Use Accuracy of Results to Decide Which Candidate Scores to Trust

Accuracy of Results is the composite reliability indicator for our Behavioral Assessments. It is not a measure of how good a candidate is — it measures how honestly and consistently they completed the assessment. Before interpreting any trait score, check this indicator first.

  • Determine whether assessment results are reliable enough to use in a hiring decision
  • Identify which dimension of response quality is reducing accuracy: honesty, reading comprehension, or consistency
  • Understand what each reliability level means for how you should act on the data
HR professional reviewing an accuracy of results assessment report to verify candidate reliability and assessment consistency.

What Is the Accuracy of Results Indicator?

The Accuracy of Results indicator tells you how much to trust the scores in a candidate's assessment. It reflects whether the candidate read the questions carefully, answered honestly, and engaged with the assessment consistently enough to produce a reliable result.

How the Assessment Adjusts for Honest and Dishonest Responses

When honesty and consistency are high, scores can be trusted and require less follow-up in the interview. When dishonesty, inconsistency, or reading difficulty is present, results give only a general picture — and deeper interviewing becomes essential.

The assessment also self-corrects: scores adjust downward when exaggeration is detected, and upward when a candidate is overly self-critical.

Accuracy of results assessment report displaying reliability, consistency, reading comprehension, and assessment honesty scores.

What accuracy of results helps you evaluate before you hire

  • Is this assessment result reliable enough to inform the hiring decision, or should it be treated only as a general indicator?
  • Which reliability dimension is flagged: honesty, reading ability, or response consistency?
  • How heavily should you weight the assessment data versus supplemental interview?
  • Are contextual factors — remote completion, distractions, or time pressure — a likely cause of any flags?
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Important: Accuracy of Results is one of the most important yet most misunderstood categories in the report. Always review it before interpreting any other score.

Why Accuracy of Results Matters in Hiring

Behavioral assessments only produce reliable predictions when candidates engage with them honestly and carefully.
When accuracy is compromised, trait scores lose their predictive value.
Acting on scores without first verifying reliability can lead to decisions that appear data-driven but are not grounded in dependable data.

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When Results Cannot Be Used

When multiple reliability indicators are flagged simultaneously, the assessment result becomes unreliable. All trait scores should be treated as directional at best. Shift the evaluation to structured interview, reference checks, and role-specific skill assessments.

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When Results Require Supplemental Verification

When one or two indicators are borderline, results are broadly usable but carry meaningful uncertainty — particularly for borderline trait scores. Supplement with structured interview before making final decisions.

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When Results Can Drive Your Decision

When all three reliability indicators are clean, the assessment result is operating at full reliability. All trait scores reflect genuine behavioral tendencies and can be interpreted with confidence. Proceed with the full assessment profile.

How reliability issues show up in practice

How reliability issues show up in practice

  • A hire who scored well in screening underperforms within 90 days, and the Accuracy of Results indicator had not been reviewed before the decision was made
  • An unreliable result reaches the hiring manager without a flag, and the subsequent decision is based on scores that should have been treated as directional only
  • A borderline attitude score is treated as meaningful when Accuracy of Results would have indicated the result needed interview verification
  • Multiple hires from the same cohort underperform, and a pattern of unreviewed reliability flags is discovered only in retrospect

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How Accuracy of Results Is Calculated

Accuracy of Results is a composite indicator. It reflects the combined output of three independent reliability checks, each measuring a different dimension of how a candidate engaged with the assessment.
Each sub-indicator can reduce overall reliability independently, and certain combinations can render a result unreliable entirely.

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Personal & Assessment Honesty

Measures whether the candidate responded genuinely or shaped answers to appear more favorable. When honesty is low, trait scores are adjusted automatically, but severely low scores reduce the reliability of those adjustments.

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Analytical Intelligence

Measures whether the candidate could read and process assessment questions accurately enough for answers to be meaningful. Derived from an embedded word test included in the assessment.

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Consistency

Measures whether the candidate answered repeated questions similarly throughout the assessment, confirming that results reflect genuine patterns rather than random or manipulated responding.

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Note: If the candidate also completed an IC or SL People & Logic Ability test, those competency results are highly reliable regardless of behavioral accuracy — logic tests cannot be exaggerated on.

How to Interpret Accuracy of Results

Accuracy of Results appears at the top of every Behavioral Assessment report, before the individual trait scores.
The three reliability levels reflect the combined picture of all three sub-indicators. Review this section first, every time.

What to do based on your accuracy of results rating

All three reliability indicators are clean. Proceed with confidence. Trait scores reflect genuine behavioral tendencies and can be used to guide the hiring decision without adjustment.

One or more indicators are borderline. Results are broadly usable but require supplemental verification, particularly for borderline trait scores, before deciding.

Multiple flags detected. Treat all trait scores as directional only. Supplement heavily with structured interview, reference checks, and role-specific assessment before any hiring decision

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When only one sub-indicator is flagged, review that indicator's individual page for detailed guidance on how to respond

Which Assessments Include Accuracy of Results?

Both full Behavioral Assessments from Discovered Assessments include the complete Reliability Indicators section in every report: Accuracy of Results, Personal & Assessment Honesty, Analytical Intelligence, and Consistency.

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Individual Contributor (IC) Behavioral Assessment Test

For individual contributor, administrative, operations, and frontline roles. Includes Assessment Honesty as the honesty sub-indicator within Reliability Indicators.

Assessments_Sales & Leadership Behavioral Assessment Test

Sales & Leadership (SL) Behavioral Assessment

For sales and leadership roles. Includes Personal Honesty as the honesty sub-indicator within Reliability Indicators, along with additional sales and leadership competency scales.

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Relevant for Every Role You Hire

There is no position where the quality of assessment data does not matter. Whether hiring a frontline employee or a senior leader, acting on unreliable results carries the same risk: the behavioral profile you are relying on does not reflect how the candidate will actually perform.

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Customer Service & Frontline

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Sales & Account Management

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Operations & Logistics

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Administrative & Support

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Managers & Supervisors

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Remote & Hybrid Teams

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Technical & Specialized

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Executive & Leadership

If any of these situations sound familiar, this assessment is for you

  • Assessment results that looked strong in screening did not predict on-the-job behavior, and the reliability picture had not been reviewed before the decision was made.
  • You received an unreliable flag in your hiring pipeline but were not sure whether to proceed or disregard the results.
  • Your review process goes straight to trait scores without first verifying that the result is reliable enough to act on.
  • Candidates completing the assessment remotely occasionally produce lower reliability scores, and there is no consistent process for catching those before they reach the decision maker.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Accuracy of Results indicator, and how is it different from the trait scores?

Integrity & Attitude is one of three primary dimensions measured by the IC and SL Behavioral Assessments from Discovered Assessments, alongside Personality and People Traits. It has nothing to do with technical production abilities —  instead, it predicts how well a candidate will get along with their supervisor, fit into the team, and contribute to the well-being of the company. A high percentage of employees who rate poorly on Integrity & Attitude end up quitting or being terminated. The assessment captures how their integrity and attitude will look after the honeymoon period is over.

What does an unreliable result mean, and what should I do with it?
Can a candidate with a reduced Accuracy of Results still be hired?
Does a flagged Accuracy of Results mean the candidate was dishonest?
How should I communicate a reliability flag to the hiring manager?
How reliable is the Integrity & Attitude measurement in a pre-employment behavioral assessment?

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