How the Thomas HPTI works
You see 78 statements about how you work, one at a time, and rate how far you agree with each on a 7-point scale. Each statement relates to one of six traits. The HPTI was developed by Ian MacRae and Adrian Furnham in 2006 and is based on the Big Five model of personality.
Every trait describes a range, not a target. High Conscientiousness looks dependable and diligent, lower is more spontaneous. High Adjustment stays calm under pressure, lower feels stress more keenly. High Curiosity likes novelty, lower prefers tried and tested methods. High Risk Approach tackles difficult situations and conversations head on, lower decides more by instinct. High Ambiguity Acceptance thrives on complexity, lower likes clear-cut answers. High Competitiveness wants power and recognition, lower prefers cooperation.
Employers use it in hiring and in development. FactSet, for example, uses it to find employees with leadership potential and to plan succession.
How to answer the HPTI
There is no answer to work out, so aim for a profile that sounds like you:
- Answer spontaneously and honestly, without overthinking each statement, as Thomas advises.
- Use the full scale. Rating everything 4 gives a flat profile, and rating everything 6 or 7 looks like trying to impress.
- Read each statement to the end. Some are worded so that agreeing puts you lower on a trait.
- Answer for how you are at work, not how the role sounds.
Tips for the real HPTI
- Find ten quiet minutes and finish in one sitting.
- Do not try to max out a trait. Each one describes a range of working styles, and the right level depends on the role.
- Be ready to give examples at interview that match how you described yourself.
- If you are also sent the PPA or the GIA, treat each on its own terms: the HPTI has no right answers, the GIA does.
Practise the HPTI on CogniPrep
Our HPTI practice uses the real length and scale: 78 statements of our own, rated 1 to 7, one at a time, with no clock and no going back. Roughly a third are worded the other way round. At the end you see which of the six traits came out highest and lowest, what each means at work, and a note if you stayed close to the middle of the scale. There is no overall score, and you do not get Thomas’s narrative report.