How the PAPI test works
PAPI describes how you prefer to work. Talogy groups it into seven factors: impact and drive, organisation and structure, ideas and change, interaction, work momentum, composure, and engagement. These are split into 26 need and role scales.
In PAPI-N, the normative form, you see one statement at a time and rate how far you agree on a 1 to 7 scale. Normative means your scores are compared with other people’s.
In PAPI-I, the ipsative form, statements come in sets of three and you choose the one most like you and the one least like you. You cannot agree with everything, so the result shows which of your preferences win when they compete.
Employers use the report for interviews and feedback. Talogy’s reports cover motivators and demotivators, potential strengths, development areas and the interview questions to ask, so expect to be asked about your profile.
How to answer PAPI
There is nothing to solve, but a few habits give a profile that is accurate and holds up at interview:
- Think about how you behave at work, not at home or with friends. Talogy’s guidance is to focus on your work preferences.
- Answer as you are now, not as the job advert suggests you should be. The interview will test the profile against real examples.
- In PAPI-N, use the whole 1 to 7 scale. If every answer is a 6 or 7, the profile says very little about you.
- In PAPI-I, choose quickly. When all three statements fit, pick the one you would act on first when time is short.
- Stay consistent. Several statements feed each scale, and a profile that contradicts itself is hard for an employer to read.
Worked examples
A PAPI-I style set: “I like to plan my week in detail”, “I enjoy persuading others to my view” and “I prefer to juggle several tasks at once”. Say you are a strong planner, sometimes persuasive, and dislike juggling. You mark the first as most like you and the third as least like you. The middle statement gets neither mark this time; similar statements will come up against others later.
A PAPI-N style statement: “I set myself demanding targets.” If you do this most of the time but not always, a 5 or 6 on the 7-point scale is more honest than a 7.
Tips for the real PAPI questionnaire
- Set aside 30 to 40 quiet minutes. It is untimed, but rushing makes answers less consistent.
- Check which form you have. Rating statements and choosing between them need different approaches.
- Before your interview, think of a work example for each of your strongest and weakest preferences.
- Do not try to be the ideal candidate. In PAPI-I, picking the most desirable option every time is impossible by design.
- If you need an adjustment, ask the person who invited you before you start.
Practise PAPI on CogniPrep
We have both forms as separate games. PAPI-N practice gives you 40 statements, two for each of 20 work-style dimensions, rated from 1 to 5, with half worded in reverse. PAPI-I practice gives you 40 pairs, and you click the statement more like you. Both are untimed, have no Back button and end with a profile, not a score. The real questionnaire is longer, PAPI-N uses a 1 to 7 scale and PAPI-I uses sets of three, so use ours to get used to the style of statement and to deciding quickly.