Peer Review

The Big Five Personality Test

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Reviewed:: Jan 6, 2018 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The Big Five Personality Test is a brief online assessment tool that gives users an opportunity to explore their levels of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The assessment is thorough, user-friendly, and free to the public. On submitting the assessment, users receive their results and learn about the Big 5.

The Big Five Personality Assessment is a great online resource for faculty and students. It includes reference materials relating to the Big Five Personality Model and can easily be incorporated in a wide variety of psychology courses.

NOTE: This assessment is one element in outofservice.com, a collection of online personality tests previously reviewed by the MERLOT Psychology Editorial Board.

Type of Material:

Quiz/Test & Website

Recommended Uses:

The Big Five Personality Test provides a quick but highly effective assessment relative to a specific personality theory widely known in the field of psychology. The tool can be completed individually by students (as homework or as an online activity) with follow-up class discussion covering topics such as personality frameworks, personality measurement, assessment, online surveying, and validity.

Technical Requirements:

This inventory is compatible with all Internet browsers. Participants can print out their results if desired. There is no fee or prior assessment to participate in the test.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Students will acquire an understanding of the Big Five Factor Model, including what the five traits are and how they are assessed. Students will receive their personal scores on the Big Five traits, allowing them to self-reflect and connect this material to their own lives.

Target Student Population:

Use of this instrument would be beneficial to undergraduate students in psychology, sociology, or other humanities and social science courses. Furthermore, students in introductory personality courses might consider this especially useful for self-discovery. Because this is a self-generated activity, students in most disciplines might find this exercise to be interesting and applicable.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

There are no apparent prerequisites to using this tool. Users need to be able to understand the questions and reflect internally to respond to the questions. Openness to self-discovery is recommended.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: This online assessment tool is a strong self-report measure of the Big 5. It provides links to additional supporting documents, such as an FAQ page, as well as additional websites for further reading by the user, if desired.
Concerns:: The results section could have a bit more elaboration regarding the interpretation of the scores. Instructors should be prepared to augment this information.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: • This online tool provides an easy means for instructors to assign an independent self-assessment on the Big 5. • It can be used in a number of different courses in the field of psychology. • While useful as a supplemental site that students can review independently, the tool also would be quite useful to demonstrate during an in-class lecture or to embed in a discussion about online surveying/assessment, test validity, participant ethics and consent, and a number of other related topics, as well as the central focus of Big 5 Personality topics.
Concerns:: • More information about the traits and the significance of scores/results would be beneficial. Instructors will want to embed the assessment in a larger lecture or activity that explains the Big 5 framework and provides an opportunity for students to discuss how they can apply the material (e.g., implications for interactions with others, job and career-related implications, etc.).

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: • The assessment is very easy to use. Students unfamiliar with personality psychology should be able to complete the test successfully. Item prompts are straightforward and easy to understand and answer. Results are easy to interpret. • The assessment is straightforward to navigate.
Concerns:: • The aesthetics of the test could be improved (e.g., color contrast, spacing between questions).

Other Issues and Comments:: This assessment could be used in counseling or clinical courses where assessment and interpretations of self-report appraisals are central to diagnostic skills development. It also could be very beneficial in industrial/organizational psychology courses where the Big 5 figures prominently as well.
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