Thomas PPA Assessment: Practice Guide & Expert Tips
Updated: January 20, 2026
Despite its 24 questions and just 8 minute duration, the Thomas PPA Test is one of the most challenging personality assessments you’ll encounter.
Offered by Thomas International alongside the more cognitive-focused GIA, the PPA Assessment is designed to evaluate whether your personality traits align with the demands of the job.
What Is the Thomas PPA Test?
The Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis Test (PPA), also known as the Thomas Personality Test, is a personality profiling test used by employers to assess candidates' fit for a particular job. It usually follows the GIA Test, one of the other Thomas International Tests.
The PPA Assessment test results come as a behavioural profile based on 24 self-assessment questions. The test takes under 8 minutes to complete and is designed to be answered quickly.
The scoring method for the Thomas PPA test is based on the DISC model. These four letters represent an acronym of the four fundamental personality traits used to produce your profile: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance (more about the scoring below).
One of the main challenges of the Thomas PPA assessment is that questions are forced-choice.
Let's see what this means and how to overcome this difficulty.
Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis: Question Format
All 24 questions of the Thomas PPA Test are constructed using four personality traits, as follows:
You need to select:
- 1 personality trait in the top row which most describes you
- 1 personality trait in the bottom row which least describes you.
Each word relates to a different one of the four key personality factors of the DISC model, and those you choose as ‘Most' and ‘Least' will determine your score on each of these factors.
So, where's the catch?
The unique structure of the Thomas International PPA Assessment, and the way the test results are analysed, pose two challenges which separate the PPA Test from other personality tests.
- You need to recognise which word relates to which factor.
- And even more important – The answers you DO NOT choose are as important as those you do.
This will all be explained below.
Thomas International PPA Test Sample Question
Let's look at an example of a question that may appear on the Thomas International PPA Assessment:
What Can This Sample Question Teach Us?
As you can see, the Personal Profile Analysis Test is a personality assessment that falls under the category of a forced-choice test. All options are positive, so you will have to ‘sacrifice' some traits – namely, choose traits in which you admit you are not as good.
On the PPA test, the art of selecting the right statements for Most and Least throughout the entire test, based on the specific job you want is what will get you the passing score.
Tip:
Firstly, it's important to stress that on the PPA test, there is no single right answer for any single question.
But this doesn't mean there are no right or wrong answers at all. On the contrary, a strategy can be constructed for the Thomas International PPA test, but this strategy would depend on your job description and would span more than one single question.
Your aim is to create a solid, comprehensive profile across all 24 PPA test questions to best reflect the traits required for the job you want.
Note: Forming a strategy does not mean you shouldn't answer honestly. Knowing how to navigate the test will allow you to avoid classic mistakes made by other candidates during their recruitment process, but honesty is still the best policy.
How Is the Thomas PPA Test Scored?
Remember earlier in the page, when we said that the PPA test is a personality assessment in which answers you do not choose are as important as those you do? How about that there is no right or wrong answer for any single question, only for all 24 as a whole?
Here's why:
- The PPA test aims to assess not only your deliberate work persona, the version of you that you are interested in presenting to any potential employer. This is why after you are done ranking your responses for all 24 Thomas International PPA test questions
3 different profiles will be created for you:
PPA Test Profile #1 – Work Mask
The words you choose for “most describes me” make up the first personal profile graph, which represents the qualities that you want others to see in you.
PPA Test Profile #2 – Behaviour Under Pressure
The words you don't choose will make up the second profile graph, which represents the qualities that you yourself believe you possess.
PPA Test Profile #3 – Combined Profile
The difference between your Work Mask profile and your Behaviour Under Pressure profile makes up the third profile graph, which represents how people at work perceive you. This profile is the most important one since it is the one that reflects your actual work behaviour in the eyes of the employer.
Master the Thomas PPA Test
- Step-by-step guide with a detailed Thomas PPA practice test.
- Access 4 categories of job profiles tailored to key positions, and perfect your answers.
- Interactive online test to broaden your skills and pass with confidence.
What Does the Thomas PPA Test Measure?
The Thomas PPA Assessment is based on the psychological theory known as the DISC model. The name is derived from the 4 behavioural factors assessed:
- Dominance – the need to control. Forceful, competitive, courageous, and aggressive.
- Influence – the need to connect with others. Outgoing, friendly, and sociable.
- Steadiness – the need for stability and peace. Calm, collected, and unpressured.
- Compliance – the need for correctness, formality, and conformity. Orderly, respectful, rule-obedient, and traditional.
Based on your choices (and the choices you do not make) The PPA test will rank your personality profile on a scale of these 4 factors (or traits) and will compare that to the ideal candidate’s profile for the specific job you want.
Here are several ideal profiles, taken from our Thomas International PPA practice test:
Thomas PPA Practice Questions
Explore 3 examples of Thomas PPA test practice questions below:
Choose one word or phrase that MOST describes how you actually operate in the work situation:
Choose one word or phrase that Least describes how you actually operate in the work situation
Note: The attribute you selected as 'Most Like Me' cannot be selected again
Explanation:
In each question, you are presented with four adjectives.
Each adjective represents one of the DISC qualities:
- Dominance - Big Personality
- Influence - Worthy
- Steadiness - Kindly
- Compliance - Accepting
Remember to choose the adjective that best matches the profile you aim to create, according to the job you are applying for.
Choose one word or phrase that MOST describes how you actually operate in the work situation:
Choose one word or phrase that Least describes how you actually operate in the work situation
Note: The attribute you selected as 'Most Like Me' cannot be selected again
Choose one word or phrase that MOST describes how you actually operate in the work situation:
Choose one word or phrase that Least describes how you actually operate in the work situation
Note: The attribute you selected as 'Most Like Me' cannot be selected again
What Are the Benefits of the Thomas PPA Practice Plan?
There are 3 main benefits to the Thomas International PPA practice plan:
- Accuracy - a practice that simulates the actual test conditions for the best possible performance of the task ahead.
- A Holistic Approach - only by practising the PPA test as a whole can you eventually make your profile match the job you want and pass the assessment.
- Personalization - the ideal profile varies greatly between positions. Choose the job profile relevant for you out of 11 ideal professional profiles.
Now, let's go over these preparation benefits one by one and explain why each of them is crucial for passing the PPA test.
Thomas International PPA FAQs
The Thomas International Personal Profile Analysis (PPA) is a psychometric tool used to assess an individual’s behavioral preferences and work-related traits. It helps employers understand how candidates or employees are likely to respond in different situations, such as how they approach tasks, communicate, or handle pressure. The PPA is based on a well-established framework that evaluates four key behavioral factors: dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance. This insight can be valuable for recruitment, team building, leadership development, and overall organizational effectiveness.
The advice given to test-takers to ‘be yourself’ when answering test questions is helpful for employers to get a glimpse into how you view yourself. However, these instructions can be misleading for candidates who wish to show a side of themselves which they may only portray in certain work-related settings. So, when approaching the Thomas PPA test, you really should be considering which side of your personality you want to show that will be best for your desired job position.
It is possible for your test results to drastically affect your chances of getting hired. The reason for this being that employers use this personality assessment to find out which candidates’ personality profiles match the job position’s requirements. Note that there are right and wrong answers when comparing test results to a specific job’s criteria.
When preparing for any assessment, you are ultimately gaining more knowledge and confidence for when the real test comes along. By practising in advance for the Thomas PPA personality assessment, you will be able to know which traits you need to emphasise and which traits you should avoid based on the requirements of the particular job you’re interested in. By becoming more familiar with the test, you will be able to improve your chances of getting hired.
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