Amazon Work Style Assessment - How to Beat Amazon's Personality Test

Amazon’s Work Style Assessment, also referred to as the Work Style Survey, is a personality test that nearly every Amazon applicant is required to take. This quick, 15-minute assessment is designed to evaluate specific traits and work styles to determine how well they align with Amazon’s distinctive workplace culture.

Unlike the more traditional pre-employment personality tests, the Amazon Work Style Test stands out. Here’s why:

First, traditional personality assessments will ask you to rate how much you agree with a certain statement, like this:

The Amazon Work Style test, on the other hand, will show you two equal statements and will ask you to choose which one appeals to you the most. Like this:

As you can see, there’s no single “right” answer to select in the Work Style Assessment. Additionally, the option to remain neutral (“Neither Agree Nor Disagree”) has been removed, meaning you must carefully make a choice for every question.

When taking the work styles assessment, you’ll need to think deeply about each response and consider which qualities to emphasize.

As mentioned earlier, this assessment evaluates whether your traits align with Amazon’s “unique culture,” which is rooted in its 16 Leadership Principles: these principles are the foundation of Amazon’s values and define the behaviors expected of its employees, and Amazon takes them very seriously.

Amazon even emphasizes that, as an employee, “you’ll rarely have a day go by without hearing our Leadership Principles referenced, as a shorthand for doing the right thing.”

The Work Style Test is just one of the ways Amazon assesses candidates based on these principles. Nearly every Amazon assessment incorporates them in some way. Plus, every Amazon interviewer will expect you to know them by heart—making preparation for the work style quiz and related assessments even more critical.

#1 There ARE "right" and "wrong" answers

There are "right" and "wrong" answers, even if the work style test instructions tell you otherwise. Personality tests are often referred to as questionnaires or surveys rather than tests, reinforcing the belief that there are no "right" or "wrong" answers.

This is obviously not true, as these work styles tests are used for screening purposes to select the best candidate for a particular job. And as you’ve just learned, choosing answers that align with Amazon’s Leadership Principles is the right way to ensure you pass the Work Style Assessment.

#2 Your personality profile has to make sense

On this test, some questions appear twice but with minor changes. Others can evaluate the same Leadership Principle but have completely different wording. The reason behind that is to check if your responses contradict themselves.

That’s why you must read every statement carefully and analyze it using Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Avoid rushing through these work style quiz questions, even if they seem straightforward or simple at first glance.

#3 It's about how you behave at work

Amazon’s recruiters aren’t interested in how you behave in your personal life.

The sole purpose of the questions is to evaluate your behavior in a workplace setting. Recruiters are only interested in how you’re likely to act on the job.

When responding, focus on your workplace behavior rather than your general habits. Most importantly, frame your answers with Amazon’s Leadership Principles in mind to demonstrate alignment with their values.

Now, let’s take a look at a sample statement from the real test and try to implement the tips and principles:

(A) I prefer to spend most of my time doing work that uses my current skillset.

(B) Sometimes I ask questions in order to understand concepts better.

1. Most like me (A)
2. More like me (A)
3. Most like me (B)
4. More like me (B)

The Leadership Principle you should address here is Learn and Be Curious: “Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.”

As an Amazon leader, you should ask questions, search for new and better methods, and never stop learning. Therefore, the best answer will be (3).

As you can see, it’s crucial to learn and understand Amazon’s Leadership Principles. The more you understand them, the easier it will be to pass the Work Style Assessment.

In the preparation pack on this page, you'll get a FULL Work Style assessment simulation test with answers and explanations to ALL types of questions. That way you can truly understand this unique assessment and make sure you are prepared to pass your Amazon assessment.

Here are the original 14 LPs:

*In 2021 Amazon added two new LPs, they are also important to memorize: