Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire

The MPQ™ can be used: as a primary measure for applications in which assessment of normal-range personality traits is useful to explore and clarify basic dimensions of personality for a preemployment screening for public safety positions

Learn more about the MPQ Police Preemployment Interpretive Report.

How to Use This Test

The MPQ has been used in research for decades. The research findings support use of the test in settings where the assessment of normal personality traits may be beneficial, including:

• Therapeutic treatment planning
• Counseling services
• Career planning and development
• Preemployment screening

Benefits

The MPQ offers unique perspectives on normal-range personality traits and may help psychologists, clinicians, or counselors:

• Explore and clarify a test taker’s basic dimensions of personality
• Gain a detailed and comprehensive assessment of normal personality 
• Provide vocational guidance and information on best-suited occupations 
• Perform job/interview screening for personality fit within the workplace 
• Complement information available from psychopathology-focused measures

Key Features

• Nationally representative norms. Designed to match 2020 U.S. census projections for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and education, the MPQ normative sample includes 1,000 individuals ages 18 and older from diverse communities throughout the United States.
• Updated scales. The MPQ includes 256 items used to score 3 Validity, 3 Higher-Order, and 11 Primary Trait scales. These scales have a long history of research use and have been updated for applied assessments.
• Quick administration. Only 25–35 minutes to administer by computer and 35–45 minutes to administer by paper and pencil.
• Comprehensive manual. The Manual for Administration, Scoring, and Interpretation provides a detailed description of the history and development of the MPQ, information on the new normative sample, case illustrations, and standard procedures for administering, scoring, and interpretation.

MPQ Free Trial

Now's your chance to try out the new MPQ for free! Qualified professionals can receive one free MPQ Score Report on Q-global®️. Sign up today!

• MPQ Score Report
• MPQ Manual for Administration, Scoring, and Interpretation First Two Chapters

The following resources are available for the MPQ

Flyers

• Brochure
• Reference List

Blogs

• Expert Q&A: Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ)

The MPQ Score Report and Police Preemployment Interpretive Report provide raw and T scores for all 17 empirically validated scales.

Score Report

This report provides scores for all 17 scales of the test and includes a summary page to facilitate standard MPQ interpretation along with optional comparison groups and customizable item-level information.

The Score Report includes the following sections:

• 3 Validity scales
• 3 Higher-Order (H-O) scales
• 11 Primary Trait scales
• 3 Comparison Groups (optional)
• Item-Level Information (customizable)
• Item Responses (customizable)

Sample Score Reports

• Sample Score Report
• Sample Score Report with University Comparison Group

Police Preemployment Interpretive Report

Authors: David M. Corey, Martin Sellbom, & Yossef S. Ben-Porath

Developed with MPQ normative and comparison group data and providing either a preoffer or postoffer option, this report is designed to inform evaluation of a prospective police officer’s job-relevant psychological traits and competencies. The report provides empirically grounded and conceptually informed interpretations to assist assessors when making police officer suitability decisions. The User's Guide for the Police Preemployment Interpretive Report provides background on the development of the report, standard procedures for interpretation, and case illustrations.

Features of the Police Preemployment Interpretive Report

• Focuses on identifying both positive and negative attributes, as indicated by the test taker’s scores
• Evidence-based interpretive report with fully transparent citations linking all statements with their interpretive sources
• Offers two separate comparison groups with unique features:
  • Preoffer police applicants (298 individuals who completed the MPQ as part of a preoffer suitability assessment)
  • Postoffer police candidates (938 individuals who completed the MPQ as part of a postoffer preemployment psychological evaluation)
• Identifies correlates associated with 10 job-relevant domains:
  • Emotional Control and Stress Tolerance
  • Routine Task Performance
  • Decision-Making and Judgment
  • Feedback Acceptance
  • Assertiveness
  • Social Competence and Teamwork
  • Integrity
  • Conscientiousness and Dependability
  • Substance Use
  • Impulse Control

Interpretive statements rely on the appropriate comparison group for base rate information and on other police samples for validity evidence that is cited in the report.

This report includes full scoring information (see Score Report) and an integrated interpretation of scores specifically for police applicants or candidates, organized in the following sections:

• Synopsis: summary of major conclusions
• Protocol Validity: comprehensive information about test validity with guidance on implications of overly positive self-presentation
• General Personality and Comparison Group Findings: description of positive and negative attribute statements based on empirical correlates, along with substantive scale findings in the context of the police preoffer and police postoffer comparison groups
• Job-Relevant Correlates: positive and/or negative attributes and potential problems in 10 job domains identified as relevant to police applicant or candidate suitability
• Item-Level Information: list of unscorable responses, optional user-designated item-level information, and critical follow-up items for police preemployment evaluations
• Endnotes: identification of scores and sources associated with each interpretive statement
• Research Reference List: sources supporting empirical correlate-based statements (updated as additional studies are published)

Sample Police Preemployment Interpretive Reports

• Sample Preoffer Police Preemployment Interpretive Report (PPIR)
• Sample Postoffer Police Preemployment Interpretive Report (PPIR)

Scoring and Reporting Options

Q-global web-based administration, scoring, and reporting: Assess and organize examinee information, generate scores, and produce accurate comprehensive reports all via the web.

Mail-in scoring service: Administer assessments on specially designed answer sheets and mail to Pearson for scoring. Scores are processed within 24–48 hours of receipt, and results are returned via regular mail.