Tripod© tests

NEO-TRI/2 ©Tripod is based on the five-factor personality theory, the most widely used personality theory in the world. The questionnaire describes the respondent’s personality profile in terms of five characteristics, with three additional characteristics rated as subscales for each core characteristic.

• Emotional Stability describes a person’s inherent resilience to negative emotions. Emotionally stable people are predominantly calm, self-satisfied, relaxed, and able to control their emotions in critical situations. People who are prone to negative emotions, on the other hand, tend to be anxious, nervous and agitated and are more likely to be dissatisfied with themselves and others.

Subscales: Depression, Helplessness, Irritability

• Extraversion is a characteristic of people who are sociable, talkative and overwhelmingly optimistic. They have no difficulty managing others, taking risks, going on adventures and building new relationships. People scoring low on Extraversion, on the other hand, are generally quiet, reserved, uninvolved and modest.

Subscales: Assertiveness, Leadership, Initiative

• Agreeableness indicates a person’s positive or negative orientation towards other people. A highly agreeable person is seen as compassionate, helpful, kind and forgiving. On the other hand, people who have low Agreeableness scores may be suspicious and critical, and dislike cooperation and consideration for others.

Subscales: Trust, Friendliness, Empathy

• Conscientiousness expresses a person’s diligence, perseverance, ambition and trustworthiness. People with low Conscientiousness may appear to others to be aimless, carefree, sometimes even sloppy or lacking in willpower. They may have problems with planning and performance.

Subscales: Competence, Order, Achievement-Striving

• Openness is characterised by good imagination, a sense of aesthetics, a search for variety, intellectual curiosity and creativity. People with lower Openness tend to be more practical, adhere more strongly to tradition and prefer routine activities.

Subscales: Innovation, Adaptability, Ideas

Over the years, numerous studies around the world have shown that leaders are more similar to other leaders regarding their personality traits and abilities than to other people. This means that, compared to the population as a whole, leaders are more balanced, analytical and innovative, more willing to actively pursue goals and to involve others.

The personality traits that are important for leaders can be measured by Tripod’s  MPI, which is part of Tripod’s suite of manager tests.

MPI is based on an internationally recognised and extensively researched Big Five model (see Allik et al., 2003)[1]. The test identifies the expression of the five most important personality traits for a leader, i.e. the test taker’s inherent

• Emotional Stability
• General Activity (Extraversion)
• Relationship Orientation (Agreeableness)
• Activity Orientation (Conscientiousness)
• General Responsiveness (Openness).

In addition, the test allows for measuring ten more specific qualities – Resistance to Stress,  Self-control, Initiative, Leadership, Independence of Opinion, Teamwork, Organisation, Achievement Orientation, Adaptability and Rationality – which are directly related to managerial performance.

The test consists of 188 statements, and takes on average 20 to 40 minutes to complete. In the case of the personality questionnaires, it is up to the respondent to assess the extent to which the self-reported statements in the questionnaire apply to them.

[1] See “Isiksusepsühholoogia”, toim. Allik, J., Konstabel, K. ja Realo, A..

Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus, 2003.

The Personality Inventory IK-15 is based on the Five-factor Model and describes the  respondent’s Emotional Response, Extraversion, Interaction Style, Action Style and Responsiveness.

In addition to the five main personality traits, the questionnaire assesses nine narrower personality traits: Resistance to Stress, Self-control, Optimism, Gregariousness, Leadership, Independence of Opinion, Empathy, Achievement-striving, Adaptability.

The questionnaire also includes a scale for general self-esteem.

Mental Ability Scale VVS/7 assesses an individual’s overall mental ability, i.e. the part of cognitive ability that is primarily responsible for reasoning and generalisation, the ability to acquire new knowledge effectively and the ability to solve various exercises quickly and accurately. It also contributes significantly to the ability to cope with unexpected situations, to make decisions, to draw inferences, and to form an overall vision based on details.

In addition to defining the level of general cognitive ability, the test allows for describing verbal, mathematical and spatial ability as well as logical reasoning.

• Verbal ability is expressed in terms of linguistic dexterity and the accurate perception and effective use of verbal information. A high score reflects excellent performance in the perception and command of verbal information. The test taker can be considered to be above average in activities that require accurate verbal recognition and the ability to analyse and use the information contained in a variety of verbal texts.
• Mathematical ability reflects, in particular, logical thinking, analytical skills and the ability to use numerical information effectively. A high score indicates that the test taker is faster and more accurate than average in analysing numerical information and drawing conclusions from the information. They have developed and versatile mathematical thinking.
• Spatial imagination consists of the ability to perceive spatial relationships of objects quickly and effectively, to visualise events and to orient in space. Higher spatial ability scores reflect advanced logical reasoning, the ability to visualise, predict and analyse spatial relationships significantly better than average. On a wider scale, it indicates good generalising and analytical abilities. The test taker can be considered more successful in activities requiring figurative and logical thinking and analysis of complex and varied information.
• Logical reasoning involves general analytical and deductive skills. People who get high scores are able to process mathematical and logical information, to draw conclusions and to anticipate consequences without much effort.

Such an approach to intellectual abilities allows for identifying the cognitive ability profile of the respondent and describing the individual’s ability to learn new things, adapt to new demands, communicate their ideas clearly to the listener and solve tasks quickly and accurately.

The VVS/7 test takes up to 40 minutes to complete.

Analysis of the scales confirms that the test has excellent psychometric properties. A calculator and a paper and pencil may be used as aids.

Mental Ability Scale MMAS for managers assesses the test-taker’s natural ability to see the big picture, to quickly acquire and recall new knowledge, to solve a variety of situations and problems, and to make well-considered, forward-looking decisions.

Managers are characterised by a higher than average intellectual abilities, which enables them to quickly orient themselves in novel situations and to cope successfully with the many complex tasks that a managerial position entails.

This ability analyse information quickly is reflected in the overall level of cognitive abilities. In addition to mapping the level of general mental ability, the test enables us to describe it in terms of four sub-skills:

• comprehension of verbal information
• comprehension of numerical information
• arithmetical and logical thinking
• spatial thinking

The results of the scale are presented in comparison with the average scores of successful managers in similar tests.

In the test, the respondent is required to solve short tasks for which logical reasoning, attention and analytical skills are sufficient.

MMAS consists of 48 tasks, which can be completed in a maximum of 45 minutes. A calculator and a paper and pencil may be used as aids.

It measures general cognitive ability as well as its different aspects, such as verbal ability, mathematical ability, spatial imagination and logical reasoning.

Spatial ability consists of effective perception of spatial relationships and visualisation skills, characterised by good figurative thinking, the ability to organise space in a meaningful way, and the ability to analyse complex information. High spatial ability scores reflect a broader range of logical thinking and the ability to imagine, predict and analyse spatial relationships significantly better than average.

The test measures four features:

• object recognition
• 2D mental rotation
• perception of form
• 3d mental rotation

The test consists of 48 tasks, each of which has a time limit of 1-2 minutes for completion, depending on the complexity of the task. Both open-ended and multiple-choice questions are used. In total, the test can take 54 minutes to complete.

The test is well suited for predicting job performance in technical and IT fields (STEM areas). The result of the test is obtained by comparing the results with people successfully working in these fields.

The Visual Speed and Accuracy Test VKT measures a specific aspect of mental ability that describes an individual’s ability to process visual information quickly and precisely.

This trait is a welcome feature in jobs that require prompt and accurate use of written verbal and numerical information. People who het high scores usually have excellent prerequisites for successful performance in jobs that require constant and accurate analysis of verbal and numerical information. People who het lower scores often prefer jobs that do not require constant analysis of new information.

The test measures speed and accuracy in processing visual information. It is often administered to secretaries and clerks, data entry operators, warehouse workers, etc.

The Vocational Interests Inventory TASK is based on J. Holland’s theory and describes different types of occupational orientation based on activity preferences: social, enterprising, conventional, realistic, investigative and artistic.

Long-term studies have shown that job satisfaction depends to a large extent on the extent to which occupational requirements are in line with natural disposition and personal values. Therefore, careful consideration of one’s own preferences and areas of interest before entering the labour market is crucial for career success, satisfaction and stability.

This complex decision and the self-analysis that precedes it have been successfully supported for decades by psychological measures developed specifically for this purpose, which help respondents to raise their awareness, organise their thoughts, analyse their preferences in a meaningful way and map their desires.

Vocational preference questionnaires are thus an important tool for career guidance and planning, as well as for self-analysis, providing important information and food for thought for school leavers when choosing their future studies, for those entering the labour market in search for the most suitable occupation, for the unemployed when looking for new challenges and for the employed when looking for more appealing choices. It is important to note, however, that the occupational preference tests are not intended to be used for traditional job assessment or recruitment purposes.

The test is intended to measure the personality traits prevailing in teams, and is currently used as part of teamwork and counselling sessions.