• Know that the Identity Self Perception Questionnaire is a multi-trait, rationally developed tool especially suited for predicting work performance.

• Be aware that most personality assessments, including Identity, use transparent items and are mainly normative, though some, like Apollo, include ipsative elements.

• Understand the difference between normative and ipsative questions, and what a modified ipsative item looks like.

• Appreciate the role of theory in personality assessments, including frameworks like the Big Five, emotional intelligence, Jungian theory, and others.

• Know that Identity provides 36 primary scales for specific prediction and includes multiple response style indicators, not just social desirability.

• Recognise that Identity’s scoring uses a 1-5 agreement scale, and results are shown using a sten scale (1-10), with consideration for standard error.

• Understand the role of primary and derived (secondary) scales and the importance of focusing mainly on primary scales for reliable decision making.

• Know the unique features of Apollo, including benchmarking scores against those rated as excellent in the workplace, and the use of traffic light indicators in its reporting.

• Be familiar with the reporting and interpretation differences between the three assessments, including visual reports, narrative summaries, and suitability scoring.

• Appreciate the importance of reliability and validity in personality assessment tools, with Identity highlighted as exceptional in these areas.

• Be introduced to the idea of using psychometric assessments for various purposes, such as selection, development, and coaching.

• Understand that different tools offer different numbers of scales, reporting methods, and graphical presentations, each influencing how results are interpreted in the workplace.