Strong Interest Inventory® Profile versus Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report: Which Is The Right Choice For You?

In Careers, Resources, Strong Interest Inventory by Jonathan Bollag, Owner and Founder

The Strong Interest inventory test can help you figure out which jobs to apply forThe Strong Interest Inventory® test is a powerful assessment test that can be extremely helpful when making decisions concerning your career and educational decisions.  The Interest Inventory’s popularity has lead to many inquiries spanning everything from validity of the instrument to topics concerning it’s synergy with other assessments, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® test.  One of the most frequently asked questions that crosses my mailbox asks when it’s appropriate to purchase The Strong Interest Inventory Profile and when it would be more helpful to purchase and complete the full Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report.  This is the topic of today’s blog, and I hope it will help you decide which version fits your specific needs best.

What is included in the Strong Interest Inventory Profile?

The Strong Interest Inventory Profile is a 10 page report that provides you with all the necessary data that is required to give you a full view of your Interest Inventory results.  It provides you with your highest General Occupation Themes along with the remainder of the six Themes for comparison.  The profile also lists your top five and bottom three Interest areas, as well as a full list of your scores on all 30 Basic Interest Scales.  Furthermore, the Profile provides you with your top-ten and bottom-five least attractive occupations, as well as your scores on all 244 Occupational Scales.  Finally, the profile provides you with your Personal Style Scales preferences and their related scores.  The end of the report compiles a summary of your results on an easy to review single page report.

When does taking the Strong Interest Inventory Profile make sense over the Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report?

The most common reason I see individuals choose The Strong Interest Inventory Profile over The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report is price.  This also happens to be the weakest of the arguments for taking The Profile over The Interpretive Report.  The price difference between the two options is $10.00 USD, and I know that in these tough economic times every dollar counts, but when it comes to career exploration tools, there may be more efficient areas to make cuts. 

There are, however, legitimate reasons for choosing The Strong Interest Inventory Profile over The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report.  The Profile may be a better option for you if:

  • You’ve previously taken The Interpretive Report and are taking it again to see how your likes/dislikes have changed over the years.  Especially if you retained your old report for reference.  *note* If your prior report was that of an older version of The Strong Interest Inventory (prior to 2004), we recommend taking The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report for the updated interpretive information that is included.
  • If you have extensive knowledge of The Strong Interest Inventory from past schooling.
  • If you are working extensively with a career counselor who can fully analyze your results and answer in depth questions.
  • If you have a tendency to lose interest with extensive reports and prefer to keep information short and to the point.

What is included in the Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report that is not included in the Strong Interest Inventory Profile?

For the extra $10.00 USD, The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report provides a plethora of additional information that many individuals will find extremely helpful.   For starters, it provides nine additional pages (for a total of 19 pages) of in-depth analysis of your Interest Inventory results.

 It begins with additional clarifications and descriptors of your General Occupation Themes and relates them to expanded fields such as leisure activities.  This extended information is provided for all six General Occupation Themes, and not just your top scoring ones.  The report will also focus in on your top career fields and career motivators based on your top scoring Themes.

 Under the Basic Interest Scales category The Interpretive Report will dissect your top Basic Interest areas and list their associated themes as well as typical interests and activities associated with them.

The Occupation Scale section provides in-depth information on each of your top ten occupations including listed theme codes, typical work task examples, and a list of selected knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the occupations.  This should be a great asset for anyone that is pre-screening potential career paths.

The Personal Styles Scales preference section gives you additional suggestions of the type of job environments you should consider based off of your results.

Finally there is a handy Interpretive Report Summary page that brings the main points of the report together in one easy to review page.

When does taking The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report make sense over The Strong Interest Inventory Profile?

The Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive Report isn’t always the clear choice over The Strong Interest inventory Profile, but it may the better choice if:

  • Financially it makes sense
  • You are new to The Strong Interest Inventory and require the maximum amount of information for clarity
  • If you only have access to a limited session with a counselor and use The Interpretive Report as a supplement to the knowledge you gain during your session.
  • If you are the type of individual that loves as much data as possible and are not overwhelmed by big reports (19 pages is pretty hefty!). 

Depending on your personality type you will find a report that is a more natural fit for your style of information absorption.  Remember that the right choice for one person might not be the correct choice for another. 

Strong Interest Inventory Profile®

Strong Interest Inventory Interpretive® Report