Frequently Asked Questions

The DriveTest® is a sales hiring assessment designed to help you objectively identify and hire high-performance salespeople. The DriveTest® measures the most critical personality traits shared by all top-producing salespeople: Drive, Need for Achievement, Competitiveness and Optimism. It also scores sales-specific skills like confidence, persuasiveness, relationship skills, and organization. This core aptitude is required for success in sales and The DriveTest® will tell you whether your candidates have this aptitude– or not– before hiring.

The key differentiator of The DriveTest^® is our intensive focus on the three (3) non-teachable, research-based personality traits essential for success as a Hunter salesperson: Need for Achievement, Competitiveness and Optimism; collectively known as Drive. We also measure other core skills such as Confidence, Persuasiveness, Relationship Skills and Organization.

Our forced-choice format makes our test unique in that it asks candidates to select a statement that is most like them and a statement that is least like them from three, equally positive statements. This forces the candidate to make some tough decisions and gives you a clear picture of their true intentions. The assessment also includes a built-in Consistency Scale, which provides a warning on the results if your candidate responds inconsistently or attempts to fake the test.

Our sales test was designed specifically for sales roles and does not focus on any other type of position. Learn More

For best results, we recommend having applicants take The DriveTest® as early in the sales hiring process as possible, ideally before the in-person interview, to ensure you are focusing only on candidates with the highest potential. The DriveTest® is like a consumer report, it tells you “buyer beware!” Be sure to address any red flags revealed by the assessment during your interview. By doing so, you will be much more powerful as an interviewer.

The DriveTest^® report is easy to read and interpret. The results are presented using a 1 to 5 rating and color-coded scale.

If the Drive score is a 1 or 2 (red): this candidate is not fit to be a successful salesperson. Don’t waste the time or money interviewing this person.

If the Drive score is a 3 (yellow): take a deeper look into this candidate. Ask behavioral questions during the interview process to gauge whether they are built for long-term success.

If the Drive score is a 4 or 5 (green): this candidate has the core aptitude to be a “hunter” salesperson. Invite this person in for a behavioral interview to see if they are a good fit for the company and open position.

View a Sample Report

Whether you’re hiring occasionally or building your team year-round, we have a plan to fit your needs. We offer three plans:

• – Starter → $320/test, for hiring occasionally 
• – Growth → Packages of 10, 20 or 50 tests available ranging from $2,800 to $10,000, designed for hiring pushes or filling multiple roles
• – Scale → Annual subscription with unlimited tests for $1,800/mo., designed for consistent hiring

For more details, view our full pricing here.

We also offer one free assessment per company so you can experience the test before committing to anything. Click here to request a free test.

Yes. We conducted a full validation study as part of assessment development. The DriveTest® was validated based on North American high-performing salespeople and we have consistently found it to be strongly predictive of sales performance. The DriveTest® Technical Manual is available upon request.

The assessment consists of 42 questions and most complete it in about 20 minutes.

Yes. Many of our clients run the DriveTest on their current teams to figure out who needs coaching, who’s underused, and who might perform better in a different role. The Production Builder^™ report, included with each DriveTest, was designed exactly for that.

Establishing a SalesDrive Assessment Dashboard account so you can administer assessments is easy. To create your account, please visit our pricing page to select the plan you’d like to sign up for. Each plan will provide you with sign-up steps.

Accounts are ready within one (1) business day. Assessments are then administered by you from the SalesDrive Assessment Dashboard.

This article, published by Michael Mercer, Ph.D., explains why we recommend that you do not share the results with your candidates, and provides a useful protocol.