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MUCHO2000 t1_ixekizt wrote

In the context of taking a personality test for a job it doesn't matter if there is or isn't science. Just take the test and if your reading comprehension is good you'll do great following these simple rules.

You take responsibility for everything.

You are the most high energy person in town.

You like to lead but you are willing to follow.

You are very outgoing and love people.

You're creative but you love rules and structure.

Did I mention you take responsibility for everything?

This will guarantee an interview. The rest is up to you.

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BouNcYToufU t1_ixeobou wrote

This is the problem with most non-clinical "personality" tests. They are quite easy to just fake it and get a specific score you want. Even the Big 5, which is probably the most scientifically sound "personality" test can easy be faked to get the personality type you are trying to get.

The science around the categories is sound (the relationship the categories have with work performance, leadership quality, etc.). But the problem is really the ability for one to fake their profile.

Think about it like the Love Language test. What the research says about a person's preference when it comes "Quality Time" category is accurate. But the problem is, you can just answer the questionnaire in a particular way and you can tell what group you will get. (Love Language test has other problems, but I'm just using it for comparison to "personality" testing here).

On the other hand, many clinical personality tests have robust validity scales to catch you faking good or faking bad. E.g. the MMPI is one of the more commonly used clinical personality tests for employment. Though, most companies would not use it because it cost a lot more money and you need a licensed psychologist to interpret it. But, a lot of money and research is put into studying clinical personality tests and the questions are often well-guarded secrets. All this makes it much harder to fake.

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Akitiki t1_ixerzpv wrote

I remember those old "what X are you" quizzes I did in highschool. It was so easy to get the result you wanted. I'm going to use Hogwarts houses for example. I could run the test and consistently get a particular house, they were obvious.

When I got on Pottermore (I got one of the early access accounts), the test for determining your house is actually nuanced. The answers are not at all clear to which house they were meant for; in fact most answers fit multiple houses. I'm sure that behind the scenes, answers had a score/rank per the house's ideal. One house might score 3 points, another 2, while another 1 point all in the same answer. It made for an actual test you'd have a harder time cheating.

I actually didn't know which house I'd be sorted into. I should go and see if I can find the test again.

(I did sort Gryffindor.)

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