Newcastle Personality Assessor (NPA) Test Preparation – 2024

The theory of the Big 5 personality facets is one of the most commonly used when developing psychometric personality tests. Assessments based on the big 5 are available from a number of test developers and are very commonly used as part of pre-hire screening. The Newcastle Personality Assessor was developed by Daniel Nettle. He selected a few statements, that give a result similar to those of a longer test.

What Is the Newcastle Personality Assessor?

The Newcastle Personality Assessor is a very brief assessment.  It is used to quickly measure the Big 5 or “OCEAN” personality traits. These traits are:

• Openness to new experiences – Does the test taker enjoy new and varied experiences.
• Conscientiousness – Are you thoughtful, organized, and self-disciplined.
• Extraversion – Are you assertive, do you enjoy the company of others, or are you quieter, and prefer, being alone.
• Agreeableness – Are you cooperative, and capable of working with other people?
• Neuroticism – Do you frequently experience unpleasant emotions, like anger?

You will be given a list of 12 statements and will need to answer how like or unlike you each sentence is.

The statements on the test include:

1. Start a conversation with a stranger
2. Make sure others are comfortable
3. Create things
4. Plan in advance
5. Feel depressed
6. Plan events
7. Feel worried
8. Think about spirituality
9. Let things get messy
10. Sympathize with others
11. Insult people
12. Use difficult words

Due to its brevity, the Newcastle Personality Assessor is good for assessing younger people with shorter attention spans.

How to Prepare for the Newcastle Personality Assessor?

Generally, when used as a pre-screening test, Big 5 tests are a longer, more detailed format. The Newcastle and its scoring scale are freely available, which means it makes a great tool to help prepare yourself for more intense 5 Factor tests you may be required to take.

Conclusion

The Big 5, or OCEAN tests are extremely common in pre-hire testing. Making yourself familiar with their scaling system, and the traits they measure will help you feel less stressed when taking the tests and will help ensure your scores will get you that job offer.