What Sets Us Apart
With an emphasis on professional standards and test validation, IPS&SD is known for providing tests that adhere to the highest standards in the field.
Customer Service
We have developed strong relationships with our clients and are dedicated to customer satisfaction.
Brief History
Founded in 1949 by the esteemed Dr. Raymond Cattell, the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, Inc. (IPAT) is best known for its widely-used measure of adult personality, the 16PF® Questionnaire. Today, qualified professionals use IPAT assessments and interpretive reports for employee screening and selection, personnel evaluation, management development, outplacement, counseling, career guidance, and talent management. The rich narrative and score reports can be used for nearly any personnel activity, and help guide you toward making accurate, culturally fair and more informed decisions.
In March of 2007, IPAT acquired Hilson Research, Inc., publishers of the Inwald Personality Inventory, Hilson Background Investigation Inventory, and more. "After reviewing other test providers, IPAT emerged as the obvious choice to continue the promotion and delivery of Hilson tests," said Robin Inwald, Ph.D., founder of Hilson Research, Inc. "IPAT is technically advanced and shares Hilson's customer-oriented values. I am confident that IPAT will continue to treat Hilson customers as significant professional partners."
We established the IPAT Public Safety and Security Division to develop and market the Hilson products, as well as some of the IPAT assessments that are used in the public safety/security sectors. Together, the two business entities create a significant force in the psychological testing and services marketplace, distributing valid and reliable assessments in the public safety, security, human resources, clinical/counseling and educational/vocational markets.
In addition to assessment products, IPAT conducts certification courses in assessment-based executive coaching; sales coaching; career counseling; selection, placement and succession planning; and personality assessment solutions for high-risk occupations. And, through our consulting services section, IPAT configures tailored assessment solutions and reports that are designed to client needs, and scalable for future use and deployment of talent.
Testimonials
"As a police and forensic psychologist, I have used Robin Inwald's Hilson instruments for over 20 years. These tests are well researched, practical, and cost-effective, and they have formed the core of our law enforcement batteries. We could not do without them, and they are backed up by immediate customer service, with technology, test interpretation and application, and marketing." Daniel C. Claiborn, Ph.D., Overland Park, Kansas
"With the renewed energy around hiring, companies face new challenges that are quite distinct from those they faced in the "war for talent" days of the late 1990's. There's less room for error: when a new position is created, there's more pressure to fill it with the right person. Certain future on-the-job behaviors are not detectable during interviews. And, since hiring experts have claimed that at least 55% of managers in American corporations are unfit for their jobs, companies are looking for some kind of "insurance policy" or "disaster prevention tool." Hilson assessments can and are providing hiring managers with the crucial benefit hiring edge. I've used Hilson assessments for around 10 years now and they continue to provide my clients with unbiased and objective information reports with great predictive precision." Dick Meza, Interaction & Associates, Huntington Beach, California
"Since the early 1980's, I've used Hilson's Six-Test Battery to screen sheriff's deputies, correction officers, road patrol officers, & insurance fraud officers in over 20 law enforcement agencies. I've found the Hilson instruments to be the best pre-hiring screening tools on the market." E.E. "Grif" Griffith, Ph.D., Stuart, Florida
"I want to thank you for the array of wonderful products which your firm has been able to provide to us psychologist who are doing work of clearing applicants for police and other public safety positions. I have used the IPI and other Hilson instruments since 1984 with more than 30 police and public safety agencies in New Mexico. Our own follow-up research over the past 20 years has confirmed the efficacy and utility of the Hilson products and I feel confident in recommending them to any psychologist doing this kind of work. If you or any of your customers would like more specific information, please feel free to contact me at anytime." Gerald F. Serafino, Ph.D., Roswell, New Mexico
"As part of our ongoing educational process we will be placing a new ad in various assessment and psychological journals. This ad will simply list the names of 25-50 highly respected assessment psychologists…You were selected as one of those who we would like very much to include." Alan J. Raphael, Ph.D., ABAP, President, American Board of Assessment Psychology
"I've used the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) for 21 years and find that it complements the background investigation for law enforcement and corrections officer candidates. In addition, the Hilson office support always has been prompt and effective." James H. Shaw, Ph.D., Olympia, Washington
"Our clients include two of Australia's largest Emergency Services employers. The Hilson questionnaires, particularly the HSRI, have been of particular value in providing a depth of information about a candidate's attitudes and behaviors that was not previously readily available to employers in pre-employment screening. Our clients support the value of these questionnaires as an integral part of their selection systems. Hilson questionnaires also were used widely in the State Rail Authority of New South Wales Olympic Recruitment Program, particularly the HSRI-B, the IPI, and the IS5. Their use in helping to identify staff with appropriate safety-related behavior and attitudes, and appropriate work adjustment was well recognized, and reflected in the widespread local and international praise given to the effectiveness of Sydney's rail transportation system, during the busiest period in its history. " Mark Cadman, Director of Lewis Cadman Consulting, New South Wales, Australia
"The HBI is a wonderful test! We've used it to screen police candidates and bus drivers for the past five years. What we like most is that the HBI was standardized on the job candidates we screen, it's user-friendly, and gives us valuable information for making pre-employment hiring decisions." Dr. Brian Frederick, Counseling & Testing Services, University of LA at Lafayette, Louisiana
"Of the many instruments I have used in my practice over the years, I have always found the Hilson products to be outstanding in terms of clarity of purpose, interpretation and practical application. Keep up the good work! " William Vingiano, Ph.D., Central Psychological Services, Hastings on Hudson, NY
"For 10 years I have routinely used Hilson tests for the pre-employment psychological evaluation of police and fire candidates. They have been a valuable part of the evaluation process, and I have been especially pleased with the unique-to-public-safety nature of the test, the True-False biodata test items, and the supporting validity research." Stephen Stillman, Ph.D., Plantation, Florida
"I've found that the Critical items on the HBI-R give me important information I have not found on other psychological or background investigation inventories. The HMI has been particularly helpful in evaluating experienced officers who are attempting to make lateral transfers from other public safety agencies." Victoria Havassy, Ph.D., Psychological Resources, Los Angeles, California
"We have been using the Inwald Personality Inventory (IPI) since 1990. We've always been very pleased with the results as, in most cases, they accurately reflect our clinical impressions." Raul Diaz, Ph.D, Woodlake Psychological Associates, P.A., Lake Worth, Florida
"We had a Sergeant testing process that used a written phase followed by an assessment center. We then rank ordered them according to the results. The ten finalists then took the HBI-R and HMI. We compared the Hilson test results to our rank order list. The two top candidates were identical. The positions 3 & 4 were transposed, but the top 4 candidates were the same. It appears your testing validated our testing process. Really interesting!" Commander Scott Douglas, Roswell Police Department, Roswell, New Mexico
