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SD STRONGLY DISAGREE	D DISAGREE	N NEUTRAL	A AGREE	SA STRONGLY AGREE	SD	D	N	A	SA
I take charge.
I inquire about others' well-being.
I do things according to a plan.
I get stressed out easily.
I am full of ideas.
I don't talk a lot.
I know how to comfort others.
I set high standards for myself and others.
I get angry easily.
I don't probe deeply into a subject.
I talk to a lot of different people at parties.
I take time out for others.
I continue until everything is perfect.
I panic easily.
I carry the conversation to a higher level.
25 more questions to go to find out if you've got what it takes...					SD	D	N	A	SA
I bottle up my feelings.
I am on good terms with nearly everyone.
I find it difficult to get down to work.
I feel threatened easily.
I catch on to things quickly.
I feel at ease with people.
I have a good word for everyone.
I make plans and stick to them.
I get overwhelmed by emotions.
I can handle a lot of information.
I am a very private person.
I show my gratitude.
My word is my bond.
I take offence easily.
I like exploring new concepts and ideas.
Only 10 more questions to go to find out if you've got what it takes...					SD	D	N	A	SA
I wait for others to lead the way.
I think of others first.
I love order and regularity.
I get caught up in my problems.
I love to be challenged intellectually.
I am skilled in handling social situations.
I enjoy helping others.
I turn my plans into actions.
I grumble about things.
I love to think up new ways of doing things.

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Your Report Have you got what it takes to work for MI5?

The observations made in this test report are the personal opinions of the staff of testsonthenet.com and are based on their visits to the website of MI5 - The Security Service. The Big Five Factors Generally psychologists agree that, at the broadest level, personality can be described in terms of five main factors.  These factors give a broad global description of an individual. Collectively they are known as 'The Big Five'. The Big Five In other words.. ... Openness to Experience Describes an individual's pro-active seeking and appreciation of experience for its own sake. Do you like to experience new and varied activities or do you prefer routine and familiarity? Conscientiousness Describes how organised, motivated and thorough an individual is in life and in pursuing goals. Are you industrious, thorough and well organised?   Extraversion Extraversion describes how energetic and enthusiastic a person is - especially when dealing with people. Are you an outgoing, socially active extravert or do you prefer working and being alone? Agreeableness Describes a person's attitudes towards other people. Do you show compassion or are you tough and guarded? Natural Reactions Measures the different ways people have of reacting emotionally to pressure and stressful circumstances. Are your reactions overly emotional?  Do you tend to be apprehensive and anxious - or - are you cool, calm and collected? These five, relatively independent dimensions, provide a model that can be used to accurately study, describe and understand people. Some people believe that using the Big 5 as a model for describing personality is an over-simplification.  Before coming to such a conclusion consider this.... "there are only three primary colours and yet they allow us to produce every single colour, tone and hue in the world".   This report does not pretend to be 100% accurate - all personality test measurements contain some error.  We would also like to stress that this test is a very short version of a much more comprehensive test instrument.  How do you find out what your scores mean? Identify the 'Range' in which your score falls.  Read the Big Five description that relates to your score range.  This describes how you are likely to behave, react and think and how other people are likely to perceive you.  Compare your score against the scores of thousands of other people.  You will be able to see what percentage of the population score in the same range as yourself and what percentage score higher or lower. This bit is optional... we recommend that you share your report with other people who know you well.  Ask them if they think that is an accurate description of your personality.  This will help you establish the accuracy of your report.

Your Scores for The Big Five

High and low score descriptions are usually accurate. However, if any of your scores fall close to either the low or high boundaries, the description may be less accurate.  People who score in the middle range will be a differing mixture of both the high and low descriptions - but less extreme.  Words such as 'reasonably' and 'moderately' have to be used.

(If your scores do not show it is because you didn't click the Submit button above!)

Your score for Openness to Experience: Do you like to experience new and varied activities or do you prefer routine and familiarity? In our opinion MI5 are looking for people who score 23 and above.  (However, there may be some exceptions.) 23 >

Got what it takes to work for MI5? MI5 appear to be looking for scores in the high ranges for this area with, perhaps, some possible exceptions. Based on visiting the website career pages of MI5 - The Security Service - we believe that they place a relatively high degree of importance on the Big Five Factor of 'Openness'.  On at least 9 occasions they mention personality traits and behaviours that are associated with this area as selection criteria.  Openness is related to lateral thinking... the ability to think 'outside the box'.  It seems to make sense to make this a selection criteria.  Especially important for people who are going to be involved in security strategy and operations where they have to second guess the 'enemy'.  Perhaps less important for people who have other more repetitive and structured responsibilities and job roles. Indeed, in certain circumstances, too much 'Openness to Experience', could be a handicap and a potential cause of intellectual frustration. Identifying whether or not you've 'got what it takes' seems to be very dependent on the specific job role.
Description of Openness to Experience -
Very Low Range > 2	Low Range 3 > 10	Middle Range 11 > 22	High Range 23 > 30	Very High Range 31 >
Likes routine and prefers to be conventional.  Works well where procedures are established and followed.  Traditionalist, down-to-earth and conventional.		Practical but willing to consider new ways of doing things.  Seeks a balance between the old and the new.	Creative, imaginative, open-minded and experimental.  Curious and receptive to new ideas.  Adaptable, flexible and questioning.  Likes to work in a changing environment that provides intellectual stimulation.

Your score for Conscientiousness: Are you industrious, thorough and well organised?   We believe that MI5 are very definitely looking for people who score 23 and above. 23 >

Got what it takes to work for MI5? All the evidence indicates that a high score for Conscientiousness is critical. The career pages of MI5 indicate that strengths in this area have the highest degree of importance as a selection criteria.  On at least 24 occasions they mention personality traits and behaviours that are associated with the Big Five Factor of Conscientiousness.   Perhaps this is not too surprising.  Research studies involving almost 30,000 test results and performance criteria clearly establish that this personality factor impacts on all work activities - on all competencies - at all levels.  So if you score in the high ranges for this area, it looks as though you may have 'what it takes'.  If you are not scoring too well in this area we suggest that you "don't give up the day job" and carry on using your normal brief case!  You might also want to consider canceling that special version of the BMW Z8!
Description of Conscientiousness -
Very Low Range > 2	Low Range 3 > 10	Middle Range 11 > 22	High Range 23 > 30	Very High Range 31 >
Easygoing, laidback and not inclined to make plans or schedules.  May be inefficient and unreliable unless working in a well-structured and supervised environment.		Reasonably dependable and organised.	Industrious, disciplined and reliable.  Hard working and organised.  Pro-active. Analytical.  Strives to achieve objectives.  Resilient and decisive.  Patient.  Persevering, persistent and able to cope with frustration.  Self-sufficient but can be a good team player.  Works well in an environment where quality of work and achievement striving are valued.  (Very high scorers may be perceived by some people as being workaholics or obsessive.)

Your score for Extraversion: Are you an outgoing, socially active extravert or do you prefer working and being alone? Based on the information we have, we are not quite sure what MI5 are looking for in this area.  As an HR Professional what do you think? ?

Got what it takes to work for MI5? Very high scores for this area could be a problem as far as MI5 are concerned.   Personality traits and behaviours related to Extraversion get at least 7 mentions on the MI5 website career pages.  Most of these mentions relate to personal relationships internally with colleagues and team members.  Perhaps it is not so surprising that - apparently - this is one of the less important selection criteria.  After all, people who 'stand out from the crowd' by their very extraverted behaviour may be unsuitable for many security job roles.  Would Jonathan Ross, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson or Ruby Wax make the grade?  Come to think of it, Ruby wouldn't qualify on other grounds.  Not sure whether she would qualify to work under-cover for the CIA either! So, if you are scoring in the high ranges, you may be more suited to a career other than one in MI5.  Why not HR? Or Show Business!
Description of Extraversion -
Very Low Range > 2	Low Range 3 > 10	Middle Range 11 > 22	High Range 23 > 30	Very High Range 31 >
Tends to be formal, serious and reserved.  Quiet rather than lively.  Comfortable with own company.  Works well independently.  May be perceived as a 'bit of a loner'.		Enjoys the company of others but also values privacy.  Reasonably enthusiastic, lively and active.	Outgoing, gregarious, cheerful and assertive.  Actively seeks excitement.  Talkative.  Likes to take charge and to be a centre of attraction.   Likes to working in a busy environment with other people.   Very high scorers may be overly dependent on other people for approval.

Your score for Agreeableness: Do you show compassion or are you tough and guarded? Pussy Cat or Hard-nose?  What are MI5 are looking for?  We are not certain.  What do you think? ?

Got what it takes to work for MI5? MI5 do not appear to be looking for 'nice guys'. Behaviours relating to a high level of Agreeableness appear to be the least mentioned on the MI5 career pages.  As with Extraversion, when it is mentioned, it appears to be related to internal personal relationships and being a team-player.   If you look at the descriptions that apply to people who score high for Agreeableness, perhaps it is not so surprising that this is the less frequently mentioned selection criteria.  Indeed, for many job roles - both in and out of MI5 - lower scores for Agreeableness may be very desirable.  Sceptical and critical thinking can frequently contribute to an accurate analysis of situations. High range scorer?  Perhaps the Security Service isn't for you.
Description of Agreeableness
Very Low Range > 2	Low Range 3 > 10	Middle Range 11 > 22	High Range 23 > 30	Very High Range 31 >
Independent, sceptical, self-reliant, critical and competitive.  Emotionally tough, unsympathetic and hard-headed.  This can be an asset in many life and work situations... but may sometimes be the cause of  personal relationship problems.		Reasonably warm, trusting and sympathetic.	Compassionate, frank, good-natured and eager to co-operate.  Tends to avoid conflict.  People who score in the high ranges are likely to be modest - maybe even humble.  Prefers a supportive, harmonious and trusting environment.

Natural Reactions: Are your reactions overly emotional?  Do you tend to be apprehensive and anxious - or - are you cool, calm and collected? In our opinion MI5 are definitely looking for people who score 10 and below. > 10

Got what it takes to work for MI5? All the evidence suggests that LOW scores for this area are rather important to MI5. Some Big Five tests call this Factor 'Neuroticism' or 'Emotional Stability'.  However, in our opinion, these terms are not particularly user friendly and are probably inappropriate for conventional HR use.  That's why we prefer the term Natural Reactions.   After Conscientiousness, personality traits and behaviours associated with low scores for Natural Reactions were the next most mentioned on the career pages of MI5... at least 18 'mentions'.  Placing an emphasis on, and carefully assessing, this combination of factors is recognised as a sound selection strategy.  This decision is supported by a great deal of research and practical experience.   A recent publication* by Murray R. Barrick and Michael K. Mount reports on validation studies involving tens of thousands of people and concludes that... 'Hiring applicants who are more conscientious and emotionally stable will result in employees who are pre-disposed to exert greater effort at work, who persist at work for a longer period of time, are able to more effectively cope with stress, and are more committed to work.  In addition these employees are likely to be more responsible and helpful to others at work, are more likely to remain on the job, and are less likely to engage in counter productive behaviours at work.  Hiring such people will lead to increased individual productivity which in turn will lead to increased organisational effectiveness.' *Chapter 2 - 'The Blackwell Handbook of Principles of Organisational Behaviour' published by Blackwell Publishing. Low scores for Natural Reactions plus high scores for Conscientiousness appear to be the winning personality combination for MI5.   How does this choice relate to your organisation's productivity and effectiveness? We can help you find out because the test instruments we use to measure Conscientiousness and Natural Reactions are acknowledged to be the most accurate in the world - please contact us for more info.
Description of Natural Reactions
Very Low Range > 2	Low Range 3 > 10	Middle Range 11 > 22	High Range 23 > 30	Very High Range 31 >
Less emotionally reactive even when under pressure. Resilient, calm and able to deal with stressful and stressful situations. Rarely experiences negative emotions.   Works well under pressure.		Reasonably calm and capable of handling stress.  However sometimes gets up-tight and reacts emotionally.   In common with approximately 38% of the adult population, people who fall in this range occasionally feel sad, anxious, guilty, angry or inadequate.	Rather overly sensitive. Responds emotionally to events that would not affect most people. Reactions are intense and strong.  Experiences feelings of guilt, anxiety, anger, sadness or inadequacy more frequently than most people.
End of report