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, whose research showed that personality can predict performance at work.
Hogan Assessments are designed to predict performance at work, looking at the potential performance of a candidate, based on their working style, attitudes, problem-solving skills, values, strengths and weaknesses.
Hogan says it has run more than 14 million assessments in 190 countries and 50 languages.
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
- HSBC
Hogan publishes five assessments that employers use for hiring and development, from entry-level roles to leadership. They are:
- Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
- Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
- Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)
- Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)
- Hogan Judgment
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.
You rate a series of short statements on a four-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Hogan says the HPI usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Hogan says the HPI has seven primary scales:
- Adjustment
- Ambition
- Sociability
- Interpersonal sensitivity
- Prudence
- Inquisitive
- Learning approach
Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) assesses what is known as dark-side personality, meaning 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.
Statements are again rated on a four-point scale, and Hogan says the HDS usually takes 15 to 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, like other aptitude tests, its questions have right and wrong answers. Hogan says every HBRI problem is set in a business context.
The HBRI is made up of multiple-choice questions. Hogan offers a timed version with a 30-minute limit, and most people take 25 to 30 minutes.
Hogan says the HBRI covers two kinds of reasoning: qualitative reasoning, which uses charts, logic and written information, and quantitative reasoning, which uses mathematical and spatial information. Related practice:
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. Hogan says it shows employers the type of position, job and environment in which you are likely to be most productive.
You respond to each statement by choosing agree, uncertain or disagree.
The MVPI assesses on the following scales:
- Recognition
- Power
- Hedonism
- Altruistic
- 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 Judgment
The Hogan Judgment assessment looks at how you make decisions and how you respond to feedback about them, which matters for judgement and leadership.
Hogan says some of its scales are scored from items in the core Hogan assessments and some from items unique to Judgment.
Hogan describes it as covering how you make decisions, the biases in your decision-making, and how you react to feedback on your decisions. Hogan does not publish the names of the individual scales.
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 fake your way through. Knowing what the role needs simply helps you understand what the questions are exploring.
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
The personality inventories have no right or wrong answers, so there is little to revise, but 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
Hogan says its personality inventories usually take 15 to 20 minutes each, 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.
The HBRI is different, as Hogan offers a timed version with a 30-minute limit, so pace yourself while still reading each question carefully.
