How to Pass the SHL OPQ (the Right Way) - 2025 Guide

The SHL Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ or OPQ32) personality assessment is one of the most widely used tools for understanding how people behave, think, and work in a professional setting. Instead of testing knowledge or skills, it highlights your preferences, motivations, and work style — giving employers a clearer picture of how you might fit within their team or culture.

While you can’t revise for a personality test, there are practical ways to approach it thoughtfully. This blog will take you through three key steps to prepare effectively — and then share a few important tips to keep in mind when answering the assessment itself.

Here’s how to make sure your OPQ32 results truly reflect your professional strengths and help you stand out for the right reasons.

Before beginning the assessment, take a few moments to think about the role you’ve applied for and the kinds of behaviours it likely values most.

If you’re applying for a sales position, for example, the company may be looking for enthusiasm, resilience, and the ability to build strong relationships. Consider questions like:

• Do I enjoy persuading or influencing others?
• Am I motivated by targets and competition?
• Do I thrive in social or fast-paced settings?

If you’re applying for a data or analytical role, the focus might instead be on precision, structure, and logical thinking. Reflecting on these qualities helps you see how your natural tendencies align with the demands of the role.

A company’s mission and values can reveal a lot about what they want to see in their employees. Most organisations list these clearly on their websites.

For example:

• A company known for innovation may value creativity, adaptability, and openness to new ideas.
• A business that prioritises customer focus may place greater emphasis on empathy, teamwork, and strong communication skills.

Understanding these values gives you helpful context when interpreting OPQ32 questions. You’re not changing your personality — you’re simply recognising how your natural work style fits with what the company values most.

Once you know what the company and role are looking for, think about how your personality and work preferences compare. You’ll likely find areas of strong alignment and others where you differ — and both can be valuable. For instance, being analytical in a creative team can bring structure and focus, while being flexible in a process-heavy environment can inspire adaptability.

It’s also important to understand how employers actually use the OPQ32 results. The assessment is rarely the deciding factor in hiring — instead, it’s a supporting tool that helps recruiters and hiring managers understand how you approach work and interact with others. It’s most often used to guide interview discussions, giving employers a starting point for deeper questions about your work style.

This is why consistency and honesty are essential. Your answers should accurately reflect your true working style — because you’ll likely be asked to discuss them later. If your results show that you’re analytical, for instance, you might be asked to describe situations where that quality helped you succeed: perhaps how you solved a complex problem, improved a process, or brought clarity to a team project.

Being genuine ensures your profile tells a coherent story — one that you can confidently stand behind in an interview. This is one of the most important things to understand about personality assessments in general: they are not designed to exclude candidates, but to help employers get to know you better and understand how you might fit within their organisation.

The goal is not to “look perfect” but to show that your traits are intentional and useful in the workplace. Being aware of your natural preferences helps you explain how they’ve supported your achievements and how they can benefit the team you’re applying to join.

Understanding this is key not just for the OPQ32, but for personality assessments in general: they’re meant to open a conversation about fit — not close one.

Once you’ve done your preparation, it’s time to approach the assessment itself. Here are a few essential things to keep in mind as you answer.

One of the biggest keys to success on the OPQ32 is remembering that it’s about your occupational personality — the version of you that shows up at work, not the one that shows up at brunch.

You might be easygoing, spontaneous, or informal in your personal life, but far more structured, focused, and dependable in a professional setting — and that’s completely normal. The OPQ32 isn’t looking for who you are off the clock; it’s designed to understand how you operate when you’re solving problems, meeting deadlines, managing projects, or collaborating with colleagues.

So, when answering, keep your “work mode” in mind. Picture yourself in the office, handling real challenges and responsibilities. That’s the side employers want to understand — because that’s the version of you they’ll be working with.

The OPQ32 isn’t about judging who’s “good” or “bad” — it’s about identifying your natural preferences and how they play out in a work environment. Every personality trait has its strengths and trade-offs.

Being detail-oriented, for example, can make you highly accurate and dependable, but it might also mean adapting to constant change feels more challenging. On the other hand, people who thrive on variety and flexibility often excel in fast-paced settings but may find repetitive work less engaging.

The point isn’t to appear flawless — it’s to be real and aware. Understanding where your preferences lie allows you to answer confidently and show how your natural approach contributes to a team’s success. True success in the OPQ32 comes when your authentic work style aligns with the kind of environment where you’ll perform — and feel — your best.

Although the OPQ32 doesn’t require studying, becoming familiar with its format can make a big difference. Preparation helps you stay calm and consistent — especially when faced with questions that feel repetitive or subtle.

Reading sample OPQ32-style statements and reflecting on how you’d naturally respond can help you approach the test with greater confidence and self-awareness. This type of preparation allows you to recognise your response patterns and ensures you enter the test with a clear, balanced mindset.

The best way to succeed in the SHL OPQ32 is through honest alignment — staying true to how you behave at work while keeping the company’s values and the role’s requirements in mind.

This approach helps employers see how you’ll fit their team and culture, while also helping you decide whether their environment feels right for you. A good fit benefits both sides: the employer gains someone whose personality complements the team, and you find a role where you can perform at your best and genuinely enjoy your work.