How the HEXACO-inspired questionnaire works

What this version contains

This version uses 72 items: 12 for each of six dimensions, sampling three items from each of 24 older source facets. Sixty-nine statements preserve the source wording; three are explicitly adapted for clarity. The source is the preliminary IPIP representation of older HEXACO constructs, not the current official HEXACO-PI-R.

The v1.0 selection replaces broad risk wording, an irritation-focused expressiveness item, and a broad “let things happen” item. The published item ledger records the old and new text, source location, key direction, and wording adaptations.

How an answer becomes a score

Responses use five accuracy options, assigned values from 1 to 5. A positively keyed item contributes its selected value. A reverse-keyed item contributes 6 minus that value. Key direction comes from the versioned bank, not from guessing the wording.

Every final result requires all answers. We do not replace a missing answer with the midpoint. Scoring is deterministic and happens in the browser for free results; a paid checkout independently recomputes the same version server-side.

How to read the scale

For each dimension we average its 12 keyed values. The display value is 25 × (mean − 1), producing a 0–100 scale position. It is not a percentile or a comparison with other people.

To select readable explanations, keyed sums of 30 or below use the lower-side text, 31–41 use the around-midpoint text, and 42 or above use the higher-side text. These are editorial routing bands around the response midpoint, not validated psychological categories. Different answers can produce the same sum. No overall grade or 24-facet profile is produced.

What has and has not been established

The material has undergone project editorial review and deterministic reference checks. Those checks examine item mapping, calculation, presentation states, and content coverage. They are not a professional psychometric review or a study of real participant responses.

The complete selected/adapted or original questionnaire has not yet been empirically validated. We do not claim an accuracy rate, population norm, official equivalence, diagnostic value, hiring suitability, or the ability to predict an individual’s future behavior.

Clear wording and usable pages do not solve every measurement limitation. Results are prompts to compare with your experience, and you may disagree with an interpretation. A later version may change items or rules; old paid reports retain the version used at purchase.

Privacy and optional interpretation

Free answers are stored only in the browser for this flow and can be cleared. Saving a summary image is optional. The site’s ordinary analytics follow its consent settings and must not include raw answers, score vectors, or personal report identifiers.

A separate paid action sends the answers to our server to verify the score for the order. The AI receives only the verified result and any optional context you choose to add, not the individual answers. Checkout shows the report provider and applicable privacy details before payment.

An AI interpretation discusses the existing result; it does not create new measurements. New paid reports are available for 12 months unless deleted earlier at your request. This retention rule applies only to the new products, not retroactively to older purchases.

Sources and version

IPIP public-domain permission and the preliminary HEXACO key page are the item sources. IPIP scoring guidance supplies the five-point anchors and keyed conversion. The item selection, three adaptations, response explanation bands, and website copy are Personality Play design decisions.

Version changes from the pilot

The v1.0 item changes are recorded below. Earlier drafts are not silently rescored.

• Replaced PPIPIP_E_FEAR_10: “Am willing to take risks.” → “Tremble in dangerous situations.”
• Replaced PPIPIP_X_EXPR_04: “Tell people about it when I'm irritated.” → “Am never at a loss for words.”
• Replaced PPIPIP_C_PERF_10: “Prefer to just let things happen.” → “Pay too little attention to details.”
• Adapted PPIPIP_X_EXPR_02: “Am never at a loss for words.” → “Find it easy to put my thoughts into words.”
• Adapted PPIPIP_X_LIVE_10: “Often feel blue.” → “Often feel sad.”
• Adapted PPIPIP_O_UNCO_05: “Swim against the current.” → “Am comfortable going against common expectations.”

Sources

• IPIP permission
• Source item keys
• IPIP scoring instructions