The Big Five personality Test
The Big Five personality test is the most widely used, scientifically validated model for mapping personality traits. This model — also known as the Big Five personality traits or Big Five personality dimensions — describes five main domains that together provide a complete picture of a person’s behaviour, motivation, and communication style.
The Big Five personality dimensions in NEO TT
The Big Five personality model, as measured with the NEO TT, distinguishes five main domains, each with its own facets. This combination provides a complete and nuanced picture of personality.
Extraversion
Extraversion measures the extent to which someone opens up to contact with others and gains energy from social situations.
Facets:
-
Openness: enjoys meeting new people and feels comfortable in company
-
Sociable: feels at ease in groups and easily starts conversations
-
Leadership: takes initiative and engages others in plans or activities
-
Adaptability: handles new situations flexibly
-
Energetic: active and cheerful in daily life
-
Optimistic: maintains a positive outlook on life and the future
Emotionality
Emotionality provides insight into emotional stability and how someone deals with stressful situations.
Facets:
-
Anxious: easily feels insecure or tense in uncertain situations
-
Angry: tends to become irritated or upset quickly
-
Depressive: sensitive to feelings of sadness or low mood
-
Shy: feels uncomfortable in social situations
-
Impulsive: has difficulty controlling emotions
-
Stress-sensitive: easily affected by pressure or tension
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness describes how organised and goal-oriented someone is, and how strong their sense of responsibility is.
Facets:
-
Self-confident: trusts their own abilities when carrying out tasks
-
Orderly: enjoys structure and clarity, keeps things well organised
-
Dutiful: honours commitments and takes tasks seriously
-
Achievement-oriented: driven to reach goals
-
Disciplined: sticks to plans and follows rules
-
Deliberate: makes thoughtful decisions and avoids acting hastily
Agreeableness
Agreeableness reflects the extent to which someone is trusting and compassionate towards others.
Facets:
-
Trust: believes in the good intentions of others
-
Morality: values honesty and fairness
-
Altruism: willing to help others, even without expecting anything in return
-
Conflict-avoidant: prevents or quickly resolves disagreements and tension
-
Modesty: does not seek the spotlight
-
Empathetic: easily understands and relates to others’ feelings and situations
Openness to Experience
Openness to Experience reflects how receptive someone is to new impressions, creativity, and intellectual challenges.
Facets:
-
Imagination: imaginative and enjoys daydreaming
-
Artistic interest: appreciates art and culture
-
Emotional depth: open to emotions, both in themselves and in others
-
Curiosity: eager to gain new knowledge and experiences
-
Intellect: enjoys thinking about complex topics
-
Openness to alternative ideas (liberalism): thinks beyond conventional frameworks and embraces innovation
Together, these domains and facets form the foundation of the NEO TT personality test, giving organisations and individuals clear insight into personal strengths and development areas. This comprehensive profile makes the test widely applicable for selection, coaching, and personal growth.
What is the difference between NEO TT and Hexaco TT?
The NEO TT is a standard Big Five personality test, while the HEXACO TT builds on this model by adding a sixth dimension: Honesty-Humility. This additional dimension includes facets such as sincerity, fairness, modesty, and humility — particularly relevant for roles where ethics, reliability, and integrity are key.
Both the NEO TT and HEXACO TT help employers gain deep insight into the personality of employees and candidates, contributing to successful collaboration and a fair working environment.
Measurement method & norm group
TalentTester’s Big Five personality tests use an IPIP-based measurement method. The results are compared with a Belgian norm group, allowing you to see exactly how someone scores in relation to the general population. This approach provides detailed insights into strengths and development areas, enabling targeted guidance.
Are Big Five tests evidence-based?
Yes, IPIP-based Big Five personality assessments are evidence-based. Scientific research shows high reliability and strong correlations with other validated instruments. They predict job performance effectively and work best when combined with other selection tools such as cognitive or skills tests.
Moreover, IPIP is a transparent, publicly available, and well-documented item platform that is widely used in psychological research. This makes the results reliable, verifiable, and suitable for professional use.
Application in selection and recruitment
Can you use Big Five tests in selection processes?
Yes, provided they are applied correctly. Combine the Big Five personality test with other measurement methods such as cognitive tests, skills assessments, and structured interviews to build a complete picture of a candidate.
When integrity is essential, the HEXACO TT adds value with its honesty-humility dimension — ideal for roles where reliability is key. These combinations increase objectivity and reduce the risk of selection bias.
Reporting at TalentTester
TalentTester reports display facet charts and percentiles for each personality domain, showing which traits within the Big Five score relatively high or low. It’s important to interpret the results in the context of the role: a low score is not automatically negative. The desired characteristics vary depending on the position.
Prefer the four-colour personality test?
Would you like to gain more insight into your behaviour and communication style? Then the PACS test is a great option for you.
With the PACS four-colour test, your key characteristics are linked to the colours power/red, accuracy/blue, communication/yellow, and stability/green.
Through three core graphs, your overall behaviour, stress level, and self-image are mapped out.
Contact me
Would you like to discover your own profile or use these tests for your company? Contact me through our contact form.