SHL OPQ32 Prep: The 32-Scale Occupational Personality Questionnaire Employers Pair with Verify G+
If you have an SHL Verify G+ cognitive test invitation, there is a roughly 60 percent chance an OPQ32 personality questionnaire is right behind it. SHL is the most common pre-employment testing platform at Fortune Global 500 employers, and the OPQ32 is their flagship personality instrument. It measures 32 occupational dimensions, which is more granular than any other mainstream personality test in hiring. Candidates typically underestimate the OPQ32 because the items look like normal Likert agreement statements. The surprise is the forced-choice format used in the newer OPQ32r version, which prevents the usual personality-test gaming. This guide covers every scale, both format variants, and the honest prep plan.
What the SHL OPQ32 actually measures
The Occupational Personality Questionnaire was developed by SHL in 1984 and has been revised multiple times. The current dominant version, the OPQ32r (released 2009), uses 104 forced-choice item blocks. Each block presents four statements, and you pick the one most like you and the one least like you. The older OPQ32i version (still in use at some employers) uses 230 Likert items. SHL publishes a newer OPQ32n variant for specific non-hiring contexts like development.
The OPQ32 measures 32 personality dimensions grouped into three domains: Relationships with People (scales like Persuasive, Controlling, Outspoken, Independent, Outgoing, Affiliative, Socially Confident, Modest, Democratic, Caring), Thinking Style (scales like Data Rational, Evaluative, Behavioural, Conventional, Conceptual, Innovative, Variety Seeking, Adaptable, Forward Thinking, Detail Conscious, Conscientious, Rule Following), and Feelings and Emotions (scales like Relaxed, Worrying, Tough Minded, Optimistic, Trusting, Emotionally Controlled, Vigorous, Competitive, Achieving, Decisive).
Completion time is 25 to 40 minutes depending on version. Older Likert versions were notorious for social-desirability bias. The newer forced-choice OPQ32r was specifically designed to neutralize faking by forcing candidates to choose between statements that are all socially desirable. SHL publishes research showing the forced-choice format holds up better under job-applicant conditions than traditional Likert formats.
The three OPQ32 domains and why each matters in hiring
Each of the 32 scales maps into one of three domains. Employers typically build a target profile by selecting 5 to 8 scales most relevant to the role.
Relationships with People (10 scales)
How you interact with colleagues, manage teams, and engage in social situations. Roles in sales, management, and client-facing functions lean heavily on scales like Persuasive, Outspoken, Socially Confident, and Outgoing. Support roles weigh Caring and Democratic higher.
Thinking Style (12 scales)
How you process information and approach problems. Analytical roles target Data Rational, Evaluative, and Detail Conscious. Strategy and R&D roles target Conceptual, Innovative, and Forward Thinking. Compliance and audit roles target Rule Following and Conscientious.
Feelings and Emotions (10 scales)
How you respond to pressure, competition, and emotional demands. Most roles call for moderate-to-high Relaxed, Emotionally Controlled, and Tough Minded. High-pressure roles also target Vigorous, Competitive, and Achieving. Low Worrying is desirable across almost every role.
Forced-choice format (OPQ32r)
You see four statements per block, pick one most like you, one least like you. The format is uncomfortable because all four statements usually sound positive. It is deliberate. Answer from your actual workplace behavior, not your aspirational self.
Consistency checks
SHL embeds consistency markers across the 104 blocks. Candidates who answer randomly or with obvious social desirability usually trigger a low-consistency flag. Most employers do not see a 'fake' score but they can see when consistency is suspicious.
How OPQ32 scoring works and the Sten scale
OPQ32 scores are reported on the Sten scale (Standard Ten), a 1 to 10 scale where 5.5 is the norm-group midpoint. Sten 1 to 3 is 'Low', 4 to 7 is 'Average', 8 to 10 is 'High'. A score of Sten 8 on Persuasive means you rate higher than roughly 90 percent of the professional norm group on that dimension.
SHL publishes separate norm groups for different populations: UK and Ireland Professional, US Professional, Global Management, and industry-specific norms. Your report reads differently depending on which norm group the employer uses. The employer selects the norm group based on who the role is targeting.
The hiring view is usually a 'Universal Competency Framework' (UCF) report, which translates your 32 scale scores into 8 competency predictions (Leading and Deciding, Supporting and Cooperating, Interacting and Presenting, Analyzing and Interpreting, Creating and Conceptualizing, Organizing and Executing, Adapting and Coping, Enterprising and Performing). Employers typically select 4 to 6 UCF competencies as role-critical and weight your report against those.
Who uses the SHL OPQ32?
OPQ32 is the default personality instrument at the majority of Fortune Global 500 employers, including Deloitte, PwC, JPMorgan, Barclays, Unilever, Shell, and most SHL-tier consulting and banking graduate programs. If you are in a UK, EU, or global assessment pipeline, OPQ32 is the most likely personality test you will face.
A four-day OPQ32 prep plan built on the forced-choice reality
Day 1: Read the 32 scale definitions
SHL publishes the OPQ32 scale definitions publicly on SHL.com. Read them. Forced-choice items make sense only if you understand which dimension each statement is targeting. Without that context, you are guessing.
Day 2: Identify your target competencies
Look at the job description and map it to the UCF 8 competencies. A graduate consulting role typically weights Analyzing, Leading and Deciding, and Interacting and Presenting. An engineering role weights Analyzing, Adapting and Coping, and Organizing and Executing. Know your target.
Day 3: Practice the forced-choice format
Forced-choice is uncomfortable. Four positive-sounding statements and you must rank them. Practice 20 to 30 blocks on a free OPQ-style simulator. The goal is speed and consistency. Overthinking each block produces contradictory answers across blocks.
Day 4: Sit for the real test in a focused window
OPQ32r takes 25 to 40 minutes. Take it in one sitting with no breaks. Items around 80 to 100 are where most candidates start rushing; stay at the same pace. Answer authentically, remembering that the forced-choice format neutralizes systematic faking.
Four OPQ32 mistakes that weaken your profile
Treating forced-choice like Likert
Candidates who habitually agree with positive statements struggle with forced-choice because agreement is not on the menu. Commit to ranking. Most like me and least like me are the only options.
Trying to target too many scales
Some candidates try to inflate Persuasive, Data Rational, Relaxed, and Innovative simultaneously. That produces a suspicious profile that reads as manufactured. You have 32 scales and the employer only cares about 5 to 8. Focus authentic answers on the dimensions that matter for the role.
Speed-reading blocks of four statements
Each block's four statements often have subtle differences that matter. 'I work best in teams' and 'I enjoy collaborating with others' are different scales. Read each block fully.
Answering to appear 'well-rounded'
A flat profile where every scale lands near the midpoint is one of the least-useful outputs. Employers prefer candidates with clear strengths (and clearly-identifiable weaknesses) over low-signal flat profiles. Let your real personality show.
Related reading
SHL OPQ32 FAQs
32 scales, forced-choice, and no way to game it.
Free OPQ32-style practice with forced-choice blocks, Sten-scale output, and UCF competency interpretation.
Start SHL OPQ32 Practice