Best Personality Tests for HR Teams in 2025
Jun 23
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Want to improve hiring, reduce turnover, and build better teams? Personality tests can help. By 2025, 70% of employers are using these tools to make smarter hiring decisions and enhance workplace dynamics. Here’s a quick overview of the top options:
- Personos: AI-powered, real-time insights. Costs $9/month for individuals or custom pricing for teams.
- DiSC Assessment: Focuses on observable behaviors like Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Costs $50–$250 per test.
- Big Five Personality Test: Measures Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Costs $10–$75 per test.
- Core Drivers Assessment: Explores employee motivations and values. Costs $50–$250 per test.
- Eysenck Personality Test: Evaluates temperament traits like extraversion and emotional stability. Costs $10–$75 per test.
Quick Comparison Table:
Feature | Personos | DiSC Assessment | Big Five Personality Test | Core Drivers Assessment | Eysenck Personality Test |
AI Integration | Advanced AI | Limited | Varies by provider | Minimal | None |
Scientific Validity | High | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Strong (except psychoticism) |
HR Applications | Team dynamics, communication | Team building, leadership | Hiring, cultural fit | Values-based hiring | Temperament assessment |
Pricing | $9/month or custom | $50–$250 | $10–$75 | $50–$250 | $10–$75 |
Each tool has unique strengths, so choose based on your organization’s needs. Whether you’re focused on AI-driven insights or traditional assessments, these tools can boost employee performance by up to 25% over three years and reduce turnover by 30%.
How Employers use Personality Questionnaires to Hire | 2025 Guide | PwC, Barclays, Apple, P&G
1. Personos
Personos is an AI-powered platform designed to provide real-time personality insights and actionable guidance for HR teams. Created by Christian Thomas and Nick Blasi, it goes beyond conventional personality tests by offering tailored solutions for workplace challenges. Below, we’ll dive into how Personos uses AI, supports HR needs, and offers customizable tools for organizations.
AI Integration
At the heart of Personos is its advanced AI system. Unlike static personality assessments, this platform factors in variables like job roles, work history, and company values to deliver context-specific insights. Its AI continuously learns from user interactions, ensuring a more personalized and effective experience over time.
"Delivering real-time personality insights tailored to specific situations was not possible until recent advancements in AI." [3]
HR Applications
Personos tackles common HR challenges by improving team dynamics, enhancing job fit, and boosting leadership effectiveness.[2] For example, a sales team in an enterprise software company saw dramatic improvements in communication and strategy alignment. By using Personos, team members received personalized prompts tailored to their working styles, leading to smoother meetings, clearer communication, and better collaboration. This ultimately streamlined processes and sped up deal closures.[2]
"Keeping my sales team on the same page used to feel like herding cats. Personos changed that completely. It helped me understand how everyone ticks and gave me simple ways to improve how we communicate. Now, the team just clicks better, and even tricky conversations with stakeholders feel way smoother. Honestly, it's been critical for our collaboration." – Sales Manager, Medical Sales [2]
Scientific Validity
Personos combines principles of personality psychology with AI-enhanced precision. Its methodology balances both qualitative and quantitative measures of personality and individual differences.[4] Studies show that 61% of employees believe AI boosts productivity. Additionally, companies that focus on personality development experience a 21% rise in employee productivity and a 22% increase in profitability.[2]
Customization Options
The platform offers flexible customization to align with a variety of HR strategies. It tailors its insights and tools to address specific workplace challenges, taking into account company culture and role-specific requirements.[5]
Pricing
Personos offers two pricing tiers to suit different needs:
- Individual Plan: $9 per month, which includes AI-driven insights, dynamic reports, personalized prompts, and relationship tools.
- Organizational Plan: Custom pricing, designed for larger teams, featuring streamlined onboarding, tools for team collaboration, and group dynamics analysis.
2. DiSC Assessment
The DiSC Assessment is a well-established personality profiling tool with more than four decades of research backing it. It’s built on William Moulton Marston’s framework of four key behavioral traits: Dominance (D), Influence (i), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). This tool is widely used - over a million people annually - to enhance communication, teamwork, and overall productivity in workplaces [7][8].
Scientific Validity
The DiSC Assessment is rooted in solid science, with reliability scores that consistently meet high standards. Its median coefficient alpha stands at .87, and its median test-retest reliability is .86 - both well above the .70 threshold that indicates strong reliability [7]. Wiley’s adaptive testing has further refined the assessment, making it 12% more accurate than earlier iterations and 32% more precise than the older DiSC Classic version [7].
Participants overwhelmingly find the results accurate, with about 90% agreeing that their profiles reflect them well, and the tool enjoys a 97% satisfaction rate among organizations worldwide [7].
"Overall, participants report that the DiSC fit is good or excellent approximately 90% of the time." - Everything DiSC Manual [7]
These metrics make DiSC a reliable and trusted resource for HR teams and organizations.
HR Applications
DiSC shines in practical workplace scenarios, offering actionable insights that HR professionals can use in hiring, team development, and conflict resolution. For instance, during recruitment, the assessment helps identify behavioral tendencies, ensuring candidates align well with their roles and team dynamics [10].
Organizations that integrate DiSC into hiring and team-building processes often see tangible results. Many report a 20% boost in team productivity and as much as a 25% reduction in employee turnover within the first year [11].
Beyond recruitment, DiSC has proven invaluable in resolving workplace conflicts and improving collaboration. For example, a cross-functional team bridged communication gaps between marketing (Influence profiles) and product development (Compliance profiles) by tailoring their communication styles based on DiSC insights [9]. Similarly, HealthCare Solutions Inc. leveraged DiSC to align new hires with their organizational environment, resulting in better job satisfaction, improved patient care, and fewer staff conflicts [11].
AI Integration
Though DiSC itself doesn’t rely heavily on AI, its insights can guide how teams incorporate AI into their workflows. By identifying strengths and areas needing support, DiSC helps HR professionals strategically implement AI tools that complement human capabilities. This is particularly relevant given that 64% of professionals say AI-driven tools improve efficiency, and nearly a third of businesses have adopted AI in at least one area [6].
"DiSC's human insights can help teams and individuals decide what role AI technology could play in their workflow. AI tools can fill gaps or accelerate team strengths. However, soft skills will remain essential to successful AI integration." - Eliza Barsanti, Content Writer and Marketer [6]
This thoughtful integration ensures that AI enhances, rather than replaces, the human element in workplace dynamics.
Customization Options
The Everything DiSC platform offers a high level of flexibility, measuring eight distinct scales and including additional priority metrics beyond the core DiSC styles [7]. This adaptability allows HR teams to tailor the assessment to specific needs, whether it’s leadership training, sales development, or resolving conflicts.
DiSC’s versatility makes it suitable for a range of scenarios, from onboarding new employees to refining the skills of existing teams. HR professionals can use it to design communication strategies, delegate tasks that align with individual strengths, and adjust leadership methods to fit team dynamics [9]. This customization ensures that the tool remains relevant across various workplace challenges and goals.
3. Big Five Personality Test
The Big Five Personality Test, often called the OCEAN model, is a well-regarded tool for assessing personality traits, particularly in HR settings. It evaluates five key dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. This framework is widely used because it provides reliable insights into workplace behavior, helping organizations make informed decisions about hiring and employee development.
Scientific Validity
Research strongly supports the reliability of the Big Five test. A meta-analysis involving 43,715 participants across 57 studies confirmed its consistency across all five traits. The updated version, Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2), has shown high reliability scores, including 0.89 for Neuroticism, 0.86 for Conscientiousness, and 0.85 for Extraversion[12]. Studies also reveal that the Big Five model can predict nearly 60% of job performance[1], offering HR teams a proven tool for evaluating candidates and employees.
HR Applications
The Big Five test has become an essential resource for HR professionals, aiding in recruitment, employee development, and retention strategies. Currently, 22% of companies use personality assessments in their hiring processes[13]. For instance, Google implemented personality testing and saw a 14% boost in employee performance and a 17% drop in turnover rates[14][17]. Deloitte also utilized the Big Five in its leadership programs, reporting that leaders whose traits aligned with their teams achieved 60% better performance metrics[17].
Beyond hiring, organizations using personality assessments report a 30% increase in team satisfaction and a 25% reduction in workplace conflict[14]. Teams leveraging personality insights have experienced 30–45% improvements in collaboration and project outcomes[15]. In one example, a retail company that adopted Big Five assessments saw a 56% increase in sales productivity within a year, while a tech firm reduced turnover by 25% and increased team productivity by 15% within six months[16].
"Implementing workplace Big Five testing revolutionized our hiring process. We reduced early turnover by 60% and dramatically improved team dynamics by understanding personality composition. The ROI was evident within six months through reduced recruitment costs and increased productivity." – Sarah Johnson, VP Human Resources, Tech Startup[15]
AI Integration
With advancements in AI, the Big Five test has become even more powerful. AI tools can analyze personality data quickly and accurately, uncovering patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed. This reduces human bias and enhances decision-making. By 2025, companies using AI-driven personality assessments are expected to see a 25% improvement in employee performance over three years[1]. AI integration underscores the growing role of data-driven approaches in modern HR practices.
Customization Options
The Big Five framework is highly adaptable, allowing HR teams to customize it for specific roles or objectives. For example, sales positions may focus on traits like Extraversion and Agreeableness, while research roles might prioritize Openness and Conscientiousness. These insights can also be used to create personalized development plans, identify training needs, and build well-balanced teams. In fact, 70% of teams using personality assessments report improved performance as a result[14]. This flexibility makes the Big Five an invaluable tool for crafting targeted HR strategies.
4. Core Drivers Personality Assessment
The Core Drivers Personality Assessment dives into what truly motivates employees, offering insights that can transform hiring and development strategies. Unlike traditional tools, this assessment focuses on uncovering the deeper drivers behind employee behavior, making it a valuable resource for organizations aiming to refine their workforce strategies.
Scientific Validity
Developed with a robust scientific foundation, the Core Drivers Diagnostic is based on data from 150,000 working adults and leverages advanced psychometric techniques alongside machine learning. It’s rooted in the Five Factor Model, widely regarded as the most reliable personality framework [19][20]. The diagnostic has demonstrated strong reliability and validity, showing high correlation with established tools like The Big Five, NEO PI-R, and the Hogan Personality Inventory. It also aligns with critical workplace outcomes such as employee engagement, job performance, and counterproductive behaviors. Extensive testing ensures it meets industry standards and remains free from bias.
The assessment evaluates six primary scales - Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Drive, Extraversion, Openness, and Emotional Stability - further broken down into 30 detailed facets. All of this is delivered in under ten minutes, providing a comprehensive overview of personality traits [19][20]. These detailed insights form the backbone of its effectiveness in workplace applications.
HR Applications
Thanks to its scientific rigor, the Core Drivers assessment has become a go-to tool for HR teams, with over 500,000 completions on its platform [21]. It supports a wide range of applications, including talent management, coaching, team development, and strategic workforce planning. Organizations also use it to identify training needs and promote cognitive diversity within teams. Research shows that teams focusing on their strengths daily can boost productivity by 12.5% [18].
Customization Options
The platform offers extensive customization through its Deeper Signals analytics tool, which allows organizations to analyze team dynamics and extract actionable insights about cognitive diversity [22]. Companies can adapt the assessment to meet specific goals, such as preparing for organizational changes, identifying effective change agents, or promoting inclusive leadership. The tool is also available in multiple languages, with replication studies confirming its consistency across different contexts [20].
5. Eysenck Personality Test
The Eysenck Personality Test is a widely recognized tool designed to evaluate key personality traits that can influence workplace behavior and team dynamics. Created by Hans Eysenck, this test focuses on understanding temperament through specific personality dimensions.
Scientific Validity
The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) examines personality across three main dimensions: extraversion vs. introversion, neuroticism vs. stability, and psychoticism vs. socialization [24]. It also includes a Lie scale to identify socially desirable responses [23]. Eysenck's theory emphasizes that personality differences are largely influenced by genetic factors, particularly temperament [24]. These dimensions have been validated across 34 countries [23].
While the extraversion and neuroticism scales show strong internal reliability (with scores ranging from 0.74–0.84 for extraversion and 0.70–0.77 for neuroticism), the psychoticism scale has lower reliability, scoring between 0.33–0.52 [23]. Despite this limitation, the EPQ remains a scientifically robust tool, offering valuable insights for practical applications in HR and beyond.
HR Applications
For HR teams, the Eysenck Personality Test provides actionable insights into how personality traits influence job performance and team interactions. With 22% of employers reportedly using personality assessments during hiring [29], this test can be a helpful resource for predicting team compatibility and identifying potential areas of conflict. The assessment typically takes 20–30 minutes to complete [27], making it an efficient option for evaluating candidates. HR professionals can also use the results to align roles with individual strengths and improve team dynamics [28].
Customization Options
The EPQ’s structure is based on 57 binary questions [26], which some critics argue oversimplifies the complexity of personality [25]. However, this straightforward format makes the test accessible to individuals across various educational levels and backgrounds. HR teams can interpret results in ways that align with their company’s culture and specific job requirements. For a more comprehensive evaluation, the Eysenck test can be combined with other assessment tools, allowing organizations to create a detailed personality profile. It’s worth noting that factors like the participant’s mood at the time of testing may influence the results [27].
Comparison of Features and Costs
Selecting the right personality test for your HR team means balancing features, scientific credibility, and budget. With roughly 70% of employers now using personality tests in hiring, making an informed choice is more important than ever [1].
The personality assessment market generally operates at three pricing tiers:
- Effective Level: Costs range from $10 to $75 per test, offering basic personality overviews.
- Enhanced Level: These tests cost $50 to $250 each, providing deeper, research-backed insights but often require additional training or consulting, starting around $20,000.
- Engaged Level: Starting at $15,000 for pilot programs and exceeding $150,000, this tier focuses on broader organizational transformation with expert guidance [31].
Feature | Personos | DiSC Assessment | Big Five Personality Test | Core Drivers Personality Assessment | Eysenck Personality Test |
AI Integration | Advanced AI-driven conversational interface with real-time insights | Limited AI capabilities | Varies by provider; some offer AI-enhanced versions | Minimal AI integration | No AI integration |
Scientific Validity | Combines personality psychology with AI for actionable insights | Moderate validity for workplace behavior | Strong scientific backing with correlations of 0.22–0.29 for job performance | Research-based but with less extensive validation | Strong for extraversion/neuroticism (0.74–0.84 reliability); weaker for psychoticism (0.33–0.52) |
HR Applications | Facilitates team dynamics, conflict resolution, and improved communication | Supports team building and leadership development | Predicts performance and assesses cultural fit | Assists with values-based hiring and role alignment | Aids in temperament assessment and team compatibility |
Pricing | $9/month for Individual; Custom organizational pricing | Enhanced Level: $50–$250 per assessment | Effective Level: $10–$75 per assessment | Enhanced Level: $50–$250 per assessment | Effective Level: $10–$75 per assessment |
The table highlights the main differences in features and costs, helping HR teams identify the right fit for their needs.
The Big Five Personality Test is widely recognized for its scientific foundation, particularly its ability to link conscientiousness to job performance. Using structured interviews with Big Five assessments has been shown to improve performance outcomes by 36% [1]. However, effectiveness can vary depending on the provider.
Personos takes a unique approach by offering ongoing personality insights through its AI-driven platform. Unlike traditional one-time assessments, it provides continuous guidance to enhance workplace interactions. With a $9 monthly subscription, it’s a cost-efficient option for organizations focused on long-term development.
The DiSC Assessment stands out in team-building scenarios, emphasizing observable behaviors that deliver actionable insights for managers. While it falls into the Enhanced Level pricing range, additional training may be needed to fully leverage its benefits.
The Eysenck Personality Test offers reliable insights into core temperament traits like extraversion and emotional stability. Its straightforward, binary question format makes it accessible to a wide audience, though its simplicity may limit the depth of analysis.
"Character evaluations are just one more instrument in your recruitment toolkit that should be utilized to ensure a fair, comprehensive hiring process." - Stephanie Mehta, CEO [1]
When weighing costs against features, it’s essential to consider your organization’s specific needs and goals. Pricing spans from $10–$75 for basic tools to over $150,000 for comprehensive solutions. While Engaged Level tools demand a significant investment, they often deliver transformative results with expert support.
AI-enhanced personality testing is a growing trend, using machine learning to improve precision and provide deeper insights [30]. For organizations prioritizing cutting-edge technology and continuous support, these platforms can justify higher costs over traditional, one-time assessments. By carefully analyzing these options, HR leaders can align their choice with their strategic goals.
Conclusion
Choosing the right personality test for your HR team is a critical step in shaping organizational success. With these tools becoming increasingly common among employers, making a thoughtful and informed choice can give your company an edge.
Key considerations include the test's validity, fairness, and how well it aligns with your company’s goals and values[34]. It's also crucial to account for employee perception - tests that foster doubt or resistance can diminish their effectiveness[34]. Beyond selecting the right tool, HR teams must develop the expertise needed to interpret the results accurately.
When used strategically, personality assessments can deliver impressive results. For example, they have been shown to boost employee performance by up to 25% over three years by 2025[1] and help reduce turnover by as much as 30%[1]. Tests that integrate smoothly with other psychometric tools and existing HR systems offer a more complete view of candidates. Plus, user-friendly and customizable options make for easier administration and a better experience for both HR teams and candidates alike[32].
Proper training for HR staff is essential. Without it, even the most advanced tests can lose their effectiveness. Regularly reviewing and updating these assessments ensures they stay relevant and applicable to real-world situations[33].
Remember, personality tests are most effective when used as part of a broader hiring strategy. Pairing them with interviews, skills assessments, and clear communication about their purpose provides a more well-rounded evaluation of candidates and helps ensure a better cultural fit within your organization[1][33].
FAQs
How can personality tests like Personos help HR teams improve team collaboration and communication?
Personality tests like Personos give HR teams a closer look at individual traits and working styles, helping them improve collaboration and communication within teams. By diving into the unique personalities of team members, HR professionals can build stronger relationships, minimize misunderstandings, and create a more balanced and cooperative workplace.
These tools also shine a light on team dynamics, highlighting strengths and pinpointing areas that might need attention. Armed with this information, HR teams can craft strategies tailored to better communication and smoother conflict resolution. The result? Teams that work together more effectively, boosting both morale and overall productivity across the board.
What should HR teams look for when selecting a personality test for their organization?
When selecting a personality test, HR teams need to prioritize reliability and validity to make sure the results genuinely represent employee characteristics. It's equally crucial to define the test's purpose - whether it's for recruitment, team dynamics, or professional growth - and ensure it aligns with the company's objectives.
Another key consideration is how effectively the test addresses cultural differences and whether it measures traits that are directly tied to job performance. By focusing on these aspects, HR teams can choose a tool that genuinely supports smarter and more informed decisions.
How does AI in personality tests improve hiring and boost employee performance?
AI-driven personality assessments are transforming hiring practices by providing clear and impartial insights into candidates' characteristics, such as how they communicate, handle challenges, and solve problems. These tools analyze data from various sources, including written responses, vocal patterns, and even facial expressions, helping HR teams make smarter, data-backed decisions.
Beyond offering deeper insights, AI speeds up the hiring process. It quickly evaluates candidates and identifies those who align best with an organization's needs, cutting down on turnover and promoting a more inclusive workplace. Over time, these precise matches contribute to improved employee performance and stronger team collaboration, ultimately fostering a more efficient and cohesive work environment.
