The DISC Personality test has become a regular tool for many successful companies. But as the availability of new personality tests emerges, how do we know which one is the best for pre-employee screening? Depending on the roles employers need, the DISC test cannot always be the only choice.
Companies can refine their hiring decisions by being up-to-date on the strengths each of them provides. From cultural fit to client-facing skills, some tests provide specialized insights. What are these alternatives to the DISC test, and how do we compare?
Let us explore the top DISC alternatives and how they can improve the pre-employment hiring decisions.
Why choose the DISC Test Alternatives?
The four main types of the DISC Test are dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. These make DISC one of the best tests for selecting people for team-oriented roles. Despite this, problems arise when the DISC tests do not test significant skills like cognitive, stress tolerance, or emotional intelligence, which are vital for some important roles.
The following are the reasons for which companies might look beyond DISC:
1. Wider Personality Insights
Some roles require assessments that need specialized skills beyond DISC’s assessments.
2. Job Specific Insights
Some other tests might provide data suitable for those job-specific requirements.
3. Unbiased Team Dynamics
Other tests ensure skills like cordiality or creativity, ensuring well-balanced teams.
Top DISC Alternatives for Hiring
| Personality Test | Focus | Best for |
| Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) | Thoroughly analyzed personality tests | Leadership and decision-making roles |
| Big Five Personality Test | Five-factor structure of personalities | Requiring particular traits like tolerance or stability |
| Predictive Index (PI) | Looks into workplace behaviours and motivation | High energy or rapid roles |
| Caliper Profile | Tests personality and cognitive abilities | Jobs that require problem-solving skills |
| Hogan Assessments | Looks into job fit, personality, and cultural values | Cultural fit and leadership roles. |
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
MBTI is one of the most recognized personality tests. It divides personalities into 16 types, providing the best insights into how candidates think and interact. Unlike the DISC personality test, MBTI offers more explained insights suitable for complex roles.
| Ideal for | Strengths | Limitations |
| Leadership and creative roles | Focuses on decision-making skills and collaboration style | It might require some experience in understanding the time-consuming results |
Thus, we can understand that MBTI’s focus on cognitive processes makes it a stronger choice than DISC in roles that require emotional intelligence and analytical thinking.
Big Five Personality Test
They are also known as OCEAN, with big fice traits like Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and neuroticism. The Big Five personality test focuses on emotional empathy, which helps predict how a worker will respond to strenuous environments.
| Ideal for | Strengths | Limitations |
| Management, customer service, and analytical positions | Measures stability, creativity, and flexibility | Not suited for quick and high-volume hiring |
Thus, the Big Five Personality test might be useful for roles that require knowing a candidate’s resilience, as it provides detailed insights into human feelings.
Predictive Index (PI)
Unlike DISC, the Predictive Index (PI) assessment focuses primarily on a candidate’s behavior and performance potential. It also examines cognitive abilities, workplace motivations, and behaviors. Therefore, managers can quickly assess a candidate’s performance in high-stress environments.
| Ideal for | Strengths | Limitations |
| High-energy roles, like sales and marketing | Gives details of workplace motivations and resilience | No in-depth personality insights are provided. |
PI is an excellent tool for hiring candidates who thrive in suitable, motivated, fast-paced environments.
Caliper Profile
The Caliper Profile tests evaluate candidates in a way that offers a balanced view of their strengths. Unlike the DISC test, it provides crucial skills needed in technical roles, such as problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
| Ideal for | Strengths | Limitations |
| Technical and management positions | Measures problem-solving ability and decision-making skills | It might be more complex and complicated than others. |
Caliper Profile tests are the key where cognitive abilities are critical, just as other personality traits.
Hogan Assessments
Hogan assessments focus on your workplace fit with a measure of personality, values, and leadership possibilities. Used for high-stakes hiring, Hogan can predict behaviors such as high stress, conflict, and authority.
| Ideal for | Strengths | Limitations |
| Cultural values and leadership roles | Focuses on values, ethics, and leadership style | Needs specialized training to examine properly |
Hogan assessments are suitable for building long-lasting, successful teams, as their prime focus is on matching candidates with the company culture.
When to choose DISC over Others
There might be some roles where a company needs deeper insights. These are the reasons and times companies might need to choose other alternatives over the DISC personality test.
1. Challenging, Analytical Roles:
In this case, the BIg FIve or Caliper Profile Assessments can provide a better overview.
2. Leadership and Decision-making Roles:
MBTI and Hogan Assessments will be better for providing the best data on cognitive skills and leadership potential.
3. Hiring Driven by Company Ethics
Hogan assessments will be best for companies that require candidates to match their cultural values and ethical alignment in the workplace.
Tips for Choosing the correct Personality test
Although it entirely depends on your hiring goals and which test to choose, look at the following advice.
1. Match the Test Type to the Job’s needs:
Detailed tests like Hogan are for leadership roles, while the DISC personality test is for customer service.
2. Merge the Tests whenever possible.
When the stakes are high for your required role, combining some of them will produce better results.
3. Train Managers on Analysis of the tests
Proper interpretation of various tests prevents misuse and bias in hiring decisions.
Conclusion
The DISC personality test is quick and straightforward and focuses vastly on workplace behavior. However, some jobs require complex skill assessments, even if the test is valuable. After all this, we understand that DISC works best in customer-based and team-focused environments.
However, if your company requires deep measures of customer-facing decision-making roles, always consider the DISC Personality test. Picking the correct test will enhance your hiring accuracy. Moreover, it will move you one step closer to building a cohesive, successful team.
FAQs
Can DISC and Big Five tests be merged?
Yes, using both gives a complete view of personality and behavior.
Are personality tests legal in pre-employment screening?
Yes, but companies should use them ethically and without bias.
How accurate are DISC personality tests?
DISC is reliable for workplace behavior but doesn’t capture cognitive skills.
