What are Hogan Assessments?
Hogan Assessments were developed to assess personality and thinking ability, and there are several different pre-employment assessments produced.
Hogan Assessments was founded in 1987 by Drs. Joyce and Robert Hogan, and its assessments were the first to scientifically measure personality for businesses.
Hogan Assessments are predictive - which means they look at the potential performance of a candidate, based on their working style, attitudes, problem-solving skills, values, strengths and weaknesses.
Today, the company has grown so that there have been more than 10 million assessments taken in 180 countries around the world.
Hogan Assessments are designed to test candidates on their personality traits, the way they think and behave, and what drives and motivates them. 75% of the companies listed in the Fortune 500 use Hogan Assessments, including:
- Coca Cola
- GM
- Microsoft
- Intel
- McDonald's
- AT&T
- Nike
- HSBC
There are five different Hogan Assessments used as part of the recruitment process, and they are usually used to look for leadership potential or for higher-level roles. The tests are:
- Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
- Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
- Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)
- Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)
- Hogan Judgement Assessment (JUD)
The Structure Of Hogan Assessments
Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) is designed to measure normal personality, or what is known as bright-side personality. This is the way you behave and respond to normal, everyday scenarios, and it is based on the Five-Factor Model of Personality.
The HPI consists of 220 questions, and the answers must be given on a four-point Likert scale, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. This test is not timed, and usually takes just 15-20 minutes to complete.
In this test, there are two different scales being used in forming the questions - personality and occupational.
The personality scales are:
- Adjustment
- Ambition
- Sociability
- Interpersonal sensitivity
- Prudence
- Inquisitive
- Learning approach
The occupational scales are:
- Service orientation
- Stress tolerance
- Reliability
- Clerical potential
- Sales potential
- Managerial potential
Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) assesses what is known as a dark side personality - what happens to your work behaviour when things go wrong and you are under stress. This is useful for a recruiter so they can see what the potential barriers to performance could be.
The HDS consists of 170 questions, and again these are answered on a four-point Likert scale. There is no time limit, but most people complete it in 15-20 minutes.
The HDS assesses candidates using eleven personality scales:
- Excitable
- Sceptical
- Cautious
- Reserved
- Leisurely
- Bold
- Mischievous
- Colourful
- Imaginative
- Dutiful
- Diligent
Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)
The Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI) assesses your ability to make reasoned decisions based on different types of data, and is similar to other aptitude tests - although, like other Hogan Assessments, this is more about the way you analyse the data to make good decisions.
In the HBRI there are 24 questions with multiple choice answers, and you have a 30-minute time limit - and your speed in answering the questions will affect your overall score.
The HBRI assesses the following thinking abilities:
The assessment categorises your answers and presents the recruiter with a report based on the type of thinker that you are. The categories are:
- Expedient thinker
- Contextual thinker
- Analytical thinker
- Critical thinker
Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)
The Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) is an assessment designed to look at what drives you, what motivates you, and what core values you have. It is designed to demonstrate to employers what type of job and at what level you are suitable for, and the type of work environment that you will thrive in.
It consists of 200 questions, with answers on a four-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
The MVPI assesses on the following scales:
- Recognition
- Power
- Hedonism
- Altruism
- Affiliation
- Tradition
- Security
- Commerce
- Aesthetics
- Science
It also assesses candidates based on themes which are relevant for culture fit, including:
- Lifestyle
- Beliefs
- Occupational preferences
- Aversions
- Preferred associates
Hogan Judgement Assessment
The Hogan Judgement Assessment (JUD) is the newest assessment type in the battery, and it is unique as it measures judgement and leadership potential by looking at everything covered in the other Hogan Assessments. This means that the questions are assessing thinking ability, both bright-side and dark-side personality, and your core values.
This is an untimed test and it takes questions from the HPI, HDS, HBRI and MVPI.
The test is separated into three sections:
Information processing
This is the section where you will answer questions on verbal and numerical reasoning. Much like in the HBRI, the way you answer the questions will put you into certain categories, which are:
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
- Deliberate
- Versatile
Decision-making approaches
These questions are answered on the four-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree, and the scales that are used are:
- Tactical thinking vs strategic thinking
- Threat avoidance vs reward seeking
- Data-driven decisions vs intuitive decisions
Reactions to feedback
How you react to feedback, particularly negative feedback, is an important facet of both leadership and judgement. This part of the test assesses candidates on the following scales:
- Defensive vs cool-headed
- Superficial vs genuine
- Denial vs acceptance
Tips To Pass The Hogan Assessments
1. Know what qualities the employer is looking for
If you can find out what type of person the role needs, and what qualities the recruitment team are actively seeking, you will know what the questions are trying to find out about you.
It is well-known that personality tests are hard to ‘game’, and you can’t exactly fake your way through - but if the role specifies someone that is outgoing and confident, that's the part of your personality that you want to highlight.
You can often find out this information from the job description, but looking at the core values of the business will help too.
2. Know yourself better
Pre-employment assessments are just as much for you as they are for the recruitment team to see how you will fit - and if you are not a match, that is ok.
If you know the position you have applied for needs someone who has great analytical skills, but you know that you are more intuitive, you might not be a great fit for the role - and the Hogan Assessment is likely to highlight that disparity.
3. Take practice tests
While you won’t necessarily need to revise for the Hogan Assessments - they are not about right or wrong answers - being under test conditions can be stressful and nerve-wracking.
Add to that the unfamiliar structure and layout, and the way the answers need to be recorded and you might be under too much stress to answer to the best of your abilities.
Practice tests are a good way for you to get familiar with the layout and the structure and be more sure of how to answer the questions so you feel more comfortable and confident in the real thing.
4. Be honest
You've found out what the employer wants from you in terms of personality, work behaviour, and values - and you know more about yourself as you have thought about how your traits match.
In the test, you need to answer honestly, rather than with what you think the recruiter wants to see. It is easy to see why people would want to portray themselves as the perfect candidate, but in truth, there is no such thing, and employers will be comparing your answer against other data to see whether you would be a good fit.
If you are not a good fit, you may not thrive in the workplace environment and your behaviour and personality might make the job not as fun or fulfilling for you - so it can be a good thing.
5. Answer thoroughly
For most of the Hogan Assessments, there are no time limits - so you have the opportunity to think carefully about the answers that you are giving to make sure that they reflect your personality, values, work behaviour, motivators and everything else that is relevant in the right way.
Even in the 30-minute HBRI, you should make sure that you are answering the questions to the best of your ability - but it is worth noting again that your speed in answering will feed into your total score for the assessment.
