Big Five comparison

The Big Five, and a profile written about you

The Big Five is not a product but the most researched trait model in psychology, measuring five dimensions with decades of academic evidence behind them. Free tests are widely available. What they give you is scores. What Polaris gives you is a written profile, with an estimated Big Five picture in your online profile.

Try Polaris for £9.99
One-off payment. No subscription. Around 15 minutes.

Big Five and Polaris, side by side

This is not a rivalry. Polaris includes a Big Five cross-reference in every online profile, because the model has earned its place. The comparison is about what the raw scores do and do not give you.

Big Five
The academic trait model

Five researched dimensions

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and emotional stability, measured with strong evidence of reliability and validity.

Scores and percentiles

Your result is a set of numbers showing where you sit on each dimension relative to other people.

Free and open

Academic question sets are freely available, and many sites offer free tests of varying quality built on them.

Interpretation is left to you

The numbers are sound, but turning five percentiles into decisions about how you work, communicate and collaborate is left to you.

Polaris Profile
The individually written profile

The Big Five, included

Every online Polaris profile contains an estimated Big Five cross-reference derived from your results, so you get a trait picture alongside the profile rather than instead of it.

A written profile

Around 3,000 words generated from your answers: what drives you, how you come across, blind spots, pressure patterns and how colleagues can work with you.

A shared language

Four colours and a map position give you and your colleagues a shared language, which five percentile scores do not readily provide.

One price

£9.99, one-off, at launch, with a full sample profile to read before you buy.

The design difference is simple: a Big Five test gives you scientifically sound scores. Polaris turns your results into a document you can use, with an estimated Big Five picture included. If you value the science, Polaris adds the written profile around it.

The details

Big Five Polaris Profile
What it is A trait model with many test providers A complete profile product
Result Five dimension scores or percentiles A percentage colour mix, map position and written profile
Report Typically scores with brief explanations Around 3,000 words generated from your answers
Big Five coverage Yes, it is the model itself Estimated scores, shown in your online profile
Price Often free, paid reports vary £9.99 launch price, reduced from £35.00
Best suited to Research, self testing and academic use A usable, shareable profile of your working self

An honest guide to choosing

Choose Big Five if you

  • Only want raw trait scores with no written profile
  • Are comfortable interpreting percentiles yourself
  • Do not need a shared language to use with colleagues

Choose Polaris if you

  • Want a readable profile alongside your trait scores
  • Value a shared language you can use with colleagues
  • Want an estimated Big Five picture plus a written profile

Questions

Is the four colour model as validated as the Big Five?
No. The Big Five is the most researched trait model in psychology, and Polaris does not claim equivalent validation. Polaris is grounded in Jungian type theory, behavioural dimension theory and modern trait psychology, and includes an estimated Big Five cross-reference because the model has earned its place. The colour framework sits on top as a communication layer, because five percentiles are accurate but hard to talk about.
I have already taken a free Big Five test. What would Polaris add?
The written part. Your scores tell you where you sit on five dimensions. Your Polaris Profile describes what your specific combination looks like in meetings, decisions, feedback and pressure, and gives colleagues practical guidance for working with you. The Big Five section in your online profile will also let you sense check the two against each other. Those scores are estimates derived from your Polaris results, not a separate Big Five test.

More comparisons

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So, what's your colour?

One questionnaire. Fifteen minutes. Around 3,000 words written from your answers.

Start the questionnaire