Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument Assessment – Your Full Guide for Success
The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument Assessment, also known as HBDI, is a renowned personality test that combines cognitive tasks with thinking style assessments. Many companies utilize this assessment to evaluate their candidates. Nearly 97% of Fortune 100 companies use HBDI assessment to improve productivity, innovation and collaboration in their company. Among them- NASA, IBM, AT&T, Pfizer and more.
While it is commonly believed that no preparation is needed for personality and behavior tests, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the different components of the HBDI and arrive prepared.
In this page you will find information about the HBDI Assessment and what it contains, including the theory behind it, sample questions and the results of the assessment and what they say about you.
What Is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument Assessment?
Developed by Ned Herrmann, the HBDI asserts that individuals employ four distinct quarters of their brains when thinking, communicating, planning cognitive abilities, and more. The assessment highlights the idea that each person possesses a unique thinking style by dividing the brain into four quadrants: analytical, practical, relational, and experimental. These quadrants are represented by different colors, and the theory suggests that individuals prefer thinking in one or more of these quadrants.
Upon completing the assessment, you will gain insight into your brain profile and discover your preferred thinking style.
The HBDI is used in many companies for evaluating candidates. There is no one wanted result for the assessment, every company will look for something else. Some will prefer candidates that think similar to them, on the contrary, some prefer a diverse group of people that will bring variety of ideas to the table, so they will try create teams that gather different thinkers. Therefore, the best tip for the assessment is just be honest and bring your true self. That way, a place that hire you will be aware to your specific way of thinking and probably be a good fit.
What does the HBDI Assessment contain?
The assessment contains 120 questions, in a few sections:
The sections are divided into two main ones: Biographical Information and Personality Assessment.
For the Biographical sections, please find more information here.
The personality sections are the important ones, because they have the major impact on your results, therefore, you need to prepare for it. They include:
- Work Elements – you need to rank the different work elements that provided in the test according to your strengths. This task helps to understand better what are your strengths and to which thinking style it is connected to. For example, "Analytical" will go with analytical thinking, "Organized" will go with practical thinking and "Innovation" will go with experimental thinking.
- Key Description – you need to pick eight adjectives that describe you the best from a list of adjectives. This task gives information about your qualities and match them to reflect on your way of thinking. For example, "Logical" will be analytical thinker, "Creative" will probably be a experimental thinker and "Emotional" will go hand in hand with relational thinker.
- Adjective Pairs- you will be given 24 pairs of adjectives. you need to choose the one that describes you better from each pair. this task helps understand the preferred adjectives for each person and learn from it about their thinking style. For example, picking "Interpersonal" over "Organizer" will mean the person tend to think in a more relational way than practical way.
- Twenty Questions – 20 statements, rate how much you agree with each of them. This teach about your type thinking and how you tend to make decisions. For example, "planning of time is mandatory for solving difficult problems." - the people who will rate it high will probably be practical thinkers.
Free Sample HBDI Question
Please see our free practice question of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument Assessment:
Statements:
Rate each statement according to your level of agreement (1=strongly disagree, 5= strongly agree)
1 2 3 4 5
- I’m more self-competitive than competitive with others.
- I prefer to work alone than work in a team.
- Knowing how to is more important than knowing why to
- The statement task demonstrate the way of thinking and the preferred way of making decisions. For example, people who prefer to work alone probably won't be relational thinkers. In addition, people who agree with the third statement and think the how is more important than the why are mostly practical thinkers who tend to focus on the planning and organizing part, while the ones who disagree with it will be the experimental thinkers who believe the why and the reason for action is the most important idea.
Adjectives Pairs:
Choose the adjective that describes you the best from each pair:
Optimistic /Realistic
Problem solver /Analytical
Planner /Holistic
Empathetic /Organized
- This Adjective pairs question is about demonstrating what adjective you define yourself with and what way of thinking it belongs to. For example, being empathetic has to do with having a relational way of thinking because they use their feelings in their thinking style, while being organized usually comes together with being a practical thinker. Optimistic people will probably be a experimental thinkers who are a vision person and aim high, while realistic ones will be the analytical thinkers who rely on facts and data.
The Theory Behind the Assessment
The human mind has 4 quarters of the brain that used for think, decisions making, and planning the future. These quarters are described with colors:
Blue
The ones who usually use the blue quarter of the brain are mostly analytical thinkers. They uses logic and well-known facts to support their opinions. The analytical thinkers prefer working with numbers, statistics, and data and need to gather facts before deciding. When you’re communicating with an analytical thinker, show them the facts first, to get them on board with your idea. In addition, it is recommended to get to the point fast because they lose interest quickly. They will prefer working in an analytical position that uses data and exact science.
Green
Those who prefer the green side of the brain are the practical thinkers. They are highly organized and value detailed plans and procedures. When you’re communicating with a practical thinker, make sure you’re as organized as they are. Make sure you present all information step by step. Furthermore, Before you present your information, share it with them in writing first, so they have extra time to process it. Prefer working in companies that as a clear vision and known working plan.
Red
The group who uses the red part of the brain are mostly relational thinkers. They are more emotional than other types of thinkers and their decisions are feelings based. They’re great at picking up on non-verbal cues and value the contribution of everyone in the group. When communicating with a relational thinker, engage them with stories in an open forum that gives everyone an opportunity to ask questions and participate. They will prefer working with people and emphasize the importance of the environment that surrounds them.
Yellow
The ones who prefer the yellow part of the brain are the experimental thinkers. They are more creative than other types of thinkers and enjoy exploring different concepts, and strategies, and use big-picture approaches to problem-solving. Experimental communicators can tolerate ambiguity but can get bored with the finer details. Because of this, it’s okay to get a little creative when communicating with an experimental thinker. In addition, make sure anything you present links back to the ‘why’. They will enjoy working in companies who give a free hand and more open minded for innovation and creation outside the box.
The Results of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument Assessment
Upon completion of the assessment, you will receive an analysis that provides insights into how your brain functions. The analysis includes three key elements: the preference code, adjective pairs, and profile score.
Preference Code:
The preference code categorizes the quarters of your brain based on your preferred thinking style. The profile is divided into three zones: 'Strong Preference' (Zone 1), 'General Preference' (Zone 2), and 'Low Preference' (Zone 3). These zones correspond to the Profile Scores: a score of 1 indicates a strong preference (above 66), a score of 2 indicates a general preference (33-66), and a score of 3 indicates a negative preference (0-33).
Adjective Pairs:
The adjective pairs help determine your preferred quarter when facing pressure. You will be presented with 24 pairs of adjectives and asked to choose the one that best fits you. This exercise emphasizes which quarter of your brain becomes stronger under pressure. The result is represented by a dotted line in the profile and is referred to as your 'backup style'.
Profile Score:
The profile score indicates your preferred thinking style when not under pressure. Each quarter is assigned a score ranging from 8 to 189.
It is important to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers in this assessment. The HBDI does not label it as a test, and there is no single correct response.
Brain Profile
After getting the numbers we receive personal brain profile:
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What do the Percentages in the Profile Stand for?
The percentages in the Brain Profile represent the degree to which a person thinks in the top half versus the bottom half of their brain, as well as the left versus the right-hand side of their brain. It provides an indication of thinking preferences within these divisions.
What do the Lines on the Profile Stand for?
The lines in the HBDI profile indicate the extent to which a person utilizes each of the four quarters in their day-to-day thinking. The length of the line in a specific quarter reflects the dominance of that quarter in their thinking process. A longer line indicates a stronger preference for that thinking style.
What is the dotted Line on the Profile Stand for?
The dotted line in the profile highlights under-pressure thinking. It emphasizes how a person tends to think when facing stressful or challenging situations. In the provided example, the person demonstrates an practical thinking style when under pressure.
The HBDI model is significant because it acknowledges and appreciates the diverse ways in which people think. Understanding that individuals have different thinking preferences allows for tolerance and appreciation of their unique perspectives. By recognizing and valuing this thinking diversity, one can leverage it to enhance their own thinking and problem-solving abilities.
The Biographical Information sections of the HBDI Assessment contains the followings:
- Handedness – Whether you write in your right or left hand or both.
- School Subjects – What subjects you majored in.
- Hobbies – Rank your hobbies according to your preference.
- Energy Level – Are you a morning person or a night owl?
- Motion Sickness – Can you read while traveling? Do you suffer from motion sickness?
- Introversion/Extroversion – Are you a more introverted or extroverted person?
While there is not a lot to practice towards these sections, it is very important to be yourself and answer honestly. This will give the companies a change to get to know you better and to deepen the connection. Sometimes that what makes all the difference. People wants to work with people they connect to on a personal level, and these sections are the best way to do so.