SHL OPQ32 Occupational Personality Questionnaire — 76 Practice Triads
Workplace Behaviour
Questionnaire
76 forced-choice triads that reveal your natural professional strengths across 9 workplace competencies.
The OPQ32 (Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32) is a psychometric assessment developed by SHL Group. It evaluates 32 dimensions of workplace personality across 9 core competencies, giving organisations a detailed picture of how a candidate is likely to think, work, and behave on the job.
Unlike cognitive ability tests, the OPQ32 has no right or wrong answers. It uses a forced-choice triad format — each screen presents three workplace behaviour statements and asks you to select the one most like you and the one least like you. The middle statement is implicitly rated as neutral. This design reduces social-desirability bias and produces a more accurate and authentic personality profile.
The OPQ32 is widely used in graduate, professional, and civil service recruitment across the UK, Europe, and internationally. Practising with realistic questionnaires like this one helps you understand the format, identify your natural strengths, and approach the real assessment with confidence.
Every triad in this practice questionnaire maps to one of the following workplace competency dimensions. Understanding each dimension helps you reflect more accurately on your own behaviour.
Teamwork
Working collaboratively, supporting colleagues, and contributing to an inclusive and high-performing team culture.
Leadership
Guiding, motivating, and developing others to achieve shared organisational objectives and long-term goals.
Adaptability
Remaining effective during change, handling uncertainty calmly, and adjusting your approach when conditions shift.
Results Orientation
Setting clear goals, driving performance, and consistently delivering on commitments and deadlines with accuracy.
Problem Solving & Creativity
Generating innovative solutions, thinking analytically, and improving processes through creative and evidence-based thinking.
Organisation & Planning
Structuring work efficiently, managing competing priorities, and coordinating resources to meet objectives on time.
Professionalism & Integrity
Upholding ethical standards, acting with transparency and accountability, and maintaining professional conduct under pressure.
Customer / Citizen Orientation
Focusing on service quality, understanding stakeholder needs, and continuously improving the experience of those you serve.
Knowledge Management
Continuously learning, sharing expertise with colleagues, and contributing to the collective knowledge of the organisation.
The forced-choice format is the defining feature of the OPQ32. Rather than rating statements on a scale, you must make a relative choice — which behaviour is most like you, and which is least like you. Here is what to expect:
Three statements per screen
Each triad shows three descriptions of workplace behaviours. All three may feel like you — or none of them. You must still choose one most and one least.
Select Most and Least
Click the M column to mark the statement most like you, and the L column to mark the statement least like you. You cannot select the same statement for both.
Answer instinctively
Your first reaction is usually the most accurate. Overthinking tends to produce inconsistencies that are detectable in scoring. Trust your gut and move at a steady pace.
There are no wrong answers
The OPQ32 is not a test of knowledge or ability. It maps your natural tendencies. Trying to answer strategically almost always produces a less coherent — and weaker — profile than honest responses.
What is the OPQ32?
The OPQ32 (Occupational Personality Questionnaire 32) is a psychometric assessment developed by SHL Group. It measures 32 dimensions of workplace personality organised into 9 core competencies, giving organisations a detailed picture of how a candidate is likely to think, work, and behave on the job.
How many questions does the OPQ32 have?
The full OPQ32 presents around 104 forced-choice triads. This practice version contains 76 triads covering all 9 core competency dimensions. Each triad shows three workplace behaviour statements and asks you to choose the one most like you and the one least like you.
Can you fail the OPQ32?
No. The OPQ32 has no right or wrong answers. It measures your natural behavioural tendencies, not your knowledge or abilities. Your responses produce a competency profile that organisations compare against their ideal role profiles. Authentic responses consistently outperform strategic ones because the questionnaire detects inconsistency.
What is a forced-choice format?
The forced-choice format presents three statements (a triad) and requires you to select the one most like you and the one least like you. The middle statement is implicitly rated as neutral. This design reduces social-desirability bias — the tendency to choose answers that seem socially acceptable rather than accurate — producing a more genuine personality profile.
What does the OPQ32 measure?
The OPQ32 measures 32 personality characteristics grouped into three broad domains: Relationships with People (teamwork, leadership, customer orientation), Thinking Style (problem solving, adaptability, results orientation, organisation and planning), and Feelings and Emotions (professionalism and integrity, composure under pressure). This practice version maps responses to 9 key workplace competencies.
How long does the OPQ32 take?
The full OPQ32 typically takes 25–45 minutes with no time limit. This 76-triad practice version takes approximately 20 minutes. Answering instinctively rather than deliberating over each triad usually produces both faster completion and more accurate results.
Is the OPQ32 used in civil service and government recruitment?
Yes. The OPQ32 is widely used in public sector selection processes including civil service, government agencies, and regulated industries across the UK, Europe, and internationally. It helps organisations assess whether a candidate's behavioural profile aligns with the competencies defined for a specific role or grade.
How should I prepare for the OPQ32?
Practise the forced-choice format so the interface is familiar on test day. Reflect on how you actually behave at work rather than how you think you should behave. Review the competency framework for the role you're applying for so you can make deliberate, role-relevant choices. The most effective preparation is honest self-reflection, not strategic answer engineering.
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