Hogan Development Survey (HDS) 2026: the 11 derailers, how risk is reported, and free sample questions with a consistency check
The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) is Hogan’s dark-side inventory: it estimates which of 11 everyday strengths you are likely to overdo when you are stressed, tired or bored, the patterns Hogan calls derailers.1,3 It is not a clinical test and has no pass mark; in a Hogan assessment it is often read together with the personality and values inventories against a job profile.3,5 Answer 16 HDS-style statements free and see which tendencies show and whether your answers held together.
- How Hogan assessments work: guide and video8 min read
- HDS lesson: 11 derailers, 3 clusters, risk bands7 min read
- Statement trainer: which scale does it tap?12 statements
- Quick HDS-style survey: strength and risk44 statements
- Full HDS-style survey, no clock160 statements
- Interview lesson: your derailer stories5 min read
- 16 HDS sample questions, 4-point scale
- All 11 derailers, 2 ideas repeated
- No clock, about 4 minutes
- Strength or risk per derailer, no risk score
Free · no account, no email · HDS-style statements written for our course, not Hogan items
A short tour of the HDS practice survey
Statements on the 4-point scale, the derailer profile with the strength behind each risk, and the interview hints that come after it.
Trailer · derailer practice in Hogan Assessment Prep 2026
What are the 11 HDS derailers?
Hogan describes each HDS scale as a strength that becomes a problem when you overuse it under pressure, and sorts the 11 scales into three clusters by how people tend to react to stress: moving away from others, moving against them, or moving toward them.1,3 The same trait can be decisive leadership on a good day and ignoring advice on a bad one. Summaries below are ours, not Hogan’s wording.
| Cluster | Derailer | The strength | The risk under pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving away | Excitable | Energy, passion, enthusiasm | Mood swings; drops people or projects when frustrated |
| Moving away | Skeptical | Alert to politics and hidden agendas | Distrust, fault-finding, assuming bad intent |
| Moving away | Cautious | Careful, avoids costly mistakes | Slow to decide, resists change |
| Moving away | Reserved | Calm, independent, tough-minded | Withdraws, stops communicating |
| Moving away | Leisurely | Pleasant, protects own priorities | Quiet resistance, delays, ignored requests |
| Moving against | Bold | Confident, decisive, thinks big | Arrogance, ignores feedback |
| Moving against | Mischievous | Charming, willing to take risks | Bends rules, acts on impulse |
| Moving against | Colorful | Lively, a good presenter | Seeks attention, poor listener |
| Moving against | Imaginative | Creative, original | Impractical ideas, hard to follow |
| Moving toward | Diligent | High standards, thorough | Perfectionism, micromanaging |
| Moving toward | Dutiful | Loyal, supportive team player | Too eager to please, will not push back |
How many items are on the HDS test, and how long is it?
Hogan’s technical supplement counts 154 scored items, 14 for each of the 11 scales; prep sites often quote 168.1,6 Hogan gives about 15 to 20 minutes. There is no clock, and a distributor notes that the survey can be paused and picks up where you left it.1,4 Our full practice survey has 160 statements: the 154 scale statements plus 6 repeated ideas.
Hogan Development Survey facts (2026)
Checked October 26, 2026 against Hogan’s brochure, technical supplement and norm FAQ; “reported” = prep sites and test takers; “distributor” = Hogan resellers- Measures
- The dark side: strengths overused under stress, fatigue or boredom; 11 scales in 3 clusters, 33 subscales.1,3
- Answer format
- 4 points without a middle since 2018, the same scale as the bright-side inventory.2
- Items
- 154 scored (11 × 14) according to Hogan; often reported as 168.1,6
- Time
- About 15–20 minutes, untimed; can be paused with autosave (distributor).1,4
- Scores
- A percentile per scale against global norms from 2018–2022 data, in use since June 2023.2
- Risk bands
- 0–39 no risk, 40–69 low, 70–89 moderate, 90–100 high (distributor sample report).4
- In hiring
- Compared with a job profile, often in one report with the personality and values inventories.5
- Pass mark
- None; candidates usually see no report.3
Yes/No, five points or four: how is the HDS answered today?
With four agreement steps and no middle, since 2018.2 Some of the most-watched 2025/26 videos still describe other formats and odd tactics.7 What you may hear:
| What you may hear | What holds today |
|---|---|
| Yes / No or True / False items | The older format; every statement is now rated from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree.2 |
| A neutral middle option | None on the HDS: every answer leans one way.2 |
| Choose between two statements, A or B | Single statements, one at a time.1,7 |
| Deny everything negative to show zero risk | A string of strong denials is an unusual pattern, and some statements describe things nearly everyone does now and then. |
| “The HDS has 168 questions” | Hogan counts 154 scored items; 168 is the figure prep sites repeat.1,6 |
Bright side or dark side: how does the HDS differ?
Employers often read the HDS next to the bright-side inventory: one describes you on a normal day, the other under strain.3,5
| Inventory | When it describes you | What a high score means |
|---|---|---|
| Hogan Development Survey (this page) | Under pressure, tired or bored | A strength you may overdo; reported as risk1,4 |
| Hogan Personality Inventory | On a normal working day | Neither good nor bad; read against the job3 |
| Hogan MVPI | Whenever you choose a job or a team | A value that matters to you; read as culture fit1 |
The full picture, with the timed reasoning test: the Hogan assessment overview.
What do HDS sample questions look like?
Plain statements about habits under pressure. Agreeing usually points to a stronger tendency; a few are reversed. None has a right answer, because every tendency has a strength behind it.
How can you prepare for the HDS without hiding your derailers?
You will rarely see your real report, but interviewers who have it may ask about pressure, conflict and mistakes.3,5 The course helps you recognize your likely derailers and talk about them with real examples.
4:33Lesson HDS · risk bands and the practice profile
- 1Lesson HDS
Strength first, then risk
The 11 derailers in three clusters, the strength behind each one, how risk bands work, and why most people have at least one elevated scale. Video 4:33.
- 2Trainer and quick survey
Recognize the patterns
Sort 12 statements by derailer, then take a 44-statement quick survey that shows the strength and the risk for each scale.
- 3Full survey
The real length
160 statements without a clock, repeated ideas mixed in. The profile marks tendencies, never Hogan risk scores.
- 4Interview lesson
Own the risk
Name the strength, tell one time it went too far, show the habit you use now and what changed: one story for each top derailer.
Derailers only, or the whole battery?
The course start page asks which inventories your invitation names and lays out the matching path. The HDS steps sit in the personality path and in the full battery.
How should you get ready for the HDS?
Know the 11 patterns, notice your own, prepare the stories. Pick your situation.
Patterns, then stories.
Learn the derailers first, take the quick survey, and spend the rest of the time on stories.
- Day 1Lesson HDS and the statement trainer25 min
- Day 2Quick 44-statement survey, read strength and risk20 min
- Day 3Interview lesson: two derailer stories30 min
- Before you startTest-day lesson: quiet room, laptop, autosave10 min
Derailers weigh more with seniority.
For leadership roles, expect the personality, derailer and values inventories in one report, and prepare a manage-it story for each top derailer.5
- Week 1Lessons HOW, personality and HDS, quick runs~20 min/day
- Week 2Answer-well lesson, full 160-statement survey~25 min/day
- Week 3Values lesson, a story for each top derailer~20 min/day
- Link arrivesTest-day lesson, then one calm sitting
Pressure stories.
Forums and pilot-prep sites report that United Airlines pilots take the HDS together with the bright-side inventory before the interview.6
- Day 1Lesson HDS, statement trainer25 min
- Day 2Quick survey, then the full survey45 min
- Day 3Stories: a stressful flight, a crew conflict, a mistake30 min
- Day 4Test-day lesson, then rest15 min
What does the derailer path cover?
The HDS steps of the course in order. If your invitation also lists the bright-side inventory, its lessons come first in the same path.
Free HDS sample questions or the course?
Free lists of sample questions show what the statements sound like. They rarely show what your answers mean, or how to talk about them.
| Free practice | Hogan Assessment Prep 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Often Yes / No or a 5-point scale | 4 points without a middle, as Hogan has used since 2018 |
| Meaning | A label such as “arrogant” | The strength behind each derailer and the risk under pressure |
| Volume | A few statements | 12-statement trainer, 44-statement quick survey, 160-statement full survey |
| Interview | Not covered | A worked derailer story and a template for yours |
| Cost | $0 | $68, one payment |
Hogan Development Survey FAQ: derailers, risk, interview
What is a derailer on the Hogan Development Survey?
A strength you tend to overdo when you are stressed, tired or bored, for example confidence that turns into ignoring advice. Hogan measures 11 of them.1,3
Is the HDS a clinical or mental health test?
No. Derailers describe everyday work habits under pressure, not disorders. The HDS is a workplace inventory that employers compare with a job profile.3,5
Does the HDS have 154 or 168 questions?
Hogan’s technical supplement counts 154 scored items, 14 per scale; 168 is the number prep sites often give.1,6 Expect somewhere between 150 and 170 statements.
What do the HDS risk bands mean?
A distributor’s sample report places each scale’s percentile in a band: no risk (0–39), low (40–69), moderate (70–89) or high risk (90–100).4 Our free test and practice profiles cannot compute these bands, because they use no Hogan norms.
Is a high-risk derailer a red flag?
Not on its own. About one person in ten lands in the top band on any single scale, so with 11 scales most people have at least one elevated derailer. Employers look at which ones matter for the job and how many are high.4,5
Should I try to score low on every HDS scale?
No. Strongly denying everything that sounds negative creates an unusual pattern, and very low scores have their own downside, such as going unnoticed when a role needs visibility. Answer as you behave under real pressure.
What are the three HDS clusters?
Moving away (Excitable, Skeptical, Cautious, Reserved, Leisurely), moving against (Bold, Mischievous, Colorful, Imaginative) and moving toward (Diligent, Dutiful), grouped by how people tend to react to stress.1
Are these real HDS sample questions?
No. All statements are HDS-style practice written for our course, in the current format. Prepterminal is independent and not affiliated with Hogan.
How do I talk about my derailers in an interview?
Name the strength first, tell one specific time it went too far and what it cost, then show the habit you use now and what changed. That is far more credible than “I have no weaknesses”.
Does the free HDS test give me a risk score?
No. For each derailer it touches, it shows whether your answers lean to the strength or to the risk side, and whether you answered two repeated ideas alike. A practice estimate, not a Hogan result.
What does the course include for the HDS?
One payment of $68 opens all of Hogan Assessment Prep 2026: the HDS lesson and video, a statement trainer, a 44-statement quick survey, a 160-statement full survey with practice profile, the interview lesson with derailer stories, and the personality, values and reasoning parts.
Know your derailers before the interviewer asks
- HDS lesson with video: 11 derailers, 3 clusters, the strength behind each risk
- Statement trainer: 12 statements to sort by scale
- Quick (44) and full (160) HDS-style surveys with practice profiles
- Interview lesson with a worked derailer story
- Answer-well lesson on consistency and “too good to be true” answering
- Personality, values and reasoning lessons for the rest of your invitation
Every strength has a dark side. Know yours.
Learn the 11 derailers, see your own tendencies, and prepare the stories that show you keep them in check.
Get Hogan Assessment Prep 2026: $68P.S. Not ready to buy? Answer the 16 free HDS sample questions first, then decide.
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