Learn everything you need to know about the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), including question types, scoring, and how to prepare.

What Is the Hogan Development Survey (HDS)?

The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) is a personality assessment tool designed to identify potential career derailers—traits that can negatively impact job performance, especially under stress or pressure. Unlike other personality tests that focus on strengths, the HDS reveals the dark-side traits that may emerge in challenging environments.

The HDS is widely used by employers, especially in leadership development, succession planning, and executive coaching. It helps organizations understand how an individual might behave when they are not actively managing their behavior.

Why the HDS Test Matters

Understanding these dark-side traits can improve team dynamics, leadership effectiveness, and workplace culture. Organizations can use HDS results to:

• Reduce turnover and workplace conflict
• Predict leadership potential and risk
• Identify areas for personal development

Question Types in the Hogan HDS

The HDS includes 168 true/false questions. These questions are designed to evaluate 11 personality traits divided into three categories:

Moving Away (Excitable, Skeptical, Cautious, Reserved, Leisurely)

These traits reflect a tendency to distance oneself from others when under stress.

Moving Against (Bold, Mischievous, Colorful, Imaginative)

These traits represent aggressive or self-promoting behavior that can alienate others.

Moving Toward (Diligent, Dutiful)

These traits indicate a strong desire to please and follow rules, sometimes at the expense of flexibility.

11 Hogan HDS traits with simple descriptions and real-world workplace examples:

HDS Trait	Description	Workplace Example
Excitable	Starts off enthusiastic but easily disappointed and emotionally volatile	Gets excited about new projects but quickly becomes frustrated and disengaged
Skeptical	Distrustful, cynical, and quick to perceive others as dishonest or disloyal	Often challenges coworkers’ motives and resists feedback from managers
Cautious	Fearful of making mistakes; overly risk-averse	Avoids taking initiative due to fear of criticism or failure
Reserved	Emotionally distant, aloof, and disengaged	Avoids social interaction and struggles to build rapport with team members
Leisurely	Appears cooperative but resists in subtle, passive-aggressive ways	Says “yes” in meetings but quietly ignores tasks or deadlines later
Bold	Overconfident, arrogant, and resistant to feedback	Believes they’re always right; dismisses others’ input or advice
Mischievous	Enjoys risk-taking and pushing boundaries; manipulative tendencies	Breaks rules or cuts corners, then charms others to avoid accountability
Colorful	Attention-seeking, dramatic, and easily bored	Constantly interrupts meetings to be the center of attention
Imaginative	Eccentric, creative, but can be impractical or unrealistic	Proposes big, unrealistic ideas that don’t align with team goals
Diligent	Perfectionistic and micromanaging; obsessed with details	Spends excessive time rechecking work and controlling how others do tasks
Dutiful	Eager to please, overly compliant, and avoids conflict	Says “yes” to everything, even when it harms their own workload or priorities

Each question aims to tap into one of these derailment tendencies. The test does not have right or wrong answers, but your responses paint a picture of how you might behave in high-pressure or low-monitoring environments.

How Is the HDS Scored?

The HDS uses percentile scoring based on a large norm group. Your score in each derailment trait is compared to how others scored.

• Low Scores may suggest a lack of certain behaviors.
• Moderate Scores are typically optimal and suggest well-managed traits.
• High Scores indicate potential overuse of a trait, which may lead to derailment.

Employers often receive a report detailing your score in each trait along with interpretations and suggestions for development.

HDS vs HPI vs MVPI

Feature	Hogan Development Survey (HDS)	Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)	Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI)
Purpose	Identifies potential career derailers and dark-side traits under stress	Measures normal personality traits related to job performance	Assesses core values, drivers, and interests
Focus Area	Risk behaviors under pressure or stress	Day-to-day personality and behavior at work	Motivation and cultural fit
Use Case	Leadership risk, development planning	Hiring, team fit, leadership potential	Culture fit, retention, values alignment
Traits Measured	11 derailers (e.g., Excitable, Cautious, Bold, Diligent)	7 primary scales (e.g., Ambition, Sociability, Prudence)	10 core values (e.g., Recognition, Power, Altruism)
Type of Traits	Dark-side personality (when strengths become weaknesses)	Bright-side personality (how a person typically behaves)	Deep-seated values and motivational drivers
Time to Complete	~15–20 minutes	~15–20 minutes	~15–20 minutes
Interpretation	Used to manage risk and coach for behavioral awareness	Used to predict performance and leadership style	Used to assess value alignment with roles and teams
Ideal For	Leaders, high-potential employees, succession planning	Hiring managers, recruiters, leadership development	Organizational development, engagement, onboarding
Reporting	Derailer profile, risk management suggestions	Performance prediction, strength profile	Cultural fit and value compatibility insights

How Can I Prepare for the HDS?

Preparation can help you become more self-aware and respond more thoughtfully. Here’s how:

1. Understand the Traits

Familiarize yourself with the 11 derailment traits. Reflect on how you react in stressful situations—do you become overly cautious, aggressive, or dependent?

2. Take Practice Personality Tests

Although no practice test can exactly replicate the HDS, general personality test practice can help you get used to answering true/false questions and thinking critically about your behaviors.

3. Be Honest but Thoughtful

Authenticity is important, but so is self-awareness. The HDS measures tendencies, not fixed behaviors. Consider how your behaviors might appear in a workplace context.

4. Review Feedback from Past Jobs

Think about feedback you’ve received during performance reviews. Do people describe you as too skeptical or too eager to please? These may align with HDS traits.

Understanding your risk areas helps you improve workplace performance, leadership effectiveness, and team collaboration. Preparation boosts self-awareness, ensures accurate responses, and increases your chances of success in the Hogan HDS Assessment.