It says I am 'Post-Materialist Explorer' - whatever that means.

Perhaps I should be aboard the USS Enterprise, boldly going........

In reply to David:

Snap, David. Reading the description, i'd say that it is really pretty accurate for me :)

Materialist innovator - but then I ran the test with varying answers to get a sense of its design. To me the descriptors are pretty close to platitudes which can apply to many different people (a bit like horoscopes). Mildly amusing.

Got through the 1st section. Couldn't work out how to do the 2nd bit. Its a bit like a horoscope. Anyway if David's description was anything to go by I wasn't going to understand the personality trait anyway.

The link does not explain the basis on which this 'quiz' has been developed. Anyone using psychometrics in selection needs to be confident of their validity and reliability or they could be open to challenge at tribunal on grounds of discrimination.

If you want a credible assessment of values (and it's free) this one developed by Martin Seligman would be the better alternative: www.viacharacter.org/.../

It is worth reading up on the academic literature in both psychological and neurological circles regarding this kind of test. They are, to a large extent, pseudoscience and I wouldn't generally recommend their use in workplaces. However, when you have a nail to hit and no hammer available, sometimes a half-brick will do the job. What these tests - pretty much all of them - are good at is opening a discussion about a person's performance, aspirations, training needs and future development.

Used in that context to help guide a constructive, one-to-one conversation they have their place. Be cautious of applying them strategically.

BTW: also a post-materialist explorer. Maybe it's something about people in HR? Or maybe it's just rubbish.

In reply to Robey:

I started singing 'Material Girl' after discovering I'm a materialist guardian. Perhaps they're a good icebreaker? I won't be taking this into my next performance review.