P R E S E N TAT I O N O N

PERSONALITY
TESTING 
P R E S E N T E D B Y J A C Q U E L I N E S A M M O N –
L A M O N T  
 • To give a definition of personality tests
• Describe the history and development of personality tests
• Give the purposes and uses of personality tests

• To construct a personality test

• Give the name of the two strategies of personality tests
• To differentiate between empirical and deductive 
• Give the name of the two main types of personality tests
OBJECTIVES OF
• How is a personality test administered? 
PR ESENTATION
• The strengths and weaknesses of personality tests
• Psychometric properties of personality tests

• How to score and interpret personality tests

• The reliability and validity of personality tests

• The evaluation of personality tests and its relevance in the Caribbean

 W H AT I S
• Techniques designed to measure the characteristic patterns of
PERSONALITY
traits that people exhibit across various situations.
TEST? 
 • This test was first used by the U.S. Army during World War to try
to predict which soldiers would suffer from “shell shock”.
• One of the earliest forms of personality tests, known as
phrenology, emerged during the late 18th-century and was
HISTORY AND popularized during the 19th-century. 
DEVELOPMENT
• One of the greatest steps in introducing personality assessment in
OF
the modern era began in the late nineteenth-century England with
PERSONALITY
the work of Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), a half-cousin and
TESTS
contemporary of Charles Darwin and a prolific explorer and
researcher. 
 • They are used to help clarify a clinical diagnosis, guide
therapeutic interventions, and help predict how people may
respond in different situations. 
• They are also used in forensic settings to conduct risk
assessments, establish competence, and in child custody disputes.
PURPOSE AND
• It is also used in school psychology, career and occupational
USES OF
counseling, relationship counseling, clinical psychology, and
PERSONALITY
employment testing.
TESTS 
 • Personality tests like the MBTI, the MMPI, and the BDI are
CONSTRUC developed using one of two approaches or strategies. 
TION AND • The two strategies using with affective and personality tests are
CONTENT described as deductive and empirical. 

OF • There are two basic types of personality tests: self-report

inventories and projective tests.
PERSONALI
TY TESTS
EXAMPLES OF
PERSONALITY
TESTS
 HOW TO • Via paper and pencil
ADMINISTER
• Electronically 
PERSONALITY
TESTS
 • Gain Deep Insight into A Candidate’s Potential:
• Faster Recruitment Process
STRENGTHS OF
• Eliminates Bias
PERSONALITY
TESTS • Spot the Dark Personality Traits

• Cost-Effective
 • Personality Tools Available on the Market
WEAKNESSES • Job-specific Customization
OF
• Content Quality
PERSONALITY
TESTS • Response Styles

• Candidate Response
 • Psychometric properties are typical characteristics of tests that
identify and define critical aspects of an instrument, such as its
suitability or reliability for use in a specific circumstance.
N O R M S A N D
S T A N D A R D I Z A T I O N
O F P E R S O N A L I T Y
• A good psychometric test must have three fundamental
T E S T S properties- reliability, validity, and norming. 

S C O R I N G A N D
I N T E R P R E TAT I O N
O F P E R S O N A L I T Y
T E S T S
• An item on a personality test, for example, might ask respondents
to rate the degree to which they agree with the statement "Don't
talk a lot" on a scale from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 5 ("strongly
agree"). 
• When interpreting scores obtained on a personality test, one trait
does not exclude the other. They are actually complementary. 
 RELIABILITY
A N D VA L I D I T Y • The Big Five Personality Test is by far the most scientifically
OF validated and reliable psychological model to measure
PERSONALITY personality.
TESTS
 • Administration of and scoring tests properly in accordance with
established standardized procedures 

E VA L U AT I O N • Analysis and integration of test data with other relevant

OF information, including findings from structured diagnostic
PERSONALITY interviews, unstructured clinical interviews, historical
TESTS information, data provided by informants familiar with the person
being evaluated and behavioral observations 
• Administration and interpretation of cognitive assessment
instruments 
 • Many organizations are using personality tests to help them
R E L E VA N C E O F recruit and select for a wide range of positions. 
PERSONALITY • It helps you to prepare for your next job interview, provides you
TESTS IN THE the necessary insights to make the right career choice and is the
CARIBBEAN basis to develop your leadership skills to the next level. 
 END OF
P R E S E N TAT I O N