What Is the Caliper Test?
The Caliper Profile, commonly known as the Caliper Test or Caliper Assessment, is a pre-employment personality profiling assessment with a small cognitive component. The assessment is administered by test provider Talogy.
While most websites focus on the cognitive section of the Caliper test, WE tell you that it is the LEAST important section and determines your score in just 1 of 22 different scales.
The Caliper Assessment evaluates your expected job Behaviors, Competencies, and Traits and compares them to a desirable Job Model for the position to which you applied.
In the Scoring section we provide a detailed analysis of Caliper Behaviors, Competencies, Traits, and Job Models.
The Caliper Profile test contains 4 sections:
- Sections 1 + 2 – 25 + 32 personality profiling questions in a “most-least” format, respectively.
- Section 3 – 11 abstract reasoning questions. Covers 4 main topics: number series, shape analogies, next in series, and matrices. This is the only timed section.
- Section 4 – 30 personality questions in a 7-point scale format (1 – Strongly Agree, 7 – Strongly Disagree).
The 3 Special Features of the Caliper Profile Test:
- Forced choice.
- Evaluates ONLY based on the relevant Job Model.
- Trait combinations.
Read more in the Special Features section, and how to overcome them in the Preparation section.
Test Structure and Question Format
Let’s go over each section of the test:
Sections 1 + 2 – Most-Least
These two sections contain 58 questions combined (25 questions in section 1, 32 in section 2). Each question follows this format:
How to Answer This Question? (LONG Explanation)
Answering any particular question on the Caliper assessment has very little meaning in and of itself. However, in the “grand scheme” of things, your answers to all questions must take 3 things into consideration:
- The traits related to each statement.
- The Job Model you are applying to (you can read about in the Special Features and Scoring sections).
- Your previous answers on the test.
Let’s see this in action.
#1 – Related Traits
I refrain from speaking my mind unless I’m asked to – This statement relates to the trait of Assertiveness, a trait crucial for most leadership and communication competencies.
Sometimes you need to push to get what you want – This statement relates to the trait of Aggressiveness, a trait that is required as a complementary trait for Assertiveness in the case of managers and leaders.
It gives me great pleasure to help others – This statement relates to the trait of Accommodation, or the will to help others. This trait is highly important for effective communication and team building.
I mostly follow established rules and practices – This statement relates to the trait of External Structure, or the adherence to existing rules.
#2 – Job Model
The effective answers for Caliper test questions depend on the relevant Job Model.
For instance, in the Mid-Level Manager Job Model, Coaching and Developing Others is one of the three critical competencies. Therefore, it is likely that a combination of high Assertiveness and high Accommodation is appreciated for this role. On the other hand, a combination of high Aggressiveness and low Accommodation will be problematic.
So, for someone who is applying to a mid-management position:
- A good answer – Most – 3, Least – 1
- A bad answer – Most – 2, Least – 3
#3 – Previous Answers
Your eventual score on the 4 traits assessed by this particular question will depend on how many instances of this trait were presented throughout the test. Therefore, consider practicing with test simulations to get a first-hand experience of this.
Section 3 – Abstract Reasoning (Cognitive Section)
This section contains 11 multiple-choice questions in 4 topics:
Number Sequence
Which number continues the pattern?
-2, 2, 11, 27, ?
- 35
- 43
- 53
- -27
For a full solution, see the Free Practice section.
Pro Tip
Don’t get too invested in preparing for this section. As we’ve previously mentioned – while most websites heavily focus on this test section (probably because it helps them sell you their preparation packs), it actually determines a rather small portion of your score.
Here’s how it looks on your score report:
Section 4 – 7-Point Scale Questions
This is an additional personality profiling section containing 30 questions. Each question assesses one trait and looks as follows:
How to Answer This Question?
As on test sections 1+2, you will not find a single correct answer for 7-point scalequestions. The best answers take two main factors into account – the Job Model and previous test answers.
For instance, this question assesses the trait of Self-Structure, or the ability and will to determine one’s own working processes.
- Combined with traits such as low Thoroughness and high Urgency, for instance, may indicate that this person is a highly independent fast-paced decision-maker.
- On the other hand, high Thoroughness and low Urgency may indicate that this person is a highly independent methodical administrator.
We recommend reading the sections on Special Test Features and Scoring to get a complete overview of this complexity.
Get the Most Accurate Caliper Prep Course
JobTestPrep’s Caliper Test Preparation provides you with the best prep solution available on the market today.
What Do You Get?
3 Caliper Personality Practice Tests for Any Position:
- Management, Sales, Analysis, Data, Finance, General Staff & more.
- Job-specific Feedback
- Interactive Study Guides
Cognitive Practice
- 3 Number Series Simulations
- 2 Visual Analogies Simulations
- 2 Visual Matrices Simulations
- 2 Visual Series Simulations
- 36 Extra Practice Tests
Money-Back Guarantee Policy
Full Disclosure: We are affiliated with JobTestPrep. Clicking the links helps us provide you with high-quality, ad-free content.
What Does the Caliper Test Measure?
The Caliper Test assesses 3 aspects of your personality:
Traits
21 personality traits that are the theoretical foundation of the Caliper Test. However, their main impact on your score is through your predicted behaviors. The actual traits will appear at the very bottom of your score report.
Examples: Assertiveness, Energy, Openness.
Behaviors
Behaviors are the actual, observable actions one takes on the job. The 280 behaviors assessed by the Caliper Profile are derived from your personal combination of traits.
Examples: Fosters performance improvement, Recognizes team accomplishments.
Competencies
Competencies are groups of behaviors. The Caliper Test assesses 56 different competencies and constructs an ideal Job Model based on these competencies.
Examples: Conflict Management, Strategic Thinking, Professionalism.
Free Caliper Test Practice
This free Caliper assessment practice is mostly intended to help you understand:
- Relationships between statements and traits.
- The best responses for a particular Job Model.
Please read the Job Model below and answer each question based on the relevant competencies. You can also use the List of Traits.
You will also find one sample practice question for each topic on the cognitive section (section 3).
Senior Leader Job Model
- Leadership Maturity
- Leadership Communication
- Leading Change
- Strategic Talent Management
- Organizational Savvy
- Deliberative Decision Making
- Decisiveness
- Strategic Thinking
List of Traits
The following table details the main traits assessed in the following questions. While Caliper does not publish any accurate match between traits and competencies, the table was made based on analysis of various score reports, including this one, as well as Talogy’s official List of Traits.
| Trait | Competencies |
| Aggressiveness | Decisiveness, Leading Change |
| Assertiveness | Leadership Communication, Leading Change |
| Cautiousness | Decisiveness, Deliberate Decision Making |
| Ego Drive | Leadership Communication, Leading Change |
| Empathy | None |
| Gregariousness | Leadership Communication, Organizational Savvy |
| Openness | None |
| Risk-Taking | Decisiveness |
| Self-Structure | Leading Change |
| Urgency | Decisiveness |
Note: The recommended answers in this practice test are given as a demonstration only. This practice test is in no way based on, or endorsed, by Caliper or Talogy.
Behavioral Question #1
Suggested Answers
Based on the Senior Leader Job Model, the suggested answer is:
1 – Least, 3 – Most.
Let’s look at the 4 statements and their related traits:
- There is no use in trying to change someone else’s mind – Ego Drive
- I can easily adapt to changes in the workplace – Flexibility
- I find it easy to connect with new people – Gregariousness
- I spend most of my free time with large groups of people – Sociability
Now, we’ll see how important these traits are with relation to the Senior Leader Job Model:
- Ego Drive – high Ego Drive, namely gaining pleasure from persuading others and winning them over, is a crucial element of two key competencies in the model – Leadership Communication and Leading Change.
- Flexibility – while an important trait for any employee, flexibility is not explicitly represented in the key competencies of the Senior Leader Job Model. As such, other traits should be prioritized.
- Gregariousness – the ease and comfort of meeting new people is important for both Leadership Communication and Organizational Savvy, two important competencies in the Senior Leader Model.
- Sociability – while gregariousness relates to the comfort of meeting new people and initiating interactions, sociability is the enjoyment one derives from the presence of others. These two do not necessarily correlate. As for the Senior Leader Job Model, that trait is of lesser importance.
Behavioral Question #2
Suggested Answers
Based on the Senior Leader Job Model, the recommend answer is:
4 – Least, 1 – Most
Let’s look at the 4 statements and their related traits:
- I strongly defend my views – Aggressiveness.
- I think long and hard before acting – Cautiousness.
- I am not that good at understanding what people feel – Empathy.
- A quick reaction is usually a bad reaction – Urgency.
Now, we’ll see how important these traits are with relation to the Senior Leader Job Model:
- Aggressiveness – in spite of the menacing name, aggressiveness is a highly important personality trait for managers, and defines the ability to take a firm approach and push forcefully when acting. In the Senior Leader Job Model, that relates to competencies such as Leading Change and Decisiveness.
- Cautiousness – in lieu of the Job Model, cautiousness is probably best around the middle. That’s because moderate levels of caution are required in Deliberative Decision Making, but high levels of caution will prevent Decisiveness, which is rooted in one’s ability to make decisions without all the necessary information.
- Empathy – empathy is a highly important trait in general, and even more so in today’s work environment. Therefore, it’s recommended not to pick this trait as a “Least”. However, considering the other measured traits on this question, as well as the fact that Empathy it is not a major part of the Job Model’s competencies, it’s probably best to not choose this statement.
- Urgency – Urgency is the tendency to take quick action for immediate results. Combined with Aggressiveness from question 1 and a certain degree of cautiousness, this trait is important for the competency of Decisiveness and Deliberative Decision Making.
Get the Most Accurate Caliper Prep Course
JobTestPrep’s Caliper Test Preparation provides you with the best prep solution available on the market today.
What Do You Get?
3 Caliper Personality Practice Tests for Any Position:
- Management, Sales, Analysis, Data, Finance, General Staff & more.
- Job-specific Feedback
- Interactive Study Guides
Cognitive Practice
- 3 Number Series Simulations
- 2 Visual Analogies Simulations
- 2 Visual Matrices Simulations
- 2 Visual Series Simulations
- 36 Extra Practice Tests
Money-Back Guarantee Policy
Full Disclosure: We are affiliated with JobTestPrep. Clicking the links helps us provide you with high-quality, ad-free content.
Behavioral Question #3
Suggested Answers
Based on the Senior Leader Job Model, the recommend answer is:
2 – Least, 4 – Most
Let’s look at the 4 statements and their related traits:
- Traditions and rules should be followed – External Structure
- I often need help structuring my workday – Self-Structure
- It’s important to me that others challenge my views – Openness
- If I disagree with my manager, I will express it – Assertiveness
Now, we’ll see how important these traits are with relation to the Senior Leader Job Model:
- External Structure – a sense of respect for existing procedures and rules is necessary for anyone trying to manage complex organizations. However, too high of the External Structure trait may interfere with one’s own ability to drive change. Considering the importance of the Leading Change competency in the Job Model, it may be best for this statement to be neither a “Most” nor a “Least”.
- Self-Structure – Self-structure, on the other hand, is critical for someone at a high-level position, who is expected to be their own manager, and work at great levels of autonomy.
- Openness – The Openness trait is similar to Empathy from the previous question. Can’t afford to have it too low, but not a major trait in the Senior Leader Job Model.
- Assertiveness – the ability to directly and confidently communicate one’s ideas is crucial to successful management, and to many competencies in the Job Model, especially Leading Change and Leadership Communication. Candidates expressing both high Assertiveness AND high Aggressiveness are considered top management candidates.
Cognitive Question #1 – Number Sequence
Which number continues the pattern?
-2, 2, 11, 27, ?
- 35
- 43
- 53
- -27
Answer and Explanation
The correct answer is 3. – 53.
Looking at the sequence of differences
2 – (-2) = 4 = 22
11 – 2 = 9 = 32
27 – 11 = 16 = 42
? – 27 = 25 = 52
? = 53
Cognitive Question #2 – Shape Analogies
Answer and Explanation
The correct answer is 2.
The process of the analogous shape is as follows:
- Arrow 1 moves to 3rd place and rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise.
- Arrow 2 moves to 1st place and rotates 90 degrees clockwise.
- Arrow 3 moves to 2nd place and rotates 45 degrees counterclockwise.
Cognitive Question #3 – Next in Series
Answer and Explanation
The correct answer is 3.
With every step, two things happen:
- The arrow rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise (When the arrow is horizontal, it is hidden behind the rectangle).
- The black rectangle moves one step to the right.
Cognitive Question #4 – Matrices
Answer and Explanation
The correct answer is 1.
- Across the columns (left-to-right) – only the dots follow the construction pattern.
- Down the rows (top-to-bottom) – only the geometric shapes follow the construction pattern.
That means that the final answer should have one dot in the center (a construction of the dots in both cells to the left), and a rectangle with a cross in the middle (a construction of the shapes in both cells above).
The only answer that follows these rules is 1.
Special Features of the Caliper Test
The Caliper Profile assessment has 3 unique features you should be familiar with to maximize your understanding and readiness for the test:
- Forced Choice
- Evaluation based on Job Models
- Trait Combinations
Let’s go over them one by one.
Feature#1 – Forced Choice
Sections 1 and 2 of the Caliper test incorporate a method known as forced choice. This means that you cannot choose an “in-between” option and will often be forced to choose statements that may put you in a “negative” light.
Here’s a simple example:
As you can see, all 4 statements describe desirable traits for an employee. By choosing one of them as “Least”, and even by not choosing two of them at all, you necessarily “sacrifice” score points.
That means you need to have a perfect understanding of the key traits and competencies for YOUR job.
How is it done?
Using Caliper’s Job Models.
Feature #2 – Evaluation Based on Job Models
Your score in the Caliper Assessment applies ONLY with relation to a Job Model of the job you applied for. A Job Model is a collection of predetermined competencies that are key to success in specific job types.
Caliper has developed 56 Job Models, and the relevant competencies for each model tend to greatly vary even between variations of the same job.
Here’s an example for two Caliper Job Models to show you what this means:
Caliper Job Models Comparison
| Model | Senior Leader | Mid-Level Manager |
| Jobs | CEO, CFO, VP, General Manager | Department Manager, Operations Manager, Marketing Director |
| Competencies | - Leadership Maturity
- Leadership Communication
- Leading Change
- Strategic Talent Management
- Organizational Savvy
- Deliberate Decision Making
- Decisiveness
- Strategic Thinking
| - Leadership Communication
- Driving Results
- Team Building
- Coaching and Developing Others
- Delegating
- Fact-Based Management
- Process Management
|
So, these two management positions share only 3 common competencies!
Pro Tip
As part of your preparation for the Caliper assessment, read your Job Model carefully. We drill further down into Job Models in the Scoring section, including specific models for the most popular jobs assessed by Caliper (managers, analysts, sales, etc.).
Feature #3 – Trait Combinations
In the Caliper Profile Test, there is little to no meaning to any single trait. Combinations of traits are used to predict behaviors and competencies.
As such, the complexity of figuring out the best answers for questions is even more significant than in other personality profiling tests.
Source (Note: The document is outdated.)
Caliper Test Scoring
In this section, we will analyze and interpret the various sections of the Caliper score report, and dive deep into how the test is scored.
We’ll cover:
- Fit Score
- Job Models
- Competencies
- Behaviors
- Traits
The Fit Score
While the Caliper score report is full of insights on an employee’s personality, it will eventually provide the employer with a single Fit Score, scaled 1-99.
That Fit Score determines how well your profile is aligned with the relevant Job Model (see more about Job Models below):
- High fit (60-99)
- Moderate fit (40-59)
- Low fit (1-39)
Pro Tip
All numeric scales of the Caliper Profile test (Fit Score, Competencies, and Traits) follow the same division: High (60-99), Moderate (40-59) and Low (1-39).
Job Models
Job Models are the standard against which you will be compared. The Job Model itself will appear in the score report only by name, but your fit to the Job Model will determine your overall score and your chances to pass.
Here are examples of several common Job Models used in the Caliper Assessment, and the competencies they require:
Analyst
- Deliberative Decision Making
- Information Seeking
- Analytical Thinking
- Learning Agility
- Scientific Acumen
- Quality Focus
- Time Management
Mid-Level Manager
- Leadership Communication
- Driving Results
- Team Building
- Coaching and Developing Others
- Delegating
- Fact-Based Management
- Organizational Savvy
- Decisiveness
- Process Management
Operations Manager
- Leadership Maturity
- Leadership Communication
- Leading Change
- Organizational Savvy
- Decisiveness
- Deliberate Decision Making
- Process Management
- Strategic Thinking
- Strategic Talent Management
Project Manager
- Negotiating
- Communicating
- Organizational Savvy
- Information Seeking
- Quality Focus
- Process Management
- Planning and Priority Setting
Sales Manager
- Driving Results
- Coaching and Developing Others
- Negotiating
- Relationship Building
- Deliberate Decision Making
- Business Acumen
- Composure and Resilience
Senior Leader
- Leadership Maturity
- Leadership Communication
- Leading Change
- Strategic Talent Management
- Organizational Savvy
- Deliberative Decision Making
- Decisiveness
- Strategic Thinking
If your position is not on the list, you can probably find it in Caliper’s Competency Table.
Competency Scores
In the competency analysis section, the score report will go over the 7-9 competencies defined by the Job Model, providing each with a numeric score and a detailed breakdown of each competency.
Pro Tip
Your Caliper Fit Score is a weighted average of your competency scores.
Competencies are divided into 3 categories:
- Critical Competencies – Competencies that are directly related to the employee’s performance on the job and that the employee is expected to engage in frequently.
- Important Competencies – Competencies that have a secondary or vicarious relationship with job performance.
- Supporting Competencies – Competencies that support and amplify success in critical and important competencies.
Behaviors
The Caliper score report will detail the various behaviors one is expected to demonstrate in the workplace.
As with all elements, these behaviors will also be scored, and divided into two categories:
- Natural Behaviors – High-score behaviors (60-99) that represent the candidate’s biggest strengths and most natural behaviors.
- Behaviors to Investigate – Low-score behaviors (1-39) that represent the candidate’s biggest weaknesses and may pose a challenge in the workplace.
The behaviors analysis will be followed by recommendations for the employer:
- Interview questions to discuss the lower-score traits.
- Coaching recommendation for this candidate in case the employer decides to proceed with them.
Trait Scores
The final section of your scoring report will detail the candidate’s score in the 22 traits measured by the Caliper assessment. That trait graph is used as a holistic representation of the candidate, and is usually not used for selection per se.
Preparation
There is currently only one viable prep option for the Caliper Assessment – JobTestPrep’s Caliper Profile Prep Course.
Below we will give you all the reasons why this is the ONLY prep course you should choose. All screenshots are taken from the prpearation.
Full Disclosure: We are affiliated with JobTestPrep. Clicking the links helps us provide you with high-quality, ad-free content.
Tailored Personality Sections
JobTestPrep’s Caliper Prep Course puts special emphasis on the authenticity of the personality sections. The questions and scoring methods accurately follow those of the actual assessment.
Sections 1 and 2
Section 4
Personalized for Your Job
The Caliper Profile assessment compares your behavioral profile with that of the particular job you are after. JobTestPrep’s Prep Course provides you with a variety of job categories, so you become familiar with their specific requirements.
Extensive Cognitive Section Practice
While the 3 personality sections are the most important part of the Caliper Profile Test, you shouldn’t neglect preparing for the cognitive section. JobTestPrep offers the most comprehensive pool of practice questions based on those on the Caliper test.
