Hiring Assessments for
Smarter Talent Decisions
One Assessment.
A Dozen Free Reports.
Better Hires.
Hiring the wrong person costs your organization times, money, and morale. What if you could understand a candidate's thinking skills, behavioral traits, and motivational interests before you make an offer?
PXT Select is a scientifically validated hiring assessment from Wiley, built on over 30 years of research. it gives hiring managers and HR professionals the data they need to screen candidates, compare applicants to a job-specific performance model, ask better interview and reference check questions, and make confident hiring decisions. Then, continue using the same data to onboard, coach, and develop employees for years to come.
At Work Ignited, we help organizations implement PXT Select quickly and affordably. Whether you want your own dashboard to manage assessments in-house or you'd like us to run them for you, we make it easy to get started - often in just a few hours.
What is PXT Select?
PXT Select is a multiple-choice, online assessment that measures three dimensions of a candidate or employee.
Thinking Style
How a person processes information, solves problems, and communicates.
PXT Select measures verbal and numerical skills and reasoning, giving you a composite picture of a candidate's cognitive abilities.
Behavioral Traits
Nine workplace behaviors that influence how someone approaches their job: Pace, Assertiveness, Sociability, Conformity, Outlook, Decisiveness, Accommodation, Independence, and Judgment. These aren't "good" or "bad." they're about fit for the specific role.
Motivational Interests
What motivates a person. PXT Select ranks six interest areas: Creative, Enterprising, Financial/Admin, People Service, Mechanical, and Technical, helping you understand whether a candidate will find the work fulfilling and stay engaged over time.
The assessment takes most candidates about 45 minutes to complete and uses computerized adaptive testing, which means the questions adjust based on each person's responses. This reduces assessment fatigue and makes the results incredibly accurate.
How PXT Select Works: The Performance Model
This is where PXT Select becomes truly powerful and what sets it apart from simpler personality of hiring tests.
Before you assess a single candidate, we help you build a Performance Model for the role you're filling. A Performance Model is a snapshot of the ideal thinking skills, behavioral traits, and interests for that specific job. It's not a generic template, but a profile based on what actually drives success in that position within your organization. This gets your team on the same page about the qualities of the ideal applicant.
3 Ways to Build a Performance Model
Library Models: PXT Select includes a growing library of pre-built models aligned with common job roles, developed using tens of thousands of top and bottom performers. Use these as-is or as a starting point.
Job Analysis Surveys: Supervisors and others who know the job well complete a survey about job-related activities. This data is combined with a Library model to create a customized fit for your organization.
Concurrent Studies: Assess your current top performers and let the system build a model based on what makes them successful. You can even use low-performer data so you know what to avoid.
We'll work with you to build Performance Models that reflect your organization's unique culture, values, and expectations. So, you're not just hiring based on a job description. You're hiring based on what actually predicts success at your company.
PXT Select Reports:
One Assessment. Over a Dozen Free Reports.
For Hiring and Candidate Selection
Comprehensive Selection Report: The primary hiring report shows one candidate's results compared to the Performance Model in both graph and narrative form, including a percent fit score. Get customized interview questions so you and the hiring manager know just where to probe during the process.
Multiple Candidates Report: Compare finalists for the same role so you can see, at a glance, who fits best and where each person's strengths and gaps are.
Multiple Positions Report — Have a strong candidate who might fit several open roles? This report ranks one person to multiple Performance Models by fit percentage making this perfect for internal mobility, succession planning, and "best seat on the bus" decisions.
For Onboarding and Coaching
Coaching Report: Give this to the new hire's manager to provide personalized coaching tips for each scale, showing how the employee approaches their work and where they might benefit from support.
Manager-Employee Report: Compares the manager's behavioral traits to the employee's, side by side. It provides practical tips for building an effective working relationship from day one.
Individual's Feedback Report: A candidate-safe version with no scores and no Performance Model comparison. Written in a positive, constructive tone, it's perfect for sharing with new hires during onboarding to help them understand their own working style.
For Teams, Leadership and Succession Planning
Leadership and Sales Reports: Drill down for deeper insight about an individual's ability to lead or to thrive in a sales role.
Team Report: See how all team members compare across the nine behavioral traits. Each person gets a personalized version with tips for how their style interacts with the team's dynamics. Great for team-building sessions and identifying cultural gaps.
Multiple Positions Report: Compare a high-potential employee to future roles in your organization for succession planning, to understand development gaps, and to define targeted career paths.
Why Organizations Choose PXT Select
Over Other Hiring Assessments
If you've looked at other tools, you've probably discovered that they are either too basic, too complicated, or honestly, not suitable for candidate screening. At Work Ignited, we work hard to ensure we provide only top-rated, scientifically-backed assessment products that are also simple to administer and cost effective for your organization.
Measures the
Whole Person
Many assessments focus only on personality or only on cognitive ability. PXT Select measures both, plus motivational interests. You get a complete, three-dimensional view of every candidate.
Customized
Interview Questions
PXT Select doesn't just give a fit score, it generates behavioral interview questions specific to each candidate, with "listen for" tips so you know what a strong answer sounds like.
The Data Keeps Working After the Hire
Assessments are often lost after the start date. PXT Select fuels onboarding, team building, coaching, leadership, succession planning, and more. The ROI compounds over the entire employee lifecycle.
Backed by
30 Years of Research
Published by Wiley, PXT Select uses computerized adaptive testing for precision and has been validated across industries and job levels worldwide.
Free Report: The State of Hiring
Understand the impact of
Unconscious Bias
on hiring and promotional decisions.
Plus, get ideas for building a more inclusive workplace.
Download our State of Hiring report today!
How to Get Started with PXT Select
Getting up and running with PXT Select is simpler than you think. Here's how it works:
Choose Your
Approach
Choose to manage PXT Select through your own dashboard, or have us run assessments for you. If your hiring volume is low or you just want to try it out, having us manage it is a great way to start. For organizations with regular hiring needs, your own dashboard gives you full control.
Build Your
Performance Models
We'll walk you through building Performance Models for your key roles. This is the most important step, and it's where our experience makes a real difference. We've helped organizations across healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, education, technology, and more get this right.
Become a PXT Select Expert Practitioner
Our free, virtual, self-paced course teaches you to use PXT Select assessments across the entire employee life cycle. Then, we'll help you turn data into actionable insights, while boosting your knowledge, toolkit, and confidence with the tools.
Assess Your
Candidates
You'll have the ability to assess candidates as they apply or after you prescreen them. Results are available immediately.
Plus, you get our ongoing support whenever you need it.
How Much Does PXT Select Cost?
The PXT Select assessment costs $295 including the Comprehensive Selection Report, Leadership and Sales specialty reports, Individual Report for Onboarding, Coaching and Manager-Employee Reports for development, Team Reports, and more. You get the entire suite for each candidate for one low price. Plus, volume discounts are available for as few as 10 assessments and enterprise licenses are available as well.
We'll get you up and running, train your team and your managers, help you build your initial Performance Models.
Your own administrative dashboard and our friendly and responsive service is free, as long as you continue to purchase profiles from us.
Frequently Asked Questions About PXT Select
What does PXT Select measure?
PXT Select measures three areas: Thinking Style (cognitive abilities like verbal skill, verbal reasoning, numerical ability, and numeric reasoning), Behavioral Traits (nine workplace behaviors including pace, assertiveness, sociability, and more), and Interests (six motivational interest areas). Together, these give you a comprehensive view of a candidate's potential fit for any role.
How long does the PXT Select assessment take?
Most candidates complete the assessment in about 45 minutes. Some finish faster, others need a bit more time. The assessment uses computerized adaptive testing to prevent assessment fatigue and adjust difficulty based on each person's responses. Results are available as soon as the candidate finishes the questionnaire.
Can I use PXT Select for current employees, not just candidates?
Absolutely. Many of our clients use PXT Select for onboarding, coaching, internal promotions, team development, succession planning, career pathing, and more. The Coaching Report, Manager-Employee Report, Multiple Positions Report, and Team Report are specifically designed for these purposes.
How is PXT Select different from other assessments like DiSC, WorkPlace Big Five Profile, Predictive Index, and Hogan?
Everything DiSC measures behavioral styles for communication, teamwork, and development. It is not advised to use DiSC for candidate screening, as people can adapt their behaviors during the process. The WorkPlace Big Five Profile and Predictive Index are authorized for candidate screening, however, they are one dimensional tools that only measure personality or behavioral traits. PXT Select measures personality traits, thinking skills, and motivational interests for the same price. Hogan provides powerful assessments that are typically more complicated to understand, require deeper certification levels, and come at a higher price point.
Do I need certification to use PXT Select?
No. Certification is not required. A self-paced, virtual program will get you up to speed very quickly. Then, we provide hands on support for creating Performance Models, dashboard training, and helping you identify the best way to make PXT Select come to life in your organization.
Can I get my own dashboard to manage assessments?
Absolutely. In fact, we always say, "the keeper of the data has all the power!" We'll set up your dashboard at no charge, train you to use it, and support you on an ongoing basis as long as you continue to purchase your profiles from us. If you're hiring volume is low, we can also run assessments for you on a per-assessment basis.
What industries use PXT Select?
PXT Select is used across virtually every industry. Our clients use it in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, technology, sales, education, not-for-profits, sports and entertainment, and more.
Is PXT Select best for certain levels within an organization?
PXT Select can be used at any level in an organization from entry level to executive level positions. The Performance Model library contains hundreds of proven profiles from all industries and levels within organizations.
A unique report is available for Leadership so you can understand how someone will set vision, develop people, and perform other leadership functions. A Comprehensive Selection Report has also been customized for sales positions, with the most notable difference being the types of interview questions the report recommends. A Customer Service Profile has been developed for those in front line service roles and a Step One Survey is available for the most entry level positions. All of these tools are included in your dashboard.
What if we're not interested in testing for cognitive ability or thinking skills?
PXT Select is available in a "non-cognitive" version that only assesses for behavioral traits and motivational interests. In some cases, you might choose to use this version. However, know that many studies have shown that cognitive skills are a strong predictor of performance in many positions. Also, cognitive skills are very difficult to build through development. So, in most cases, we encourage you to use the full assessment.
Why Work with Work Ignited for PXT Select?
Hi. I'm Amy Pearl.
I love assessments. What I love even more is helping people like you bring them to life in your organization.
For over 25 years, our team at Work Ignited has helped HR and talent acquisition professionals implement assessments that take the guesswork out of hiring. PXT Select is one of the most comprehensive tools we've ever worked with and our clients love how much value they get from a single assessment.
Whether you're hiring for one critical role or building an enterprise-wide selection process, I'll help you get started quickly and make sure you have everything you need for success.
Organizations That Trust Us With Their Assessments
Why Work With Us?
Responsive and Friendly Service: We answer your questions quickly, usually the same day.
Expert Training and Support: Our training and support gets your team and your leaders confident with PXT Select fast.
Step-by-Step Implementation: We'll walk you through your dashboard, Performance Models, assessments, and results.
Flexible and Budget-Friendly Options: Whether you want a full dashboard or a done-for-you approach, we make PXT Select work for your budget and your hiring volume.
25+ Years of Assessment Expertise: We've implemented assessments in just about every way imaginable in organizations of every size, across every industry. We know what works and we'll share our secrets with you!
Watch This Video to Learn More!
Click the images below to achieve your goals.
Assessment
Solutions
Explore our assessments for candidate screening, development, team building, succession planning, and more.
Fabulous
Together
Give the women in your organization the coaching, confidence, and connections they need to have successful careers and a fabulous lives.
e-Learning
Made Easy
Create an amazing learning experience
whether your team is
at the office, at home, or on the go.
Lead
Ignited
Be the best leader you can be
with this award-winning
learning opportunity.
Collaboration
Breakthrough
Create a workplace you love with our best-selling book, employee survey, and interactive team experience.
Coaching
Conversations
Replace your archaic review process
with an online system to
guide GREAT conversations.
Download the Best Interview Questions
for Virtual Job Candidates
Look who's using our assessments today:
Check out our recent news and blog.
3 is the Magic Number Behind Every Great Hire
Quick Answer:
Three is a magic number in many places and definitely in hiring. Years ago, leadership author David Cottrell popularized what he called the Rule of Three: interview at least three qualified candidates for every position, interview each of them three times, and involve three different people in evaluating them. I also believe in another rule of three that a hiring decision should be based on at least three factors like an interview, an assessment, and references. Put the two together and you get an incredibly powerful candidate screening system. Three people. Three looks. Three pieces of evidence that the candidate is the right fit.
What Makes Three Special
The number three creates psychological safety because it represents the smallest possible pattern that provides predictability, balance, and completeness to the human brain. One is simply an isolated event, two is a contrast or a simple choice, but three creates a sequence that allows our brain to predict what comes next and reduces anxiety. Here are some examples of three's in our lives:
Passing along stories like the Three Little Pigs and sacred beliefs like the Three Wise Men
Creating a floral arrangement or a table scape in three's to achieve a sense of calm
Building habits like eating three meals each day and replacing your toothbrush every three months
Creating stability with a tripod
Even businesses use the number three (e.g., bronze/silver/gold packages) and three-word slogans like "Just Do It" to guide your brain toward making a fast, comfortable purchase.
So, it makes perfect sense that we use the psychological assurance and predictive power of three in the hiring process.
Who First Thought to Apply the Rule to Hiring
In his book Monday Morning Leadership, David Cottrell lays out what he calls the Rule of Three: interview at least three qualified candidates for every open position, interview each of those candidates three separate times, and have three different people involved in evaluating them. Cottrell’s reasoning is straightforward. A single interview, with a single person, lets almost anyone hold it together for an hour. Multiple looks, in multiple settings, with multiple sets of eyes, make it far harder for a mismatch to stay hidden.
The Modern Problem: Finding Three Qualified Candidates Isn’t As Easy As It Used To Be
Here’s where I want to be honest with you about something Cottrell couldn’t have fully anticipated. Getting to three genuinely qualified finalists is a lot harder than it sounds right now. National University’s 2026 hiring research found that 69% of employers are struggling to find qualified candidates for open positions, even as application volume per job posting has roughly doubled since 2022. In essence, more applicants not more quality, which means more noise for you to wade through before you even interview one solid candidate, let alone three. Separately, Robert Half’s 2026 hiring data found 58% of business leaders say an increase in AI-generated applications makes finding skilled professionals like finding a needle in a haystack.
None of this means the Rule of Three is outdated, we just need to find ways to make it easier.
Three Interviews, Three Formats, Three People, Without Wasting Time
Here's the cleanest way I’ve seen this work in practice:
Step one is a phone screen, quick and focused on the basics: are they qualified, available, and roughly in the right range on compensation and logistics. I've helped some of my clients implement an AI agent built around real job-specific competencies to make this first step more efficient.
Step two is a video interview, going deeper on experience and getting a first real read on how someone communicates and thinks on their feet.
Step three is the final, in-person interview, ideally with the candidate’s actual future supervisor. To ensure the supervisor is prepared, they use the candidate's PXT Select results and recommended interview questions. The supervisor might also give them a tour to see how the candidate interacts in a more informal setting or include other members of the team in the interview to get different perspectives. This really sharpens the execution of this step.
That structure alone gets you three formats and at least three people in the most efficient way possible.
Three Decision Factors
It's so tempting to let just one element of your process sway a hiring decision. Strong prior experience might outweigh a lackluster interview. A poor fit score in an assessment is easy to ignore when the person was so nice in the interview. (Check out the story in my post called: 5 Reasons for Using Cognitive Assessments When Screening Job Candidates.) Relying on just one factor can lead you to make a rash and wrong hiring decision.
Harness the power of three's by ensuring the candidate shines in at least three areas to boost your success rate. For example, (1) the candidate has great accomplishments listed on their resume, (2) they communicated effectively in the interview, and (3) their assessment fit score was high. Or, the candidate might be light on experience, but (1) their assessment results show real potential, (2) they came highly recommended by an existing employee, and (3) they interviewed well.
If they don't meet your expectations in three ways, it's time to move on to the next candidate. Three positive decision factors helps to ensure you're making the right choice.
Quick Answers to What People Actually Ask Me
What if I genuinely can’t find three qualified candidates for a role? It happens more than it used to and it might point to a job description that’s too narrow, a sourcing channel that’s underperforming, or a compensation range that’s out of step with the market, rather than a reason to abandon the process entirely. If you do have fewer than three qualified candidates, be sure that the one you hire absolutely knocks it out of the park on the three decision making factors (e.g., strong interview, strong assessment results, strong references).
Is using AI for a phone screen a bad idea? Not inherently, and it can save real time. The risk isn’t the AI itself, it’s an AI agent that's trained on generic questions instead of the specific competencies that actually matter for the role. Make it work for you and your organization!
Does the assessment count as one of the “three people” in the Rule of Three? No, and that’s an important distinction. The assessment informs all three human evaluators, it isn’t a stand-in for one of them. The people doing the evaluating still need to be people.
Doesn’t all of this add a lot of time to hiring? Structured properly, three focused conversations across three people, each sharpened by just-in-time assessment data, usually move faster than an unstructured process with vague, overlapping interviews and no one quite sure what the last person already covered. I just had a client share that she filled 200 positions over two weekends with drive-through interviewing. Anything is possible with the right process in place!
Want the Bigger Picture on Where Hiring is Headed?
Download “Building a Future-Ready Workforce,” a Wiley report on the trends shaping how organizations attract and keep the right people.
Stay Ignited!
