ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS USING THE NEO-FFI TEST

Specific introduction to each test:

Brief introduction to the test/ tool with description, developer, year, revision, what it assesses
(components/ sub-components/ domains/ factors), the theory on which it is based, the psychometric
properties (types of reliability and types of validity it claims including the values), uses/ application of
the test (comes from recent research), drawbacks and limitations of the test (comes from recent
research). Two typed sides at most.

Purpose of the Assessment:

To assess personality traits of the participant using the Neo Five-Factor Inventory (Neo-FFI)

Materials required:

• Neo-FFI booklet with response sheet.

• Your NEO Summary sheet.
• Two copies of the instructions.
• Neo-FFI manual.
• Writing materials.
Setting:

The test can be administered in a standard laboratory setting. The room should be well ventilated and
relatively free from distractions. The test should be administered at a table of comfortable height for
the participant.

Administration Procedure:

The NEO-Five Factor Inventory is a self-report measure of personality traits. It can be administered
on adults who are able to read and write English comfortably. It requires the respondent to answer 60
items, each of which has options on a 5-point rating scale from ‘strongly disagree’ to ‘strongly agree’.
It can be administered in a single sitting and normally takes 10-15 minutes to complete.

Preliminaries: Seat the subject in a comfortable well-ventilated room. Establish rapport

through appropriate conversation about their job, family, and day. Explain the purpose of the
assessment to them and ensure that there is no reluctance to take the assessment. Record the necessary
personal information required on the test booklet. Gather background information in terms of

• Name, age, gender, religion, language/ community, and socioeconomic status.

• Job title, company/ workplace, years of service, other jobs held.
• Type of family, family obligations, friendships, and community relations/ memberships.
• Medical, developmental, mental-health, or other concerns.

Administration: provide the respondent with the test booklet and a pencil. Ask the respondent
to read the instructions to themselves while you read it out loud. Work through the example. After
reading the instructions, ask the respondent to repeat the instructions and ask questions to ensure that
they have understood the task at hand. Explain that the test does not have a time limit but is usually
completed in 15 minutes. Then ask them to respond to the items. Note down behavioural observations
during the activity.

Instructions: The instructions that are printed on the test booklet are to be followed.
 Precautions: While the test does not have a time limit, it should be completed in about 15
minutes. If the respondent is taking longer, they are allowed to complete the test as long as they are
not distracted. The assessor makes a note that the respondent may have limited reading skills.
Respondents should be discouraged from marking the middle answer. Respondents should be
cautioned to respond based on what is true for them and not worry about how they think they should
respond or how they think others expect them to respond. They should also be informed that the first
response is usually the most appropriate one and that they should not spend too much time thinking
about each item. They should be cautioned about responding to all items and not leaving any item
unfilled. The respondent is also cautioned against erasing a wrong response – instead, they are
required to strike through the wrongly shaded circle and then circle the correct one.

Closing: Once the test is complete, the assessor should check that the no responses are left
unfilled and no item has more than one response. Ask the respondent if they have responded to all
items, entered the responses in the correct boxes, and responded accurately and honestly. Then ask
them for an introspective reflection about the assessment. Thank them for their time and participation.

Scoring and interpretation:

Before scoring the responses, the assessor should examine the booklet for any missing responses. If
the responses are missing the assessor should request the respondent to fill up the missed items.
However, if the respondent is unavailable, then the assessor should count the number of missed items.
If the missed items are 10 or more, the test is deemed invalid. If the missing items are 9 or less, then
they are marked as neutral responses, and the total test is scored. However, any domain scale with 4 or
more missed items should be interpreted with caution. Further, if the respondent states that they have
not been honest or that they are not sure of filling the responses in the correct boxes, the test should
not be scored.

For the scoring, the responses on the five-point rating scale are converted to numerical values
according to the scoring key. This gives the raw scores and cannot be interpreted directly. To
calculate the domain scores look at the item numbers for each domain. Add the values of those items.
This becomes the total score for that domain. Calculate the domain scores for all 5 domains. Calculate
the T score for each domain.

On the profile graph (separate for men and women). Mark the domain score in each appropriate
domain. Join these together to form the NEO-FFI profile. Interpret the scores based on the Your NEO
Summary sheet and the respondent’s T scores. Make the necessary and appropriate predictions and
recommendations.

Ethical Considerations:

• Describe the purpose of the assessment and that it is a part of your learning.
• Seek informed consent and voluntary participation.
• Assure confidentiality of the data.
• Use the appropriate version of the test and appropriate norms.
• Ensure that the participant undergoes no physical, emotional, or psychological harm.

Reference(s):

Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and Neo Five-
Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) Professional Manual. Psychological Assessment Resources Inc. USA.
 Report (to start on a fresh page)

Identifying information: Demographics

Purpose for evaluation:

Background:

MSE and behavioural observations: Begin with optimal conditions maintained, rapport established

Norms used: specify the norms that were used for this particular scores and why (2 lines)

Findings and Interpretation: To include the scores on the test (sub tests/ sub-domains) and the
interpretation.

Implications and Recommendations: Based on the interpretation, a prediction of what the assessee
can expect in the future and how to support the assessee is to be made. In essence, a prediction of
whether their scores are of concern or not, why that is so and what kind of help they could seek if
there is a concern is to be made. Further, suggestions for enhancing wellbeing through techniques and
training are to be written down. Finally, any referrals that are indicated are also written down.

Summary: the administration, findings, and recommendations are summarized in a paragraph.

Reported by (name, class, date)