Ace the Thomas PPA Test with the Only Accurate Practice

The Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis Test (PPA), also known as the Thomas Personality Test, is a personality profiling test used by employers to assess candidates' fit for a particular job. It usually follows the GIA Test, the other of the two Thomas International Tests.

The PPA Assessment test results come as a behavioural profile based on 24 self-assessment questions. While the test should be answered at around 10-15 minutes, it is officially untimed.

The scoring method for the Thomas PPA test is based on the DISC model. These four letters represent an acronym of the four fundamental personality traits used to produce your profile: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance.

One of the main challenges of the Thomas PPA assessment is that questions are forced-choice.

Let's see what this means and how to overcome this difficulty.

- Read more about the Thomas International PPA PrepPack or check out our Free Personality Test - 

All 24 questions of the Thomas PPA Test are constructed using four personality traits, as follows:

You need to select:

• 1 personality trait in the top row which most describes you
• 1 personality trait in the bottom row which least describes you.

Each word relates to a different one of the four key personality factors of the DISC model, and those you choose as ‘Most' and ‘Least' will determine your score on each of these factors.

The unique structure of the Thomas International PPA Assessment, and the way the test results are analysed, pose two challenges which separate the PPA Test from other personality tests.

1. You need to recognise which word relates to which factor.
2. And even more important – The answers you DO NOT choose are as important as those you do.

 This will all be explained below.

 Let's look at an example of a question that may appear on the Thomas International PPA Assessment:

As you can see, the PPA Test is a personality assessment that falls under the category of a forced-choice test. All options are positive, so you will have to ‘sacrifice' some traits – namely, choose traits in which you admit you are not as good.

On the PPA test, the art of selecting the right statements for Most and Least throughout the entire test, based on the specific job you want is what will get you the passing score.

Remember earlier in the page, when we said that the PPA test is a personality assessment in which answers you do not choose are as important as those you do? How about that there is no right or wrong answer for any single question, only for all 24 as a whole?

Here's why:

• The PPA test aims to assess not only your deliberate work persona, the version of you that you are interested in presenting to any potential employer. This is why after you are done ranking your responses for all 24 Thomas International PPA test questions

3 different profiles will be created for you:

The Thomas PPA Assessment is based on the psychological theory known as the DISC model. The name is derived from the 4 behavioural factors assessed:

• Dominance – the need to control. Forceful, competitive, courageous, and aggressive.
• Influence – the need to connect with others. Outgoing, friendly, and sociable.
• Steadiness – the need for stability and peace. Calm, collected, and unpressured.
• Compliance – the need for correctness, formality, and conformity. Orderly, respectful, rule-obedient, and traditional.

Based on your choices (and the choices you do not make) The PPA test will rank your personality profile on a scale of these 4 factors (or traits) and will compare that to the ideal candidate’s profile for the specific job you want.

Here are several ideal profiles, taken from our Thomas International PPA practice test:

There are 3 main benefits to the Thomas International PPA practice plan:

• Accuracy - a practice that simulates the actual test conditions for the best possible performance of the task ahead.
• A Holistic Approach - only by practising the PPA test as a whole can you eventually make your profile match the job you want and pass the assessment.
• Personalization - the ideal profile varies greatly between positions. Choose the job profile relevant for you out of 11 ideal professional profiles.

Now, let's go over these preparation benefits one by one and explain why each of them is crucial for passing the PPA test.

Research shows that the best way to improve performance in any task is to take on a challenge that is as close as possible to the real thing.

Apart from giving you the knowledge you need to pass the assessment, that process also alleviates stress and saves mental resources for the test day.

JobTestPrep's PPA test practice plan represents the actual assessment's structure, formatting, and content in the most accurate way possible:

Here are three reasons why only preparing with a full PPA personality test is going to get you the result you want:

The PPA Test Is More Complex Than You Think

• After you finish the PPA assessment, 3 different profiles are created for you, 2 of which are behind the scenes. Now you can learn them, too, and know exactly how your score is calculated on the real thing.

There Are No Correct Answers for Single Questions

• On the PPA test, any single question does not make sense as a standalone. Only by combining your responses to all 24 questions can you create a representative profile as is made on the real PPA test.

What You Do Not Choose Is as Important as What You Do Choose

• The Thomas PPA test calculates your score based not only on the choices you make but also on those you DO NOT make.

The answers you want to have on your PPA test greatly depend on the position you want. That is because the ideal profile for, say, a manager, greatly differs from that of a QA analyst, and both differ from that of an auditor.

The practice plan covers these 3 job profiles along with 8 additional profiles, to make sure you reach the personality profile suitable for the job YOU want.