Why PDP Behavioral Assessments Are the Most Accurate on the Market

Updated Sep 16, 2026

PDP behavioral assessments deliver accurate, business-ready workforce insights because they are built on continuous statistical validation rather than unproven personality theories. Grounded in American Psychological Association (APA) standards, PDP’s ProScan Survey provides reliable, legally compliant data to drive hiring, retention, and employee performance.

Key Takeaways

• Dual-Pillar Accuracy: Psychometric accuracy relies on reliability (measurement consistency) and validity (measuring what it intends to). PDP ProScan consistently exceeds industry standards for both.
• Gold-Standard Statistical Proof: PDP ProScan achieved an initial Cronbach's alpha internal consistency score of 0.94 and has undergone 3 Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) involving over 39,000 individuals.
• Legally Compliant & Unbiased: Third-party research confirms PDP assessments are free of disparate impact across race, gender, and age, fully complying with EEOC and ADA guidelines.

How Does PDP Measure Assessment Reliability?

Reliability in psychometric testing refers to how dependably and consistently an instrument measures individual behavioral traits. PDP evaluates reliability using two statistical measures:

 1. Cronbach’s Alpha Internal Consistency  

Cronbach’s alpha measures how closely related a group of survey items are when evaluating a single trait (such as dominance). Scores range from 0 to 1, with 0.70 considered the standard threshold for adequate reliability.

• PDP Performance: In its initial research, PDP Global’s ProScan Survey scored an exceptional 0.94. In ongoing validation studies, ProScan maintained a high score of 0.84.

2. Test-Retest Reliability

Test-retest reliability measures result stability by correlating an individual's score on a test with their score on the same test months later. Scores above 0.70 demonstrate good stability.

• PDP Performance: PDP ProScan consistently achieves test-retest reliability correlation coefficients between 0.76 and 0.86.

How Is the Statistical Validity of PDP Assessments Proven?

Validity answers the core question: Does the assessment accurately measure what it claims to measure? PDP Global verifies validity through various rigorous methods:

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): Considered the gold standard of statistical evaluation, CFA verifies if test data matches theoretical trait structures. Concluding multi-year studies in 2021, PDP completed 3 CFAs and 11 Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFAs) across more than 39,000 participants to prove its 4-factor (Dominance, Extroversion, Pace, Conformity) and 1-factor (Logic) model structure.
• Item Response Theory Analyses (IRT): To support continual improvement, 3 IRT analyses were conducted in 2024 to evaluate the psychometric properties of the five traits measured in ProScan Survey Part 2. Results demonstrated excellent evidence of reliability and validity across the five ProScan traits. These findings, together with previous research using big data and CFAs, further support the reliability and validity of ProScan.
• Concurrent Validity: Evaluates how strongly assessment results align with established, similar test instruments. PDP demonstrates strong concurrent validity, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.39 to 0.87.
• Predictive Validity: Confirms whether an assessment accurately forecasts future behavior and workplace performance. Independent third-party studies confirm ProScan trait scores directly predict key workplace performance metrics (KPIs).
• Data Quality Control and Response Integrity: A data quality control and integrity methodological study was conducted in late 2024 using 29,082 responses. Overall, ProScan responses were evaluated against 51 data criteria, resulting in five flags to identify issues commonly encountered in large-scale data collection. These analyses provide an additional layer of quality control by supporting the identification of responses requiring further inspection and helping ensure that ProScan remains a trusted and reliable source for trait assessment.

Are PDP Behavioral Assessments Non-Discriminatory and Legally Compliant?

PDP Global has carefully crafted our assessments to ensure that they do not result in disparate impact. Disparate impact occurs when members of one applicant group have a greater opportunity for employment because of the test results than another group. Research by the Center for Applied Psychology at the University of Colorado at Denver, a third-party group, conducted a thorough review of the PDP ProScan to assess for disparate impact by gender, race, and age. The results were clear that disparate impact did not exist, so the assessment does not recommend people from some groups over people from others.

All of our instruments comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and follow the policies for employment tests and selection procedures. Some labor and employment lawyers applaud PDP for our diligence in designing a survey with legal integrity that is compliant with state and federal discrimination laws. You can rest assured that you comply with all relevant employment laws and policies when using our behavioral assessments.

Why Is Continual Testing Critical for Behavioral Assessment Accuracy?

Language evolves, meaning fixed assessments lose accuracy over time. PDP engages in continuous re-validation to maintain psychometric precision:

• Vocabulary Optimization: During 11 EFA studies, PDP tested 50 additional trait adjectives against its original 30-word set to select descriptors with maximum statistical power.
• Real-World Calibration: Subsequent CFAs confirmed that PDP’s modernized word set achieves a higher-than-average 0.84 Cronbach's alpha score, ensuring optimal practical application in modern workplaces.

PDP Behavioral Assessments Are Designed for Businesses

Outside of a workplace setting, someone can take simple personality tests for light-hearted amusement. But it's different for businesses. Companies need to make sure that their employee behavioral assessments work and that there will be a return on their investment.

PDP Global’s team has conducted unparalleled research that has made our suite of behavioral assessments the most accurate on the market. PDP Global followed the methods outlined by the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial and Organization Psychology for test construction. On the employment side, our instruments meet the requirements and standards created by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

PDP Global’s suite of behavioral assessments can help you hire the right people, decrease turnover, increase job satisfaction, and more. See how we can help you make better people decisions. Try a demo.

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is the PDP ProScan assessment?

PDP ProScan scores an exceptional =0.94 in internal reliability—far exceeding the standard 0.70 industry benchmark—and achieves strong test-retest consistency scores up to 0.86.

Are PDP behavioral assessments legally safe for hiring?

Yes, PDP assessments are fully EEOC and ADA compliant. Independent research by the University of Colorado at Denver confirmed that ProScan has no disparate impact by race, gender, or age.

Why does PDP update its assessment words and testing over time?

Language and word meanings change over time. PDP continuously tests and updates its word choices so the assessment maintains high statistical accuracy and real-world relevance.