Overall results (score 72)

Mary appears to be fairly well-suited for a career in security. Although she may have to work on certain skills and traits needed to be among the most promising candidates, she scored well on most of the subscales. Thus, from a psychological point of view, she seems to have most of the necessary skills and traits that will allow her to fit in well in this field. If she put the effort into improving upon her existing skills, she would definitely adapt well to this work environment. In general, her personality and skills adequately match those needed in the field. See the strengths and weaknesses section for more information.

Self-control (score 64)

Mary's results indicate that her self-control is fairly good, but could use a little improvement. Overall, she doesn't seem to have too much difficulty monitoring and regulating Her behavior. This self-control likely allows her to deal with whatever adversity comes her way and helps her deal with stress more effectively. In addition, she is probably less likely to act without considering the consequences of her behavior. This is essential because a lack of self-control could be detrimental in the security field.

Integrity (score 81)

According to Mary's responses, she considers integrity very important, and likely does her best to practice it in her everyday life. She seems to have a strict attitude towards dishonest behavior, and can be trusted to behave in a responsible and principled manner. As a person who represents and espouses the law, she is expected to act with integrity at all times, so it is essential that she continue to uphold this behavior.

Authoritativeness (score 69)

Mary's results indicate that she is generally a take-charge kind of person. She is fairly assertive when it comes to standing her ground or getting her point across to others, and can influence people to follow her lead. Overall, the manner in which she carries herself and communicates seems to be firm enough to demonstrate an air of authority to others. However, since her score indicates that there is still room for improvement, it is recommended that she work on her leadership and assertiveness skills.

Alertness (score 67)

Mary's score indicates that she is fairly alert to the details in her environment, and is generally not the type to get sidetracked easily. When working in security, an individual who is not very alert is a liability. A security guard, particularly someone who works at night, must be constantly aware of his or her surroundings. A lapse in concentration or a lack of attention to detail could be detrimental. Although alertness is only one of the many skills and traits required when working in security, it is by far one of the most important.

Comfort with Risk-taking (score 67)

Mary's responses indicate that she is fairly comfortable taking risks. She would likely thrive in an environment where risk-taking is sometimes required. While it would be unwise to simply jump into dangerous situations without much forethought, an inability to take risks when necessary would be a serious disadvantage in this field.

Ability to assess situations (score 80)

When it comes to putting things in perspective or objectively observing a situation in order to determine the best response, this is one of Mary's strengths. She trusts her own judgment. In addition to being alert, security guards need to be able to accurately assess a person or situation before taking action. This is a skill that comes with experience and practice.

Calculated Risk-taking (score 81)

Mary's results indicate that she is a calculated risk-taker. She is not the type of person who jumps into situations without considering the consequences. Risk-taking in the security field requires a delicate balance between knowing when to take action, and when to back off and take an alternative route. A reckless risk-taker is a liability. Some further training would likely be useful however in order to learn how to respond to a wide variety of risky situations (and when not to).

Impression Management (score 0)

This scale assesses to what degree the results on this test are distorted or manipulated. Many people will try to present themselves in a better light, especially if the stakes are high.

A test-taker's answers are compared to responses obtained from a large sample of the general population. When someone systematically selects socially desirable responses that are rarely endorsed by others, there is a good reason to believe that a positive self-presentation bias is at play. A score that is suspiciously high may indicate that a person is lying, which may invalidate the whole test.

There was little or no indication in Mary's results to suggest that she was lying or trying to present herself in a favorable light.