How to Pass the PAPI 3 Personality Test (2024 Study Guide + Practice Questions)
Knowing that you’ll have to take a personality test as part of the hiring process for a job can be intimidating.
However, the point isn’t to pry into every aspect of who you are as a person. Instead, employers want to know that the people they could potentially be hiring match the qualities they look for in an employee.
Most personality tests ask fairly broad questions, so while someone looking at your results will have a general idea about your personality, they won’t know everything about you. After all, that’s what the actual interview is for.
The Personality and Preference Inventory 3 is one of many personality inventories that employers use to help screen candidates for employment and many other settings.
In this article, you’ll learn the different parts of the PAPI 3 and how to best prepare for it.
Table of Contents
What Is the PAPI 3?
The Personality and Preference Inventory is a test that looks at both your personality and working style. The test was created by Cubiks, which is a company that produces different types of assessments to be used during the hiring process. Companies hiring will use this test to see how well you would fit in with their organization.
Because the test assesses various parts of a person’s personality and is used by several different industries, there are multiple formats to it. For example, two of the most common industries that use the PAPI 3 are leadership and sales. The questions on these versions of the test will be tailored specifically to those personality traits that would benefit those industries rather than asking about characteristics that could apply to any field.
On the test, there are several different primary areas that the PAPI 3 assesses that have individual traits that fall underneath them:
- Engagement – work focus and need to be upwardly supported
- Impact & Drive – influence, achievement, need to be noticed, and leadership
- Organization & Structure – finishing a task, rules/guidance, attention to detail, planning, and organization
- Interaction – relating closely to individual, social harmonizer, need to belong to groups
- Work Momentum – work tempo, direct attitude, ease in decision-making
- Composure – emotional restraint, optimism, and core composure
Each of these categories is looked at when it comes to being a potential employee for a company. If you notice, each trait directly relates to a part of a job description. Therefore, scoring well on this test is essential to let your potential employer know that you match exactly what they’re looking for.
The questions on the PAPI 3 could be structured in various ways but will most likely look similar to other standardized tests you’ve taken. Familiarizing yourself with multiple choice and Likert-scale-based questions is recommended.
You can learn more about and prepare for the PAPI 3 test at Job Test Prep by clicking on the button given below.
How Can I Study?
Studying for a personality test isn’t like studying for another standardized test that you may have taken before. A great way to think about personality tests is to compare them to things you already know. Everyone’s familiar with the popular online quizzes that pop up on your social media feed that tell you what type of animal you’d be based on your favorite food or what destination wedding would suit you based on your favorite color.
While these aren’t legitimate personality tests, they follow the basic premise of using your personal preferences to determine something about you or an outcome. Another example is concepts you may have learned about in a college psychology class. In Psych 101, one of the first things you know about is the aspects of an individual’s personality and what they mean.
For example, if a person is headstrong and determined, they would most likely do well in a leadership position or an environment where they get to voice their opinions, which is also tested on Kolbe Personality Test, for example. Principles of introductory psychology like this play a significant role in how personality tests are interpreted and created. Therefore, when studying for them, you have to take this into account.
However, one of the best ways to prepare for the PAPI 3 is to work through the Job Test PrepPack. The Pack comes from a timed, full-length personality practice that you can work through, a study guide, profession-specific study guides, and motivation/culture fit prep guides.
Each of these study guides provides unique insight into the strategy behind answering personality assessment questions. It also comes with a guide that helps you interpret your results from the practice tests and sample questions. This is extremely helpful, as you will understand what an employer will glean from your results once they receive them.
In addition, a “Single Trait Practice” test is included. Unique to this PrepPack, these practice tests are customized to each trait found on the PAPI 3 test. Rather than taking the general test repeatedly to practice individual characteristics, you can practice each one at your own pace. This is an excellent opportunity if you’re struggling with one trait and don’t have a lot of time to study either.
If you would like to try out what the PrepPack practice tests might be like before you commit to purchasing them, there is a free assessment available. This practice test includes 23 free sample questions, an answer guide, and an analysis of your results. The final analysis is a similar but shorter version of what will be available to you when you purchase the genuine Prep Pack.
Additionally, Job Test Prep offers a free personality theory guide. This helps you understand the concepts behind the questions on a personality assessment and the standard models for personality tests. It is recommended that you take advantage of this valuable tool, as it can significantly help you to understand the “why” behind the test you’re taking.
Coming up with unique ways to study will ultimately help you more than randomly trying to explore the traits. As you work through each learning about each personality trait, try to think like an employer. What characteristics would you want to have in an employee?
Studying the job description is another good way to learn what factors will most appeal to the company you’re applying for. Pick out keywords and look through the specific trait study guides to find potential questions that could be on the test.
What Other Study Tips for Personality Tests?
Job Test Prep also offers a more general practice Prep Pack for personality tests preparation. This could be helpful for those looking to have additional practice outside of the PAPI 3 Prep Pack. The goal of the practice tests included is to become familiar with the types of question styles on a personality test. Examples include:
- True/False
- Likert Scale (1=least likely, 2=somewhat likely, 3=very likely, 4=extremely likely)
- A statement followed by Least/Most
- Agree/Disagree/Neither
You will also receive a “Personality Inventory Profile” to help you learn about how your results will look. Because this is a general overview of what any of the hundreds of personality tests available can look like, it may be how your results are structured for the PAPI 3.
However, it is still beneficial to take due to its in-depth review of the scores. One of the most important things you can do before taking a personality assessment is understanding how an employer could interpret your results. This way, you can learn about yourself and how others may perceive you based on these results.
It also helps you understand how to appropriately answer the question if a result did not turn out how you had hoped. For example, if you answered the questions in a way that makes you look incredibly indecisive, this could potentially hinder your chances of gaining employment.
By knowing how your scores look, you will be able to explain how while this skill may be a weakness, it allows you to have room to listen to other’s opinions to be able to make an informed decision.
How Will This Be Used During an Interview?
When you’re interviewing for a position, your potential employer may want to discuss your results or ask you questions about similar information you saw on the test. Like with anything you may be requested when talking to a potential employer, confidence is the key to acing an interview.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and the experience you have are directly related to the job description for the position you’re applying for. Before you go into your interview, learn as much as you can about the company, starting with its mission statement.
A company’s mission statement is what will guide its policies and procedures, and daily operations within the organization. Talking about specific parts of the mission statement that aligns with your personal values will impress any interviewer, so be sure to have a few points ready to talk about.
Overall, the PAPI 3 personality assessment by Cubiks, is something that could affect whether you are hired at a job or not. While this can be intimidating as you begin to study, using the Job Test Prep Pack will undoubtedly help you ace the PAPI 3 personality test! We wish you the best of luck!
Recommended Prep Guides-
- How to Pass the Caliper Personality Assessment?
- Thomas International PPA Test – Ultimate Success Guide
- Hogan Personality Tests – Everything You Need to Know
- How to Prepare for Gallup Personality Test?
- (MMPI) Assessment: Full Prep Guide
- What is the Birkman Test for? Everything You Need to Know
- How to pass the HEXACO Personality Inventory Test?
Bailee, MSW, is a freelance writer and editor. She specializes in career, social work, tech, B2B, marketing, and medical, health, and wellness content. She has experience as a job coach, DEI consultant for companies, community-project manager, and clinical researcher. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgetown College in 2018, and studied neurolinguistics and developmental psychology at the University of Oxford. She earned her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Kentucky in 2021. Her scientific research has been presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Associated Disorders.
