PAPI Personality Inventory Test

The Personality and Preference Inventory Test (PAPI Test) is a personality assessment that employers give to potential employees. It allows them to evaluate and assess your personality traits, habits, and work preferences. Not only that, but the test could explore things such as your morals, intelligence, interpersonal skills, and the like.

This gives them valuable information on whether or not you will fit into the ethos of their company. If you do fit into their company, then it can also suggest where you fit the best and perform the greatest.

What is the PAPI Test?

The PAPI test consists primarily of two different kinds of questions. Either forced questions (yes or no) or single statements where you rate your reaction. The test only takes about 15 minutes to complete.

The inventory itself is consisted of ten ‘role scales’ which measures an individual’s perception of their behaviour and ten ‘needs scales’ which measures an individual’s preference for behaviour. There are two different versions of the test: the PAPI-I (Ipsative) and PAPI-N (Normative).

• The PAPI-I (Ipsative)

The PAPI-I test is meant to compare and contrast elements of an individual’s personality, and the results aren’t meant to be compared to others. It uses forced questions, like yes or no, for their answers. This test certainly benefits from total honesty, and can be used for things like career development, team building, and aiding better performance.

It’s consisted of 180 statements.

• The PAPI-N (Normative)

The PAPI-N test is meant to set up a profile of an individual to compare and contrast to others. It uses single statements, allowing the individual to rate on a scale how they identify with it. This test is used to help an employer decide whether or not the candidate fits the job and allows for better placement within the company.

It’s consisted of 126 statements.

Evaluated Personality Traits

Sharing the traits of the Big Five Personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), the test goes into much more detail with seven main categories sub-divided into more specific areas of behaviour.

• Seeking to Achieve

Those who are seeking to achieve are ambitious and driven to achieve greatness. They want to move forward and continuously improve.

• Active Dominance

Those with active dominance can show greater tendency for leadership positions and have the ability to take charge in stressful situations. It can also be an indicator of negative dominance traits as well.

• Conscientious Persistence

Expressing conscientious persistence traits show that they’re able to be persistent in a challenge. They’re able to stay on task and make responsible decisions. It can indicate how organised a person is and whether or not they’re able to exert self-control.

• Openness to Experience

The ability to travel outside comfort zones and learn new skills can be a valuable trait in a new employee. One’s openness to experience measures how daring someone is able to be, and an indicator of how well-balanced they are as a risk taker.

• Sociability

The ability to connect and build relationships with customers, clients, and coworkers can make the difference between success and failure. Those with the ability to be sociable can tighten bonds within work groups, and can even cultivate a positive culture in the work environment.

• Work Tempo

How fast can you work? Evaluating the work tempo can show whether or not a candidate can work reasonably quickly and are able to pace themselves to produce quality work.

• Agreeableness

Going hand-in-hand with sociable people, how agreeable one is can be an important factor in their fit as a team member. It can show how willing one is to compromise and help out coworkers.

How to Pass the PAPI Test

When it comes to personality tests and evaluations, it’s less about “passing” it and more about putting your best foot forward. Everyone’s different and their profile will reflect that. Just by reading this article and understanding how the PAPI test works, you have a greater chance of best highlighting your skills and abilities. You should keep the tips we mention in mind, but remember that the best way to prepare for a test like this is to buy a preparation pack and practice for yourself.

PAPI Test Tips

• Go in with confidence. Stressing about a test for the job you want can influence your answers, especially in a personality test. Try to approach it in a calm manner, and answer the questions without overthinking it. Your employer wants to know that you can work well under pressure.
• Answer the questions honestly. You want to be honest and give your employer a real look at who you are. It’s good to remind yourself that you wear many hats during the day, and while you’re taking the test, to put on your best employee hat. Be honest about your shortcomings, but don’t forget that there’s always a way to put a spin on it.
• Lean toward positivity. While you want to be honest about your shortcomings, try to choose the positive answers (honesty, optimism, good team member) as much as you’re able. In the same vein, avoid negative traits when you can.
• Consistency is key. You want your answers to be as consistent as possible. Some questions may be repeated or very similar to the ones previously asked to test your honesty. If your answers are all over the place, this can compromise your results.
• Consider your position. Think about how the position you’re applying for or hoping to receive. What kind of traits do you think the employer is looking for? For example, you may want to score higher as sociable if you’re applying for a position within a team.

Conclusion

The PAPI test can seem like a stressful test to take, but just having the basic understanding can guide you in answering the questions appropriately. You can also take the practice tests from our preparation pack to prepare you for the types of statements that you’re likely to encounter. This can help ease your mind and help you know what to look for. Otherwise, as long as you put your best foot forward, you’ll have a great profile to get employers excited about you.