Highlands Ability Battery vs. Johnson O’Connor

Posted on October 29, 2018October 27, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 27, 2026

The Highlands Ability Battery and Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation testing both explore aptitudes through performance-based tasks. The practical choice comes down to the abilities you want to explore, how you prefer to complete the assessment, and the interpretation and support you want afterward.

Highlands offers online testing through a consultant. Johnson O’Connor provides testing at its centers, using both digital and individually administered tasks. Neither assessment can make your career decision for you. The useful question is: Which approach will help you make the decision you face?

Our relationship: The Career Profiler owns TestEts, which sells Highlands assessments and profile packages. Clients coming through The Career Profiler work with career profiling expert Marjorie Wall Hofer. This comparison explains service differences; it is not an independent ranking of test accuracy.

Compare the two approaches

Provider details were checked on October 27, 2026. On a narrow screen, scroll across the chart.

Highlands and Johnson O’Connor: practical differences
What to compare	Highlands Ability Battery	Johnson O’Connor
Taking the assessment	Online, timed work samples. You can complete separate work samples in different sittings.	At a testing center, with digital tasks and individual administration using specialized equipment.
Time to allow	About three hours for the battery; interpretation is additional.	About five to six hours of testing, followed by a separate results appointment.
Scope	Work samples explore patterns in abilities such as reasoning, memory and spatial visualization.	Includes reasoning, spatial, musical and dexterity aptitudes, with personality and interest assessments also included.
Reports and interpretation	Ability reports with consultant interpretation. Career, student or leadership reports depend on the package purchased.	An interactive digital report, a results consultation and an optional follow-up consultation within the first year.
What to confirm	Included reports, video or consultation format, consultation time and any additional assessments.	Center availability, appointment arrangements and the abilities relevant to your question.

Sources: Highlands’ assessment overview and Johnson O’Connor’s testing FAQ. Check the provider’s current information before booking; arrangements can change.

When Highlands may suit you

Consider Highlands if completing an assessment online is important to you, or if you want to explore abilities as one part of a broader profile. A package can bring ability findings together with other information, such as interests or personality preferences, depending on what you select.

With The Career Profiler, Marjorie interprets the findings with you and relates them to your goal. Some packages use step-by-step video interpretation followed by a comprehensive consultation; others debrief the results through consultations alone. Those are package choices, not different promises about the accuracy of the battery.

When Johnson O’Connor may suit you

Consider Johnson O’Connor if you prefer testing at a center or want to discuss its hands-on dexterity measures alongside its other assessments. If a particular ability matters to you, ask the center what is measured and how the findings may inform exploration. A career-guidance assessment is not a professional licensing or job-qualification test.

Choose the support, not just the test

Ask what you will leave the interpretation session understanding. A report may suggest work activities or environments to explore; you still need to weigh your interests, values, experience, training requirements and circumstances.

Illustrative example: If you enjoy design, “design” is still too broad a career choice. A useful discussion would examine whether you are drawn to visual communication, physical structures, research or client work, then explore the different tasks and training involved. An aptitude result contributes to that discussion; it does not settle it.

Ask each provider:

Which reports and interpretation sessions are included?
How will we connect the findings to my actual decision?
What happens if a result surprises me or I need more clarification?
What support is included, and what would be a separate purchase?

Compare packages and current prices

For Highlands options, Find My Profile Package. The comparison page shows assessment coverage and debrief formats; current prices appear on the linked TestEts product pages. For Johnson O’Connor’s fee and scheduling arrangements, use its current testing information.

Once you buy and complete your chosen profile package with The Career Profiler, decide your next step at the final profile consultation. If Targeting or Landing is appropriate, those next phases involve coaching sessions with Marjorie. The plan and any further coaching are discussed with you, rather than assumed to be included in every package.

Questions before choosing? Request a free 30-minute consultation to clarify the process. For a closer look at interpretation, read what happens in a career test consultation.

Career Test Consultations: What to Expect

Posted on October 13, 2018October 27, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 27, 2026

A career test consultation, also called a debrief, connects assessment results with the decision you are trying to make. You examine what the assessment measures, discuss how the findings relate to your experience, and consider how to use them in choosing work, education or a development goal.

At The Career Profiler, each assessment in your chosen profile package includes consultation. Marjorie Wall Hofer is the consultant for people coming through this website. The Career Profiler owns TestEts, where you purchase your package.

What the consultation adds

A report can describe a pattern. A conversation helps you examine what that pattern means in your life. During the debrief, Marjorie gets to know who you are, what you do best, and the goal you want to reach. Together, you connect the findings to specific activities, responsibilities and choices.

The discussion can include:

Meaning: What does this assessment measure, and what does this score or term actually mean?
Fit: Where do you recognize the pattern in your work, education or life? Where does it seem different?
Connections: How do your interests, personality preferences, abilities and values relate, where your package assesses them?
Application: Which work activities, environments or development questions deserve closer attention?

Different assessments answer different questions. An interest inventory explores attraction to activities; an ability battery uses performance tasks; a personality assessment explores preferences. A consultation should make those distinctions understandable rather than treating every result as the same kind of evidence.

You can question a result

If a description does not sound like you, bring that into the conversation. Clarifying a term may help, but disagreement is not automatically a misunderstanding. The discussion should consider your examples, how you approached the assessment and the limits of what it measures.

For MBTI results, this collaborative process has a specific purpose: helping you identify your best-fit type. The Myers & Briggs Foundation’s guidance explicitly includes asking questions, agreeing or disagreeing with results, and considering which type fits best. That is different from being handed a label you must accept.

Illustrative example: You might question an Introversion result because you regularly lead meetings. A debrief can distinguish personality preference from a skill you have developed, examine your experience across situations, and consider how you prefer to work. The result is a question to explore, not a reason to rule out leadership. The MBTI publisher distinguishes preferences from skills and abilities.

Choose your debrief format

Video + consultation

In packages offering this format, work through step-by-step video interpretation, then meet with Marjorie for a comprehensive consultation. The conversation connects the material to your circumstances and addresses your questions.

Consultations only

Debrief your results directly with Marjorie through personal consultations. You discuss the findings and their application together, without using the video interpretation route.

Both formats include personal consultation. The number and length of sessions, reports and other resources depend on the package. Check its product page before purchasing. A video option does not mean that every TestEts product includes video.

From profiling to your next step

Buy the profile package that fits your goal. Compare its assessments, reports and debrief format.
Complete the assessments online. Follow the instructions for each assessment and note anything you want to discuss.
Debrief each assessment. Use your package’s consultation or video-plus-consultation process to connect the findings with your experience.
Bring the profile together. At the final profile consultation, review what you have learned and decide how you want to move forward.

If you want further support, you and Marjorie create a coaching plan around the goal you choose. Targeting and Landing are possible next phases; both involve coaching sessions with Marjorie. Discuss the scope and purchase of that further work instead of assuming ongoing coaching is included in every profiling package.

Prepare for a useful conversation

Bring the decision you are facing, two or three examples of work you have enjoyed or found draining, and any results that surprise you. Include practical requirements such as income, location, study time or family responsibilities. Those details help connect the profile to choices you can realistically investigate.

A thoughtful debrief helps you understand and use results. It does not make an assessment infallible, guarantee a particular job or promise happiness. You remain involved in interpreting the findings and deciding what to do with them.

Included debrief or free consultation?

The package debrief is part of the paid profiling package. It interprets your completed assessments and applies the findings to your situation.

The free 30-minute introductory consultation helps you understand the process, discuss package choices and clarify questions before purchasing. It is separate from the interpretation sessions included with a package.

Ready to compare the options? Find My Profile Package. If you have questions about the process, request a free 30-minute consultation.

Success Story: Career mentors

Posted on December 1, 2011October 26, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Career Success Story #4

This story highlights the importance of finding a career mentor. A relationship like this falls under the category of a strategic alliance. It can also boost your understanding of yourself and your goals while helping you achieve them. The Career Profiler can help you identify people who can become a career mentor for you.

“I worked with The Career Profiler for several years to position myself for the executive track. When we first met, I had few qualities or qualifications for moving up the career ladder. I held a production-like computer job and didn’t have a college degree. Moreover, I didn’t have any critical connections or mentoring relationships. With career coaching from The Career Profiler, I progressed rapidly in my career. I advanced three times, established a couple mentoring relationship, and neared completion of my bachelor’s degree all within only two years.

The Career Profiler stressed the importance of finding and developing relationships with key mentors. These mentors not only advanced my managerial skill sets, they became “corporate angels,” providing many more opportunities for advancement than I could have obtained on my own. In all honesty, I am now sought after by several departments within my Fortune 500 company.

I call The Career Profiler my “lifeline to success.” She taught me how to mine the secrets that make leaders succeed. The career secret I learned? Leaders are connected to key, influential leaders.” Lisa S.