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Birkman Assessment Test Online Preparation & Tips – 2024

Aptitude Tests Preparation

What Is Birkman International?

Birkman International was founded by organizational psychologist Richard Birkman in 1951. Dr. Birkman developed the “Birkman Method” as a tool in evaluating what drives a person’s behavior. The Birkman method uses non-judgmental, positive wording in its approach to determining behavior and drivers. Originally developed to help in pilot selection in the 1940s the Birkman Method has become a reliable tool in employee assessment testing. Birkman International applies its testing methods to team building, stress management, conflict resolution, executive coaching, and leadership development.

 

What Is Birkman Personality Assessment?

Among its personality assessments and customized corporate workshops, Birkman International offers pre-employment assessment test kits, tailored to each company. These assessments were developed to help identify the individual motivations of each applicant. Pre-employment testing helps identify if the applicant’s interests and motivations are in-line with the position, identify individuals who are a good match for the corporate culture, and encourage diversity in the hiring process. Using personality testing as part of the hiring process leads to a lower turnover rate and a healthier work environment.

The Birkman personality assessment identifies job candidates’ interests, behaviors, how they respond under stress and Organizational Orientation, which in the context of the Birkman method means how you organize your personal and professional life. The Birkman Personality Assessment consists of 298 questions. 250 are “true” or “false”, 48 are multiple-choice. It takes around 30 minutes to complete on average. There are 40 styles of test reports available, and the way they are ranked depends on the company the test was tailored for. Results are usually provided to the test-taker as a form of self-evaluation. The Birkman test is broken into 3 sections:

  • True or false questions about yourself
  • True or false questions about most people
  • A multiple-choice questionnaire about your motivations, expectations, stress behavior, and the way you work with people

Your results on the Birkman assessment test are mapped according to where you fall on their scale of behaviors. Results are divided into a chart with 4 quadrants. Right and left show where you fall in being task or people-oriented.  Top and bottom show if you work best with direct communication, or if you do better working on your own. Birkman goes further in-depth by using colors to represent different aspects of your personality. Finally, there are symbols that indicate further aspects of your personality.

 

The colors on the chart each have a different focus and represent different characteristics.

  • Red – Indicates a decisive personality that is hands-on and action-oriented, who is good at crisis management.
  • Blue – Indicates creativity and openness to innovation, with an ability to think more broadly.
  • Green – Shows flexibility and people orientedness.
  • Yellow – Shows how task-oriented a person is, indicates a person who is good at creating processes and working with numbers.

 

The symbols on the results chart represent more characteristics

  • Star – Indicates where the test takers interest lies.
  • Diamond – Shows their usual behavior.
  • Square – Indicates individual needs, and how they behave under stress.

 

Companies That the Birkman Personality Test

These are some of the many companies that use Birkman’s assessments:

Salesforce Chevron Pfizer VCU
Chesapeake Duracell Adecco Fox
Emory University Comccast Costco PFK
BlueCross BlueShield Goodwill Walmart Noble
Waste Management (WM) MailChimp Google

 

How to Prepare for Birkman’s Personality Test?

The Birkman method is unique in its level of detail, but that is no reason to be intimidated by this test. It is not timed, so you will be able to provide thoughtful answers that give an accurate picture of your personality. When taking personality tests, it is difficult to study, but you can be prepared for the expectations of the company giving the test and give a truly accurate picture of yourself.

  • Study the company so you know their expectations but be honest about your behaviors on the test.
  • While taking the test make sure you are in “work mode”. Most people have a professional persona and those responses may vary from how you would behave in your private life.
  • Go with your gut. If you feel torn on a response, trust your instincts, and pick the one that feels the most natural to you.

Richard Birkman spent years perfecting his test, and research shows that it is a reliable predictor of job performance and satisfaction. The best way to take the test is to stay calm. This is not a pass or fail test, and by taking it you may get some insight into the behaviors that drive you.

 

Example Questions

Practicing for Birkman Assessments is the key to scoring higher and increasing your chances of getting your desired job. Our team developed example questions so you can experience test questions of similar topics. The following questions are based on the Big Five personality test theory.

 

Click here to download our free personality PDF test.

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