Integrity test (honesty test)
See what integrity tests actually measure, how the two main kinds differ, and how a result is read - including an honest account of their use in hiring.
An integrity test, or honesty test, is designed to estimate how likely someone is to behave honestly and dependably - especially at work, where these tests are most often used to predict theft and counterproductive behaviour. There are two broad families: overt integrity tests, which ask directly about attitudes toward and admissions of dishonest conduct, and personality-based tests, which infer integrity from broad personality traits. Underneath both sits a real, well-studied trait: the honest, fair, modest side of personality the HEXACO model calls Honesty-Humility.
The model
What it measures
Integrity tests aim to measure one thing: the disposition to act honestly, fairly and dependably rather than to deceive, exploit or take what is not yours. Overt tests get at this directly, asking about beliefs about dishonesty and about past behaviour. Personality-based tests get at it indirectly, scoring broad traits - conscientiousness, agreeableness and especially honesty - that predict the same outcomes without asking about specific acts.
The aspects below are conceptual facets of integrity as a trait - sincerity, fairness, dependability and a low pull toward exploitation - not separately scored subscales. In personality terms, the HEXACO Honesty-Humility factor captures this territory directly, which is why it predicts integrity, lower Dark-Triad tendencies and less exploitative behaviour over and above the classic Big Five.
- INTIntegrity / Honesty-Humility
The disposition to act honestly, fairly and dependably - sincerity, fairness and a low pull toward exploitation - the trait basis that integrity tests target.
Facets: Sincerity, Fairness, Dependability, Low exploitativeness.
The evidence
Science and validity
Integrity tests are among the better-validated tools in personnel selection. The landmark meta-analysis by Ones, Viswesvaran and Schmidt (1993), drawing on hundreds of studies and over half a million cases, found meaningful operational validity (around .4) for predicting job performance and counterproductive behaviour, and overt and personality-based tests converge enough that they are treated as measuring a common integrity construct. In personality research the same trait is captured cleanly by HEXACO Honesty-Humility, which has solid internal consistency and predicts integrity-relevant outcomes beyond the Big Five.
On Psychology.me you rate statements on an agree-disagree scale and your honesty-related trait is summarised as a score read against a comparison group. Two honest caveats matter. First, employment integrity tests are commercial screening instruments with their own publisher norms, decision rules and legal context (for example, the US polygraph law that exempts written honesty tests); they are not reproduced here and this page is not a hiring tool. Second, because these tests can be transparent, applicants may try to present themselves favourably, and there is a long-running professional debate about fairness, faking and adverse impact in selection use - so a self-understanding read of the underlying trait is a very different thing from a hiring decision.
Where you stand
How a score becomes a percentile
A raw score only means something against a comparison group. For example, on the HEXACO Honesty-Humility 1-5 metric a score of 4.0 sits near the 80th percentile against published English-speaking adult data - higher than roughly four in five adults on the honest, fair, non-exploitative side of personality. Drag the slider to see how a score maps to a percentile. Note that this reads the underlying personality trait, not a hiring decision: commercial integrity-screening tests use their own publisher norms and decision rules.
The reference data
Benchmarked against the population that fits you
We benchmark your result against the population that actually resembles you, across 18 reference groups.
Each reference group is used as its own benchmark, not to rank one country against another.
How it works
What the questions feel like
Illustrative statements showing the style of the items. These are examples, not the official scored items.
I would feel uncomfortable accepting a reward I had not really earned.
Illustrative honesty-trait example in the style of a personality-based measure, not an official scored item.
Cutting corners to get ahead is something I would not do, even if no one would know.
Illustrative example, not an official scored item.
People can rely on me to keep my word.
Illustrative example, not an official scored item.
It is fine to bend the rules a little if it gets you what you want.
Illustrative reverse-worded example, not an official scored item.
Honest strengths and limitations
Strengths
- A well-validated area of selection psychology: integrity tests show meaningful validity for predicting counterproductive behaviour and job performance.
- The underlying trait maps cleanly onto HEXACO Honesty-Humility, which the classic Big Five misses, giving a clear self-understanding read.
- Useful for reflection on honesty, fairness and dependability without the high-stakes context of a hiring decision.
Limitations
- Employment integrity testing is contested: because some tests are transparent, applicants may present themselves favourably, and there is ongoing debate about faking, fairness and adverse impact in selection use.
- This page describes the trait and the test families for understanding; it is not a hiring or selection tool, and a self-reflection score is not a verdict on a person's character.
- Commercial overt and personality-based tests have their own publisher norms, decision rules and legal context that are not reproduced here, so percentiles shown for the trait basis are a guide, not a screening result.
See your full profile
A complete report, matched to the population that fits you, with plain-language interpretation of every trait.
Frequently asked questions
What does an integrity test measure?
It estimates how likely someone is to behave honestly and dependably, especially at work. Overt integrity tests ask directly about attitudes toward and admissions of dishonest conduct; personality-based tests infer the same disposition from broad traits. Both target a common integrity construct that, in personality terms, lines up with the HEXACO Honesty-Humility factor.
What is the difference between overt and personality-based integrity tests?
Overt tests (such as the Reid Report and Stanton Survey) ask directly about beliefs about dishonesty and about past behaviour. Personality-based, or covert, tests (such as the PDI Employment Inventory) do not ask about specific acts; they score broad traits like conscientiousness and honesty that predict the same outcomes. The two kinds converge enough that they are treated as measuring a common construct.
Are integrity tests used in hiring fair and accurate?
They are among the better-validated selection tools, but their use is genuinely debated. Because some are transparent, applicants may try to look good, and there are real discussions about faking, fairness and adverse impact. They are best seen as one piece of evidence used carefully and lawfully, not a definitive judgement of character.
Does Psychology.me offer an integrity test for hiring?
No. This page is for education and self-understanding, not employment screening. The consumer-facing route is the HEXACO Honesty-Humility profile, which describes the same honest, fair, non-exploitative trait for personal insight. The free Snapshot gives you a quick read on it alongside other traits.
Related tests
- Kankaraš, M. (2017). Personality matters: Relevance and assessment of personality characteristics. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 157, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- Ones, D. S., Viswesvaran, C., & Schmidt, F. L. (1993). Comprehensive meta-analysis of integrity test validities: Findings and implications for personnel selection and theories of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(4), 679-703.
- Lee, K., & Ashton, M. C. (2004). Psychometric properties of the HEXACO Personality Inventory. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39(2), 329-358.
The Reid Report, Stanton Survey and PDI Employment Inventory are commercial integrity-screening products of their respective owners; HEXACO is the work of Kibeom Lee and Michael Ashton. This independent informational page describes the integrity-testing field and the underlying trait, and reproduces no protected item content.