In this article, we will address frequently asked questions on the topic of retaking the Plum Discovery Survey.
If you have an existing Plum Profile but that you need to create a new Plum account with a different email address for a new job application, please note that you do not need to retake the assessment. You can link your Plum Profile to your other Plum account/email address. Click here to learn how to link your accounts.
Can a person's Plum Profile change over time?
The science states that a person's Talents remain relatively stable over time (past early adulthood). Moderate changes can occur and are most often the result of significant life changes (marriage, living abroad, birth of a child) and/or intense and sustained business coaching.
Plum measures someone’s baseline ability. This is relatively stable. We can help someone develop the skills necessary to perform the required behaviors, we call this developing compensatory strategies.
Because your Talents don't change much over time, there is no requirement for you to retake the Discovery Survey if you do not wish too. You can retake the assessment if you wish to, but only after one year has passed since you initially took it.
If I re-do my Plum Discovery Survey, will my Plum Profile results change?
The Plum Discovery Survey is a universal assessment of cognitive ability and personality. Your results are not job specific until combined with the employer’s match criteria and therefore the assessment does not need to be retaken for every job application.
| You only need to complete a Plum Profile/assessment once, and you can use your Plum results for several job applications. |
Research has found that personality stabilizes during early adulthood*, meaning that results on the test will change very little if taken after your early 20's.
Plum’s test has good test-retest reliability. We found similar Plum Trait and Talent scores for individuals who took the test two times across an interval of 2-4 weeks.
The Plum Discovery Survey is designed to capture your natural, ingrained tendencies. Those tendencies tend to be stable over time. Therefore, a Plum Profile is unlikely to change over time. This is because we are assessing core characteristics about a person - their cognitive abilities and personality - which research has shown are relatively stable once in adulthood**.
For example, those who are extraverted are very unlikely to become introverted. Those who prefer to have more stability in general are unlikely to enjoy uncertainty on a regular basis. That being said, as you continue to grow and develop what will likely change is your compensatory skills. A compensatory strategy is a technique individuals use to help them perform a Talent well, even when it is not something that comes natural to them or drives them. So while you gain more experience, you will not be changing who you are at your core, but you will be developing these strategies to still be able to perform those Talents well when you need to in the workforce.
That said, if you deliberately select completely different answers and don't answer honestly, your results will change and may change drastically. Our research demonstrates that authentic, honest responses will provide you with the most valuable information to support you in your career path.
* (Terracino, McCrae, & Costa Jr., 2010)
** (Cobb-Clark & Schurer, 2012)
Plum Assessment Re-take Policy and Process
The ability to retake the Plum Discovery Survey is restricted, as our research shows that the results do not change much over time. Plum must be fair to all candidates and ensure that everyone is afforded the same opportunity. Only individuals that have completed their latest Discovery Survey more than one year ago are eligible to retake the assessment.
How do I know when I will be eligible to retake the Plum Discovery Survey?
In order to retake the Plum assessment, you must be eligible to do so. You become eligible one year after your last assessment was taken.
To view the date at which you will become eligible to retake the assessment:
- Login to Plum and navigate to your Plum Profile
- Click on the tooltip next to “When can I retake the Discovery Survey?” to read your eligibility date.
How can I retake the Discovery Survey?
In order to retake the Plum assessment, you must be eligible to do so. You become eligible one year after your last assessment was taken.
At the one year mark, you will receive an email from Plum to retake the assessment. Click on the link in the email to access your Plum Profile.
Provided that you are eligible, you can also retake the assessment at any moment by following these steps:
- Login to Plum and navigate to your Plum Profile
- Provided that you are eligible, click on the mention that says “You’re eligible to retake the Discovery Survey”.
- Read the information in the pop-up modal carefully.
- If you still wish to retake the assessment, type RETAKE and click Retake.
What happens when I retake the Discovery Survey?
- You will no longer have access to your original Plum Profile and Talent Guide, and you will not be able to compare the differences between your former and new Profile. Plum does not measure changes in professional development. The assessment measures personality, which is stable over adulthood.
- Your past job applications will maintain your past Plum Profile results. They will not be updated with your new results. It is not possible to modify or delete past applications.
- Your Plum Profile and Talent Guide (if applicable) will reflect the results of your new Discovery Survey responses.
- All your linked Plum accounts will be updated with your new results.
