ASSESSMENT COMPARISON
RECKON VS HOGAN
The most rigorous instrument here, and the access problem
Hogan Assessments are the gold standard for evidence-based personality measurement in workplace settings. If you can access it through an organization, it is worth taking seriously. The problem for most founders is that access requires a certified consultant and an employer willing to pay. Reckon is self-serve.
01 · WHAT HOGAN IS
HOGAN ASSESSMENTS (HPI/HDS/MVPI)
Hogan offers three instruments: the HPI (Hogan Personality Inventory, bright-side personality), the HDS (Hogan Development Survey, dark-side derailers), and the MVPI (Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory). Together they cover personality, risk factors, and core values. The suite is sold exclusively through certified Hogan consultants. Per-report pricing runs into the hundreds of dollars. The assessment takes 45 to 60 minutes.
02 · WHERE HOGAN FALLS SHORT FOR FOUNDERS
THE GAP
Hogan is the most rigorous instrument in this comparison, with more than 400 validation studies in the published literature. The critique is not the science. The critique is access: individuals cannot self-purchase Hogan. It requires a certified Hogan consultant and typically an organization willing to pay for the engagement. Solo founders cannot simply buy it the way they might buy a book.
03 · HEAD-TO-HEAD
HOGAN VS RECKON
Hogan
Reckon
Hundreds of dollars per report, consultant-only
$20
45-60 min
about 30 min
Bright-side personality (HPI), dark-side derailers (HDS), and core values/motives (MVPI)
8 dimensions: Big Five, Risk Tolerance, Locus of Control, Need for Achievement
No
Yes
No
Certified consultant required; not available for individual self-purchase
Yes
Yes
Yes
04 · WHY FOUNDERS PICK RECKON
THE FOUNDATION. THE GAP MECHANIC. THE OUTPUT.
The Foundation
Reckon is built on validated instruments: Big Five via NEO-PI-R and BFI-2, risk tolerance via DOSPERT, locus of control via the Rotter I-E Scale, and need for achievement via McClelland-rooted scales. The questions are original, anchored on those scales.
The Gap Mechanic
The first question asks what pulls you toward starting a company. After 70 forced-choice questions, the report compares your stated motivation against the archetype your answers actually point to. If there is a gap, the report names it directly.
Decision-Useful Output
The report tells you which businesses to refuse, which cofounder you need, and what your blind spots are. 70 forced-choice questions. About 30 minutes. $20, self-serve, no consultant.
05 · HONESTY
A STRAIGHT ANSWER ON VALIDATION
Reckon is built on validated instruments. It has not itself been independently validated. The FAQ explains the difference.
No independent lab has run a test-retest or criterion-validity study on Reckon. The report describes patterns, not predictions. Anyone who tells you their assessment is scientifically validated without citing specific published research is selling you something. See the methodology page for what the eight dimensions are anchored on and why the forced-choice format matters.