SHL Personality Test Online Preparation – 2025
What Is the SHL Personality Test?
SHL is an HR provider that blends science, technology, and people to provide businesses with several products and services, including pre-employment assessments. A typical evaluation employers will give candidates during the hiring process is the SHL Personality Test to assess their values and fit for the company.
The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ)
The SHL Personality Test focuses on trait assessment to give the employer a better understanding of how the applicant may perform on the job and work with other colleagues. Also known as the SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ), the SHL Personality Test is an online-based exam with several versions the employer may choose from to best satisfy the company’s needs.
Test takers should expect to answer around 104 questions split into blocks of two to four statements simultaneously. You will need to analyze the statements and determine which describes you the most and which describes you the least.
One challenging aspect of the SHL Personality Test is that the statements are not always obviously related. For example, one statement in a block may be “I share my feelings,” and another may be “I’m excited before big events.” While these statements may not seem related on the surface, your responses will categorize you into a particular personality profile that will be shared with the company so they can determine if you will be a good fit for the team or not.
Rating Questions
Depending on the test version, you may encounter classic rating questions on your SHL Personality Test. These are common in personality questionnaires and will present several statements to which you must report how much you agree or disagree with each statement.
SHL’s Personality Test Scoring
Personality tests are scored differently from other pre-employment assessments because there are not necessarily right or wrong answers to each question. Instead, SHL will use your responses on the SHL Personality Test to assess your fit for the specific role and company and predict your future performance. The employer will then receive this profile and factor it into their hiring decisions.
Before taking the SHL OPQ Assessment, you will want to research the company and the role you are applying for. This information will help you understand how to tailor your responses to that specific profile.
For example, if you are applying for a leadership role, you will want to answer questions in a way that showcases your leadership, decision-making, and communication skills.
However, it is essential to answer questions on this exam truthfully. Lying on this assessment will only hurt you since it may indicate that you would be suitable for a role in which you would not do well or be happy. Therefore, you will want to be truthful in your responses.
Other SHL Personality Assessments
In addition to the SHL OPQ test, SHL offers their customers two other personality exams.
SHL Motivational Questionnaire (MQ)
The SHL Motivational Questionnaire (MQ) assesses the applicant’s individual motivations and measures how well that match with the team’s and organization’s goals. The MQ assesses 18 dimensions specific to the employer’s workplace and situation. During this exam, candidates will receive a series of scenarios and must rate how each case would affect their motivation in the workplace.
SHL RemoteWorkQ (RWQ)
Many companies are starting to shift to a remote or hybrid workplace. In response, SHL has added the RemoteWorkQ (RWQ) assessment to their SHL Personality Test portfolio. This exam will assess nine behaviors critical to a candidate’s readiness to work remotely effectively. For example, the test will measure the applicant’s ability to stay focused and adapt to change.
The questions on the RWQ are similar to the OPG. The test taker will receive several statements and must select which statement describes them the most. Again, SHL will use this information to create a candidate profile and let the individual and the company know the employee’s work readiness.
How to Prepare for the SHL Personality Test?
Many people may think you do not need to prepare for personality assessments since you do not need specific knowledge of a topic to do well on the exam. However, proper exam preparation could differentiate between getting a rejection email and a call back for an interview.
The best way to prepare for the SHL Personality Assessment is by studying the company and taking online practice tests. Researching the company and the position will give you a better understanding of the type of employee the company seeks. This information can help you when answering questions to ensure that you highlight the specific skills and traits that the employer will be paying attention to.
In addition to research, working through online practice tests is a great way to get a better feel for the questions on the exam. These tests will give several sample questions you can work through to enter the SHL Personality Test feeling confident and prepared.
Applicants who take the time to prepare for the SHL Personality Test tend to do better on the exam and are more likely to receive a favorable profile for the company. Therefore, you will want enough time to prepare for the exam.
Disclaimer: SHL® is a registered trademark of SHL Group Ltd. SHL Group Ltd is not affiliated with Practice4Me or this website. This website solely provides information on how to prepare for job psychometric tests.
