David, OPQ32 test expert at JobTestPrep.
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What is the SHL Personality OPQ Test (OPQ32)
The OPQ32 is a highly complex SHL personality test; administered online. The OPQ assessment has several versions, most contain 104 questions, presented as blocks of 3 or 4 statements. On each question, you must choose one statement that best describes you and another statement that describes you the least (these are called “ipsative questions”). These measure 32 specific personality characteristics.
You’ll most likely be asked to answer the common OPQ32r, which has 104 questions, each presented as a block of 3 statements:
*Source - JobTestPrep OPQ Test Guide.
In the newest version of the test, the format is presented in a more interactive way. For example, you’ll need to choose which statement describe you best (termed ‘most’):
*Source - JobTestPrep OPQ Test Guide.
Let’s say we choose the first one, once you choose this statement (marked bold), it subsequently disappears from the screen, and you need to choose again, from the remaining statements, which one describes you best:
*Source - JobTestPrep OPQ Test Guide.
Although the format might be different, the statements and scoring of these two versions are identical. It is only the platform that is different, so that you cannot change your answer once choosing each statement, and instead of choosing the statement that least describes you, you must choose the second best statement.
To get a feeling of the new interactive OPQ test, you can take a free online OPQ test, provided by SHL. Note that you’ll be required to create an account to access the OPQ practice test. After completing the exam, you will receive a descriptive feedback report of various behavioral tendencies via email. These test results are different than those provided to employers, as they do not include the same scales.
OPQ Test Sample Questions
Take a look at the following question and think about how you would answer:
*Source - JobTestPrep OPQ32 Test Practice Course.
How to answer this OPQ question?
Since each position requires different characteristics, you need to understand which qualities are most important for your position to choose the best answers. On our full preparation course, you can easily discover the key qualities for your position and learn how to choose the best answers accordingly. Here is an example of answers and explanations for this OPQ question for manager roles:
Most Like Me
- Recommended Statement: I am invested in others' well-being
A key aspect of a manager’s role is to support the well-being of his/her team. Employee well-being and strong performance go hand-in-hand, and managers are well placed to positively influence this.
Neutral (not chosen)
- Recommended Statement: I feel very hopeful about the good things to come.
An important secondary issue is creating an atmosphere of positivity and optimism. Workplace optimism forges a creative and engaged team climate, a sense that team members can make a positive difference plus it inspires the resilience to persevere despite difficulties and barriers.
Least Like Me
- Recommended Statement: I aspire to be ‘Number One’
Personal achievement and career progression are worthy individual goals. If being No one becomes central to all workplace behaviors, organizational goals and progress can be compromised. High scores on these factors are thus not seen as the most desirable manager qualities.
Here are some more examples of OPQ questions:
*Source - JobTestPrep OPQ32 Practice Test.
To receive recommended OPQ test answers for each question, get our full OPQ test practice. It includes an updated study guide, practice test, and interview preparation questions, tailored for your position.
How do you pass an OPQ Test?
Many believe personality tests are impossible to prepare for, or that you better be "honest" when answering them. Our experience shows this isn't the case.
If, for example, you tend to avoid confrontation, should you choose that statement on the OPQ personality test?
Answering in a completely straightforward manner here could cause more harm than good. This is because your answers are not interpreted in a "naive" way, but are treated as indications of your workplace behavior. So, stating you rather avoid conflicts is actually like saying you have trouble solving work conflicts.
So how should you answer?
As mentioned, answering OPQ32 questions requires tailoring responses to showcase key qualities for your position. Therefore, the first and most important step to pass it is knowing which qualities are most important for your desired position. These are the traits or behaviors that your employer expects you to demonstrate as a successful employee.
These are some of the desirable qualities for most roles:
- Resilience to workload and colleague pressure
- Staying focused
- Modelling optimism and resilience
- Emotional intelligence
On each OPQ question, you must first identify which items express the key characteristics for your job, and favor those over other possible answers.
To discover the full list of essential qualities specifically for your position, use our full OPQ test practice. It includes an OPQ study guide and practice test for any position in the following categories:
- Sales Positions
- Management Positions
- General Team Member Positions
- Research and Data Management
- Government and Regulatory Positions
- Management Change Positions
To answer questions in a way that exhibits those essential qualities, , use guidelines and tips tailored for the unique OPQ question format:
3 Key Tips to Pass your OPQ32 Test
We have compiled the three most important tips you must read before answering OPQ questions:
- Choose ‘Most Like Me’ Answers Tailored for Your Job- The statements you choose as ‘Most Like Me’ should be genuine personal strengths that are also central key qualities of the role.
- The Statements you Don't Choose are Equally Important - Statements that you did not choose as ‘most/ least like me’, that is ‘Neutral’ statements, will receive a moderate rating, not zero. Therefore, it is equally important to consider which statement you do not choose, or choose second in the new OPQ version.
- Don't Try to Be Perfect- Choosing ‘least like me’ for all statements that are negative or less important for the job can flag a fake response (since everyone is expected to have some negative/less important responses). To avoid this, you should also choose some less important/ negative qualities as neutral every once in a while.
So, how do you choose which statement to leave neutral?
Or how many negative and less important qualities is not too much?
Uncover practical guidelines for each of these tips in our OPQ study guide:
SHL Personality Test Results
The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32) gives organizations a focused picture of how aspects of your personality and behavior will impact performance at work. It provides detailed information on 32 specific personality characteristics, also called OPQ dimensions, proven to influence work performance. These are grouped into three key areas:
- Relationships with People- how you connect with others and lead the group.
- Thinking Style- how you evaluate and make sense of facts and information.
- Feelings and Emotions- how you internally think and feel about various events. This also includes dynamism- how much you strive for change, growth and achievements.
In our guide, we provide possible interview questions for each of these categories, so you
could also prepare for the next stages of the hiring process.
FAQs
How is the OPQ used?
The OPQ was written by Saville and is distributed by CEB SHL Talent Management. Using the OPQ helps organizations in the following ways during the hiring process:
- Identifies the best-fit applicants for a given role
- Improves interview hit rates
- Identifies future leaders
- Re-deploys talent across the business
- Evaluates the talent pool following a merger /acquisition/ restructure
- Creates "winning" project teams
- Manages the transformation of a technical specialist to an effective people manager
What are the OPQ Dimensions?
The OPQ Dimensions are 32 personality characteristics assessed by behavioral questions on the OPQ test. These are grouped into four categories: Relationships with People- how you interact with individuals and groups (including leading), Thinking Style- how you evaluate information, and Feelings and Emotions- how you perceive and feel about different events.
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