Assessment Methodology and Validation Status

What this page establishes

• The instrument is 30 forced-choice items, scored Most minus Least, deterministic and tested for calculation integrity.
• It is not independently psychometrically validated and not population normed. The norm sample is in progress.
• The result is intended for self-awareness, coaching, communication, and team development, not diagnosis or employment selection.

How the assessment is scored

DISC Profile App uses 30 forced-choice questions. On each question, a participant chooses one statement as Most like me and one as Least like me. A Most selection adds one point to its DISC style. A Least selection subtracts one point. The four net scores therefore balance around zero.

The connected graph uses a fixed display scale from -8 to +8. Zero is the balance point between Most and Least selections. A point above the line was selected as Most more often than Least. A point below the line was selected as Least more often than Most. Above does not mean better, and below does not mean deficient.

Validation status

The scoring engine is deterministic, documented, and tested for calculation integrity. The exact 30-question instrument has not completed an independent third-party psychometric validation study, population norming study, or published reliability study. Engineering consistency is not the same thing as psychometric validation.

The profile is designed for self-awareness, coaching, communication, and team development. It is not a clinical measure, a percentile, a population norm, or proof that someone will succeed in a job.

Responsible use

Use a result as a working hypothesis. Compare it with real examples, invite the participant to say what fits and what does not, and focus on one practical communication or coaching adjustment at a time.

Do not use DISC Profile App to diagnose a condition or to make hiring, firing, promotion, compensation, discipline, or accommodation decisions. Employment decisions require job-related evidence and fair processes independent of DISC scoring.

Norming status

As of August 2026, 129 people have completed the current instrument version toward a norm sample target of 300. Until that target is reached there is no active published norm, so the pattern you see is read against an even line rather than a population percentile.

An earlier experimental norm built on 377 responses on a previous instrument version has been retired and fails closed rather than showing a stale percentile. These counts move as more people take the assessment, so treat the exact figures as a recent snapshot that is updated periodically.

A concern we found and how we handle it

In the current forced-choice blocks we found a probable social-desirability effect. Some words are easier to claim because they sound more admirable, and others carry more stigma, which nudges where each style plots. In the responses so far, Dominance and Influence tend to sit below the raw midline and Steadiness and Conscientiousness above it.

As an interim, display-only correction we shift where each style is plotted relative to the midline. This does not change your stored scores, your headline type, or the scoring engine. A proper normative scale replaces this adjustment once the norm sample is complete.

What is still ahead

The work not yet done, in order: test-retest reliability, the factor structure of the four scales, convergent validity against established instruments, and independent replication by someone who did not build this. We would rather name that list than imply it is finished.

Who is behind it

DISC Profile App is built and maintained by its founder, Jon Morrison, who also facilitates its team workshops. The instrument and scoring were developed in-house, which is exactly why the validation status on this page is stated plainly rather than borrowed from a research brand. There is more background on the about page.