Harvard Business Review published the Curiosity Profile Assessment a little while ago. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of Business Psychology at University College London, states that curiosity is a vital quality for “people who ask smart questions, explore new ideas and solutions, and are eager to grow“.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Structure Curiosity Profile Assessment
The curiosity profile assessment consists of 27 yes or no statements that can be answered within 10 minutes.
These statements or call these questions are drawn “from extensive research on curiosity in educational settings and the personality traits associated with it.” Therefore the questions are scientifically validated and measure three key area’s unconventionality, intellectual hunger, and experiential curiosity.
If you would like to read more about curiosity in this specific educational setting click on the publication link “The Hungry Mind : Intellectual Curiosity Is the Third Pillar of Academic Performance” from Sophie von Stumm, Benedikt Hell and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. This publication in Perspectives on Psychological Science consists of some interesting prediction and mediation models. 🙂
Please find some of the question examples below.
- I get bored easily;
- I love the excitement of the unknown;
- I’ll try anything once to see what it’s like;
- I enjoy trying new approaches;
- I ask very few questions;
- I like to understand how things work;
- I enjoy solving complicated riddles;
- I socialize with lots of different people;
- I like to question the status quo;
- I like to seek out additional training;
Curiosity Profile Assessment Results
As mentioned in the previous paragraph three key area’s are measured: unconventionality, intellectual hunger, and experiential curiosity.
- You are an unconventional thinker;
- You are intellectually hungry;
- You seek new experiences and relationships;
The results are represented in a clear graph, where your own score is presented as well as the average Harvard Business Review reader who participated in the Curiosity Profile Assessment. In addition you will get a description of the measured key area and take aways for further reading (remark other helpful and interesting Harvard Business Review articles).
Just like with the Gallup StrengthFinder 2.0 Online Assessment I found the descriptions with the scores particularly helpful. Examples are show in the following paragraphs.
You are an unconventional thinker
“Test takers who score high on this dimension are philosophically inclined. They gravitate toward cultural hobbies and enjoy exploring a wide range of educational subjects. They regard themselves as avid thinkers. Those with low scores are more practical. They typically rely on their experience and common sense to solve problems, because they prefer to spend time doing rather than ruminating. They’re interested in learning only when it has a clear purpose.”
I’m certainly someone who gets energized from learning new skills, knowledge and experience. Connecting different educational subjects and concepts is something that I always try to look for. Working as a business analyst I always look at data sets and their structure and try to leverage process knowledge to understand the practical implications.
You seek new experiences and relationships
“High scorers enjoy trying new things and interacting with a variety of personalities. They are generally disappointed when life feels predictable or familiar. They tend to be thrill-seekers and love an adrenaline rush. Low scorers are usually happiest when spending time with close friends; they don’t care much about meeting new people. They like to plan ahead and prefer known situations over unfamiliar ones. When something works, they don’t see the point of changing it.”
While I score high on seeking new experiences and relationships (especially meeting new people with different backgrounds) I also value spending time with my dearest friends. This might seem a little contradicting, but I saw similar results in the Strengthsfinder 2.0 descriptions.
Concluding thoughts and wrap-up
The outcome of the Harvard Business Review Curiosity Profile Assessment is in line with the top 3 strengths from the Gallup StrengthFinder 2.0 Online Assessment. 🙂
- Learner
- Ideation
- Relator
These assessments always help to reflect and focus on the next steps in personal development. Knowing that someone’s strengths seem to be relative constant over a longer period in time.
When looking into habits of curious people I found two interesting references. First an Infographic showing “The benefits of being curious” that shows a good overview about the trait, and shows examples of famous curious people. Second an article published on Fast Company titled “8 Habits of Curious People” which is selected in the list top 10 habits to adopt to be better at your job in 2016.
Overall the Harvard Business Review Curiosity Profile Assessment is helpful to gain more insight in your personal strengths and requires less than 10 minutes. So you can’t go wrong with taking the assessment, and wake up the Curious George in you and feed your hungry mind. 🙂
