What is MAP Essence?
MAP Essence (MAP-E) is a short personality test based on the Big Five model. It is designed for recruitment and development and is especially suited for service and operational roles.
MAP Essence contains 55 items and typically takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
The model behind MAP Essence
MAP Essence is based on the Five-Factor Model (FFM), also known as the Big Five. This is one of the most widely used and well-established models of personality. The five traits measured in MAP Essence are:
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
- Emotional Stability
- Openness
MAP Essence is designed to measure the parts of these traits that are most relevant to work and most useful for predicting job performance. To make the results easier to understand and more relevant in a work context, the test focuses on core trait elements and leaves out elements that are less useful or may relate differently to performance.
Scale definitions
Extraversion (EX)
Measures sociability and the desire for social connections, how comfortable someone is with being the center of attention, and their tendency to express positive emotions.
Agreeableness (AG)
Measures how a person interacts socially – their level of trust, their inclination to assist others, and how much they take other people’s feelings or preferences into account to avoid conflicts.
Conscientiousness (CO)
Measures how a person approaches tasks – their dedication to ensuring structure, persistence, thought-out decisions, and alignment with quality standards.
Emotional Stability (ES)
Measures the extent to which someone reacts emotionally - the tendency to be calm, self-controlled, and rational when faced with setbacks and challenges.
Openness (OP)
Measures overall openness to change, exploration, and innovation – their level of curiosity and preference to gain experience by trying out new things, researching, or engaging with different perspectives.
Scores should be interpreted in relation to MAP Essence’s norm group, which consists of candidates applying for service and operational roles globally.
A low score does not mean the opposite of the trait definition. It means a lower level of that trait compared with the norm group.
You can find more information about the norm group in the technical manual.
Completing MAP-E
MAP-Essence is currently available in 14 languages:
- Danish
- Dutch
- English
- Estonian
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Italian
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Spanish
- Swedish