Detect Exaggerated Responses Before You Hire

It means the candidate answered the assessment in a way that suggests they shaped their responses to appear more favorable. It does not automatically mean the candidate is dishonest as a person. The assessment compensates by adjusting results downward, but the greater the exaggeration, the less precise that adjustment becomes. Weight the assessment data less heavily and supplement with structured interview.

Retesting has not proven useful based on published assessment guidance. The preferred approach is to supplement the existing result with thorough structured interviewing and reference checks. If the honesty score is low but Analytical Intelligence and Consistency are clean, proceed with appropriate skepticism rather than discarding the result entirely.

Yes. A low honesty score reduces the reliability of the assessment data, but 65% of candidates who score below 23 and are hired do turn out to be successful. The key is not to hire based on the assessment data alone in this range. Shift weight to structured interview, references, and role-specific assessments before deciding.

Personal Assessment Honesty is a reliability indicator — it tells you how candidly the candidate engaged with the assessment process. The Dishonesty trait is an Integrity & Attitude behavioral score — it reflects a tendency toward deception in the workplace. A candidate can produce a low Assessment Honesty score simply by presenting their best self, without being a dishonest person. When both scores are low simultaneously, the combined signal is more significant.

Candidates who score above 72 tend to be quite hard on themselves when completing the assessment. The scoring system automatically adjusts their results in a more positive direction to account for this tendency. This means the trait scores in the report may be slightly higher than what was literally answered — which reflects a more accurate picture of the candidate's actual behavioral profile.

Not always — but yes when the score is below 20, and especially when both Personal and Assessment Honesty are below 11. A score below 7 on both is a strong sign of dishonesty toward others, not just toward the assessment. A score between 15 and 20 on both is a borderline signal worth checking.

Both the IC and SL Behavioral Assessments include this sub-indicator as part of the Reliability Indicators section. The IC Behavioral Assessment labels it Assessment Honesty and is designed for individual contributor, administrative, operations, and frontline roles. The SL Behavioral Assessment labels it Personal Honesty and is designed for sales and leadership roles.