SHL OPQ32 Personality Test: Format, Traits and Preparation
If your SHL invitation includes "OPQ" or "Occupational Personality Questionnaire", you will spend 15 to 25 minutes picking statements that sound like you from small groups of statements that all sound reasonable. It is not a test you pass or fail in the usual sense, but it matters: employers use it to shortlist, to compare candidates with the role, and to choose questions for the interview.
This guide explains what the OPQ32r is, how the forced-choice format works, all 32 characteristics as SHL publishes them, how results feed into the Universal Competency Framework, and how to prepare without trying to game it.
What Is the OPQ32?
The OPQ was first published in 1984 by Saville and Holdsworth Ltd, the company that later became SHL. It is now one of SHL's flagship products. SHL describes the OPQ as giving organisations an understanding of how aspects of a person's behavioural style will affect their performance at work, and lists selection for graduate, professional and management positions as a key use, alongside onboarding, leadership development and team building.
There have been several versions:
- OPQ32n, a normative version where you rate each statement on a scale;
- OPQ32i, an ipsative forced-choice version with 104 blocks of four statements, where you pick the most and least like you;
- OPQ32r, the current version, which SHL calls the latest and most comprehensive and which has a mobile-first design.
According to SHL's OPQ fact sheet, the OPQ32r has 104 questions, is untimed, takes 15 to 25 minutes on average, is completed in one sitting, is designed for unproctored use and uses a forced-choice question format. If you want to see where the OPQ sits next to SHL's ability tests, our SHL test explained guide gives the overview.
How the Forced-Choice Format Works
Each question shows a small block of statements about how you behave at work. According to SHL's 2009 research paper, the OPQ32r uses 104 blocks of three statements (312 statements in total): you pick the one most like you, then the one least like you from the remaining two. The same paper describes how it moved from the four-statement blocks of the OPQ32i to a much reduced number of forced-choice items scored with item response theory (IRT).
Two features make this format different from a normal questionnaire:
All statements tend to be desirable. You might have to choose between "I enjoy persuading people", "I plan my work carefully" and "I stay calm under pressure". You cannot just pick the "good" one; you have to prioritise.
IRT scoring recovers your real levels. Older forced-choice questionnaires produced purely relative scores. SHL's research paper says the IRT-scored OPQ32r recovers scores that are superior to the old ipsative scores and comparable to normative scores, while keeping the faking resistance of forced choice.
The result: trying to appear strong on everything simply does not work, because every choice costs you on another scale.
The 32 Characteristics
SHL groups the 32 characteristics into three domains and eight dimensions. The list below is as published in SHL's OPQ fact sheet.
Relationships with People
- Influence: Persuasive, Controlling, Outspoken, Independent Minded
- Sociability: Outgoing, Affiliative, Socially Confident
- Empathy: Modest, Democratic, Caring
Thinking Style
- Analysis: Data Rational, Evaluative, Behavioural
- Creativity and Change: Conventional, Conceptual, Innovative, Variety Seeking, Adaptable
- Structure: Forward Thinking, Detail Conscious, Conscientious, Rule Following
Feelings and Emotions
- Emotions: Relaxed, Worrying, Tough-minded, Optimistic, Trusting, Emotionally Controlled
- Dynamism: Vigorous, Competitive, Achieving, Decisive
A few are easily misread. "Behavioural" means interest in why people behave as they do, not "well-behaved". "Controlling" means comfortable taking charge and directing others, which is often desirable in management roles. "Worrying" relates to nervousness before important events. None of the characteristics is good or bad in itself; what matters is the fit with the role.
The Universal Competency Framework
Employers rarely read 32 separate scores. SHL's OPQ Universal Competency Report translates OPQ32 results into potential on 20 job competencies from the SHL Universal Competency Framework (UCF), grouped into eight areas:
- Leading and Deciding
- Supporting and Co-operating
- Interacting and Presenting
- Analysing and Interpreting
- Creating and Conceptualising
- Organising and Executing
- Adapting and Coping
- Enterprising and Performing
The report is designed for line managers, and SHL also offers a UCF interview guide with suggested questions. That is why the OPQ can shape your interview: if your profile suggests lower potential on "Coping with Pressure and Setbacks", expect to be asked about a difficult period at work. Our competency-based interview questions guide shows how to prepare evidence for each area.
Worked Examples of the Item Format
We do not reproduce real OPQ items. The first four examples below are our own blocks in the OPQ style; they have no right answer, and the explanation says which kinds of characteristic they touch on. Because the OPQ is often combined with a situational judgement test in SHL invitations, questions 5 to 7 are SJT-style items where one answer is clearly best.
Practice question 1
Choose the statement most like you and the one least like you.
A. I enjoy taking the lead in group discussions. B. I check details carefully before submitting work. C. I like to try new ways of doing things.
What it measures: No right answer. A relates to Controlling and Outspoken, B to Detail Conscious, C to Innovative. Your choices across many blocks build a picture of which of these you prioritise.
Practice question 2
Choose most and least like you.
A. I stay relaxed before important meetings. B. I like to win. C. I take people's feelings into account when making decisions.
What it measures: No right answer. Relaxed (Emotions), Competitive (Dynamism) and Caring (Empathy). Pick based on how you behave at work, not on what you think the employer wants; the next 100 blocks will test the same characteristics in different combinations.
Practice question 3
Choose most and least like you.
A. I prefer to plan well ahead. B. I like variety in my work. C. I base my decisions on facts and figures.
What it measures: No right answer. Forward Thinking, Variety Seeking and Data Rational. If two statements feel equally true, imagine a busy week at work and ask which you would actually do first.
Practice question 4
Choose most and least like you.
A. I like to follow rules and procedures. B. I make decisions quickly. C. I enjoy meeting new people.
What it measures: No right answer. Rule Following, Decisive, Outgoing. A useful check: your answer should be the same whether you think about your last job or your current studies. If it changes, choose the one that applies in a work-like setting.
Practice question 5
A customer phones, angry that a delivery is late. You were not involved in the order. What is the best response?
A. Explain that you were not responsible and give them the number of the team that was. B. Apologise for the inconvenience, find out what has happened and tell the customer when they will hear back. C. Promise that the delivery will arrive tomorrow to calm them down. D. Suggest they email instead, so there is a record.
Answer: B. It takes ownership without blame, gets the facts and sets a clear follow-up. A passes the problem on, C makes a promise you cannot guarantee, and D adds work for the customer.
Practice question 6
You notice a colleague has made an error in a report due to the client in one hour. The colleague is in a meeting. What is the best action?
A. Send the report as it is; it is their report. B. Correct the error silently and send it. C. Message the colleague about the error, and if you cannot reach them in time, tell your manager so a decision can be made before the deadline. D. Tell the client the report will be late.
Answer: C. It flags the problem to the owner first and escalates in time if needed. B may be well meant but bypasses the owner, A knowingly sends an error, and D is premature.
Practice question 7
Your manager gives you a new task when you are already at full capacity on two deadlines. What should you do?
A. Accept it and work late every night. B. Refuse because you are too busy. C. Explain your current priorities and deadlines, and ask which should take priority or whether a deadline can move. D. Accept it and quietly let one of the other deadlines slip.
Answer: C. It is honest, gives your manager the information to decide, and protects the quality of all three tasks. Our situational judgement test guide has more items and the logic behind them.
How Results Are Used
The OPQ32r produces a profile across the 32 characteristics, usually as standard scores compared with a norm group. From there, employers use different reports: SHL lists reports for HR professionals, line managers and candidates, for recruitment, development and team building.
In selection, the most common uses are:
- A fit score or competency profile compared with what the role requires, sometimes combined with ability test results;
- Interview planning, where low-fit areas become probing questions;
- Development, once you are hired, using the same data.
There is no pass mark set by SHL. Each employer decides how much weight the OPQ carries. Some candidates receive a short candidate report; others hear only the outcome.
Common Mistakes
Trying to be the perfect candidate. Forced choice makes this mathematically impossible: choosing "most like me" for leadership in one block means not choosing it for detail in another.
Answering about your ideal self. The OPQ asks how you behave, not how you would like to behave.
Overthinking. It is untimed, but spending minutes on each block leads to second-guessing and inconsistency. A steady, honest pace works best.
Changing context. Pick one frame (yourself at work or in work-like settings) and stay with it.
Forgetting the interview. Your profile may be discussed. Know your likely strengths and the areas you will need to explain.
How to Prepare Honestly
- Read the 32 characteristics above and mark the five that describe you best and the five that describe you least. This makes the blocks feel familiar and speeds up your choices.
- Do one practice forced-choice questionnaire so the format holds no surprises.
- Prepare STAR examples for the competencies in the job advert, especially where you suspect your profile is less typical for the role. See our STAR method interview questions guide.
- Practise the other SHL tests in your invitation. The OPQ is usually one of several assessments; our SHL practice tests cover the reasoning tests that often accompany it, including the SHL Verify G+.
- Choose your moment. Complete it in one sitting, rested, in a quiet place, on a device you are comfortable with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SHL OPQ32?
The Occupational Personality Questionnaire is SHL's workplace personality questionnaire. The current version, the OPQ32r, measures 32 personality characteristics relevant to work and is widely used in graduate, professional and management selection.
How long does the OPQ32r take?
SHL's fact sheet lists 104 questions, no time limit and an average testing time of 15 to 25 minutes, in one sitting.
Can you fail the SHL personality test?
There is no pass mark, but employers compare your profile with the competencies the role needs and may use it to shortlist or to plan interview questions. Honest, consistent answers give the most useful result.
Can you fake the OPQ32r?
It is hard. The forced-choice format makes you choose between statements that all sound positive, and SHL scores it with item response theory. Faking tends to produce a profile that does not match your interview.
What is the Universal Competency Framework?
It is SHL's model of work behaviour. The OPQ Universal Competency Report translates OPQ32 results into potential on 20 competencies grouped into eight areas, such as Leading and Deciding, and Analysing and Interpreting.
About the author
Ingmar van Maurik is a specialist in test and interview preparation who helps candidates perform better in recruitment processes.
References
SHL, OPQ product fact sheet: https://service.shl.com/docs/OPQ%20Product%20Fact%20Sheet%20(1).pdf SHL, OPQ Universal Competency Report fact sheet: https://service.shl.com/docs/OPQ_Universal_Competency_Report_Fact_Sheet.pdf Brown and Bartram, The Occupational Personality Questionnaire Revolution (SHL white paper, 2009): https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/document/3179616 Wikipedia, Occupational Personality Questionnaires: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_Personality_Questionnaires