A Guide to the Hogan Assessment: Examples & Tips

Developed by Drs Joyce and Robert Hogan in the 1980s, the Hogan assessment is a collection of tests designed to assess personality traits, leadership skills and cognitive abilities.

The Hogan assessment is generally used as a pre-employment test for management roles.

This article will guide you through the online Hogan tests, provide a range of sample questions, discuss how the Hogan Assessment results are calculated and recommend ways that you can prepare to take the Hogan assessment yourself.

A Hogan Assessments List Available for Practice in 2024

• Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
• Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
• Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)
• Hogan Lovells Assessment Day and Watson Glaser Test

What Is the Hogan Assessment Test?

The purpose of the Hogan assessment test is to build a profile of who you are as a candidate and discover how well you are a match for the profile that the employer has created for the vacancy they wish to fill.

Your score will also be compared to other candidates for the job and people who have previously taken the Hogan assessment.

The Hogan assessment is made up of the following tests:

• Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)
• Hogan Development Survey (HDS)
• Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)
• Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)
• Judgement (J)

The above tests are split into two categories:

• Personality
• Cognitive

The first assesses your personal traits such as strengths and weaknesses and leadership style.

The second type, cognitive tests, assess your mental ability. For example, problem-solving and mathematical reasoning.

Your score on each individual test will be used to build an overall impression of how well you would perform within the role.

For more information on personality tests, read our ultimate guide for any candidate.

What Tests Are Included in the Hogan Assessment?

The Hogan assessment is made up of five tests that are split between personality and cognitive questions.

One factor that sets the Hogan assessment apart from other psychometric testing is its use of ‘bright side’ and ‘dark side’ personalities.

According to the Hogan assessment, your bright side personality is evident when you are at your best. This informs the employer how you interact with others, your work style and your potential as a leader.

Your dark side personality, however, takes over when you are under stress, and negative tendencies, such as over-competitiveness, may take over.

Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)

This is the first of the personality tests in the Hogan assessment.

The HPI test assesses your bright side personality using seven scales:

• Adjustment
• Ambition
• Sociability
• Interpersonal sensitivity
• Prudence
• Inquisitive
• Learning approach

These were developed from the Five-Factor Model of extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism and openness to experience.

The HPI contains 220 questions and generally takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Each question will ask for a response on a scale, for example, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.

Hogan Development Survey (HDS)

This is the second of the personality tests in the Hogan assessment.

The HDS assesses your dark side. It examines how you operate under stress and what risks you bring to employment.

The HDS assesses your dark side based on the following 11 personality scales:

• Excitable
• Skeptical
• Cautious
• Reserved
• Leisurely
• Bold
• Mischievous
• Colorful
• Imaginative
• Diligent
• Dutiful

The HDS contains 170 questions, again taking around 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Each question presents a statement, for example, ‘I don’t like to compete for attention' and asks for a response ranging from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree'.

Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)

The MVPI is the final of the Hogan assessment personality tests. It examines your inner drives and motivations, your values and your interests.

The Hogan assessment classifies this as the ‘inside’ of your personality.

As with the other Hogan personality tests, the MVPI uses several scales to assess your personality.

These are:

• Recognition
• Power
• Hedonism
• Altruistic
• Affiliation
• Tradition
• Security
• Commerce
• Aesthetics
• Science

This test contains 200 questions with a similar 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

The same question format as the previous two tests, answering on a scale of responses, is used for the MVPI.

Hogan Business Reasoning Inventory (HBRI)

This is the first of the two cognitive tests in the Hogan assessment.

This test assesses both your qualitative reasoning and your quantitative reasoning.

The first examines how you solve problems with the use of visual data, logic and verbal information.

The second assesses your problem-solving process when using spatial and mathematical information.

The HBRI test involves three types of questions:

• Abstract reasoning
• Numerical reasoning
• Verbal reasoning and logic

You will face 24 multiple-choice questions. Generally, there is a time limit of 30 minutes for the HBRI, but this is the decision of the employer.

You are, however, expected to complete the test as quickly as possible.

Judgement (J)

The Hogan Judgement test examines your decision-making skills, how well you can reflect on a decision and learn from its outcome and how you react to feedback.

The Judgement test seeks to discover your information processing style:

• Qualitative
• Quantitative
• Deliberate
• Versatile

It examines your decision making by using three scales:

• Threat avoidance vs reward-seeking
• Tactical thinking vs strategic thinking
• Data-driven decisions vs intuitive decisions

Finally, it assesses how you handle feedback using three scales:

• Defensive vs cool-headed
• Denial vs acceptance
• Superficial vs genuine

The format of the questions included in the Judgement test are drawn from the four other Hogan assessment tests and will include questions on verbal and numerical reasoning in combination with more personality-focussed questions.

Hogan Practice Test Questions

Sample HPI Question

Sample HDS Question

Sample MVPI Question

Sample HBRI Questions

How Is the Hogan Assessment Scored?

The Hogan assessment is scored using both percentile ranking and normative test results.

This means that:

• You are ranked in comparison to people who have previously taken the Hogan assessment
• You are ranked in comparison to other applicants for the job who have taken the Hogan assessment
• Your score is assessed in light of goals or markers that the employer has set that relate specifically to the job you have applied for

The employer will receive a number of reports for each candidate who takes the Hogan assessment.

These include:

Hogan Select

The purpose of this report is to assist the employer in finding the candidate who is the best match for the job.

The Hogan Select report outlines what skills and benefits the candidate will bring to the company.

Hogan Develop

The Hogan Develop report pinpoints skills that the candidate has but that generally would not be evident in a job interview.

What hidden benefits could this candidate bring to the job and the company?

Hogan Lead

The purpose of the Hogan Lead report is to identify candidates who have good leadership skills.

This is especially useful where the candidate has little to no experience in this area, but their personality traits point to a talent for leadership.

Hogan Safe-System

This report assesses how safety-conscious a candidate is overall. This information is useful in two ways.

First, it advises which candidates will be low risk in the workplace and which may need extra help in this area.

Second, it pinpoints candidates who may be suitable for safety responsibilities at work.

Hogan Team

The Hogan Team report examines how the candidate would fit into the dynamic of an existing team or as part of a new team that is being built from candidates.

It draws on team strengths, weaknesses and culture.

Now that you have a good idea of what is involved in the Hogan assessments, the next step is to prepare.

Here are three tips on how you can do just that:

How to Perform Well on the Hogan Assessment Tests

Aside from taking paid for and free online Hogan Tests, there are also a number of things you can do on the day to improve your test performance.

Be Authentic and Honest

The purpose of a personality test is to discover who you are as a person. What are your strengths, motivations and preferences?

The Hogan assessment seeks to build a picture of you as a potential employee so that you can be matched – or not – to the job you have applied for.

Achieving such a match strengthens the chance that an employee will perform well, progress in their career with the company and ultimately, be retained as a valued member of staff.

It is, therefore, to your advantage to be as truthful and authentically you as possible when answering the personality questions.

The Hogan assessment has measures in place to identify candidates who provide false answers to make themselves look better to the employer.

Remember There Are No Wrong or Right Hogan Assessment Answers

In the HBRI test, there are obvious right and wrong answers to the questions. However, this is not the case in the personality tests.

You are not wrong or right for being an extrovert, having an eye for detail or being a great negotiator.

For instance, you are simply you.

Answering the personality questions in a way that is truthful will allow the employer to see an honest reflection of who you are as a person and who you could be as an employee.

Consider Each Question

You should take your time to read each question in the Hogan assessment carefully before answering, but when it comes to the personality questions, additional care is needed.

Avoid the temptation to answer a personality question in the way you think you should instead of the way that is truthful.

For instance, you might decide that the role needs someone who is more extroverted than you are, so you exaggerate your sociability.

Be honest about and proud of who you are.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

As employers become increasingly concerned with not only employing candidates who will remain with the company but who are also the right fit for the job and culture, the use of pre-employment tests such as the Hogan assessment becomes more prevalent.

The best way to improve your chances of success is to research the Hogan assessment tests, consider how your skills and personality are a good match for the job and familiarise yourself with the test formats by answering lots of Hogan Assessment sample questions.