Frequently Asked Questions

PROPHET is best suited to support the development of executives and senior teams, as well as to provide insight to large groups, functions and organisations. PROPHET is not suited to make a selection decision as it does not measure capability – although it provides useful insight to fast-track relationships and understand candidate’s business preferences and likely approach to a role. It also does not provide a deep understanding of the personality of an individual – in these circumstances there are many other excellent instruments available.

There are many excellent psychometric tools available to support development. PROPHET is unique in that it combines Motivations and Decision-making Styles to look at how people approach different business activities. The PROPHET questionnaire and reports have been developed for use with Executive Teams and a more senior audience, and is specifically focused on business activities and based around a business cycle. PROPHET can help individuals and teams to work together effectively and support Executive Teams in understanding how best to work together to develop and implement their strategy.

PROPHET is perfect for team workshops and strategy days to help provide business team insight.

Please contact your certified coach/consultant or HR professional to discuss using PROPHET in your organisation. Alternatively please contact us directly and we can help answer any of your queries.

Purchases of PROPHET must be made by or on behalf of an identified accredited user who is qualified to use the restricted materials and has registered with PROPHET in accordance with its accreditation process.

In order to become accredited to purchase and use PROPHET, a user must have successfully completed appropriate accreditation training and qualification.  This may be an internal HR resource, or an external coach / consultant.

As you would expect, the product cost depends on organisational needs and volume of use.  Please contact us to discuss your specific requirements and we will provide you with a tailored quotation.

After years of research and development, PROPHET was registered by the British Psychological Society in 2017. This independent review from the leading global body assesses the validity and reliability of PROPHET. This review is available to download in our ‘About’ section.

15 – 20 minutes. There is no time limit to complete the questionnaire, however, we recommend that people do not overthink their answers.

Generally speaking, some aspects of personality are shown to change over time, and this is reflected in wider studies on personality, e.g. we are all influenced by different stages of life and life events. PROPHET has been tested for its stability over a short timeframe and over a six-month period and has been shown to be a stable measure of personality, thereby reflecting underlying traits, rather than being situation specific.

PROPHET is built on examining an individual’s preferences for a typical business cycle of activities. These activities are globally applicable and are fundamentals of business. Different cultures have overall different business preferences and behaviours – and you will see statistical leanings in different countries, as well as in different sectors and groups. However each individual has their own preferences, which may or may not be heavily influenced by the dominant business culture in which they operate. Therefore individuals, relationships and teams will be unique to the people completing the questionnaire and as PROPHET models these preferences through the lens of a globally applicable business cycle, it works across cultures and the world.

PROPHET is most valuable when respondents think about how they like to behave in a work context. PROPHET is only useful to the extent that people are open about how they really feel at work, in order to develop relationships with colleagues; therefore honesty is the best policy. Rest assured that PROPHET is not an assessment, and all profiles are of equal importance and significance at different phases of business. Many people in the same ‘job’ will have different profiles and PROPHET does not predict success or performance in a role / job. It does indicate, however, how someone may approach a role.

PROPHET does not provide an individual respondent measure indicating probability that someone tried to falsify their responses. There is no correct answer, as different profiles are called on at different phases of a business cycle and are of equal value. No test can control whether or not someone tries to falsify their responses. However, due to PROPHET’s ipsative design, an indication that the questionnaire was either answered randomly, or inconsistently by the respondent is a balanced set of results. I.e. the Accredited user may see a set of preferences that sit in the mid-point on all scales. But users should approach such profiles with an open mind as they may indeed be genuinely balanced profiles.

The forced choice, or ipsative, nature of the questionnaire means that at times it can be challenging to complete, particularly when a choice has to be made between comparative statements that are equally attractive. The test is designed in this way in order to differentiate between preferences. It is not looking at capability. The forced choice nature of the test means that it helps us see the extent to which you prefer competing activities and how you differ from others in your responses. If you could answer ‘I am all of those,’ there is a danger of getting bland results, which is not as useful when discussing how to leverage the differences in a team. PROPHET has only 28 questions, in order that executives may complete it quickly, whilst also ensuring it is a reliable measure of personality. As a psychometric instrument, PROPHET measures different personality scales. Each psychometric scale comprises multiple items (questions) measuring the same variable in a reliable and valid manner – and can therefore feel very repetitive.

The PROPHET Profile does not inform selection decisions. It is not an instrument designed to be used to predict performance. The reason PROPHET may be used in a search process is in order to fast-track candidates and employers getting to know each other as potential colleagues and their likely approaches to roles and interactions with colleagues. This approach typically involves both the client and short-listed candidates completing the psychometric questionnaire, for example if the existing team has already completed PROPHET as part of a team development initiative and seeks to understand a new joiner through the same lens. This allows the client and candidates to identify where they may complement one another, align naturally or approach things with different instincts. By supporting the relationship at the outset, the process will aim to get the relationships with the chosen candidate off to a strong start, with fewer surprises for both the candidate and the hirer.

If you have completed PROPHET having been asked by your employer, an organisation you are working with, or a development professional (e.g. coach), they are the Data Controller, having asked you to complete PROPHET. In this instance, you should contact them for data requests.

PROPHET is the “data processor”.

If you are working directly with PROPHET Profiling, PROPHET will be the “data controller” for all of the information you enter into the PROPHET questionnaire. In this instance, if you have any requests contact us at: support@prophetprofiling.com

At the beginning of the PROPHET questionnaire, you are asked to give your consent before you are able to complete the questions. If consent is withheld, it is the responsibility of the organisation (or accredited user asking the individual to complete PROPHET) to agree the appropriate next steps. PROPHET will not allow the individual to complete the questionnaire unless they consent.

For coaches and leadership consultants: Regular PROPHET accreditation training sessions take place around the world, under the leadership of Katherine Tulpa, CEO of Wisdom8 and founder of the Association of Coaching. Alternatively, if you would find it easier to complete accreditation in your own time you may complete accreditation on-line, under the supervision of PROPHET Profiling.
For HR professionals: Most medium to larger organisations prefer to run in-house accreditation through one day, two day or virtual moduIar sessions. Regular PROPHET accreditation training sessions take place virtually and in areas around the world. Alternatively, accreditation on-line under the supervision of PROPHET Profiling is also available.

It is important for practitioners to understand the psychology and measurement theory that informs PROPHET so that their respondents can benefit from the use of the correct tool and have the right development conversation.

PROPHET offers accreditation to anyone who has training, a background or qualified experience in at least one psychometric personality tool, and experience of giving debriefs. This could, for example, be training in another psychometric personality instrument to the BPS Level 2 personality (previously called Intermediate Level B). Those who do not hold these qualifications will need to contact us with details of their training and experience so that we can determine what training will be needed.

As a condition of keeping their PROPHET accreditation, all PROPHET Accredited Users are required to handle personal data in strict confidence and in compliance with PROPHET’s terms of use for accredited users. They also need to adhere to Data Policies of the relevant Data Controller.

There are PROPHET practitioners around the world. For an introduction to practitioners in your location, please contact support@prophetprofiling.com.

The complete set of PROPHET reports is currently only available in English. Caution should be taken if any respondent does not speak English fluently. The PROPHET questionnaire, however, is also available in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Please let the accredited user you are working with know which language you would like to complete the PROPHET questionnaire in.