McQuaig has been part of the talent assessment market since the 1950s and has a loyal user base that values its simplicity and the straightforward behavioural reporting it produces.
For teams wanting a more modern platform, better-validated personality measurement grounded in widely accepted frameworks, or stronger cognitive testing alongside their behavioural assessment, there are a few alternatives worth considering.
Test Partnership
Test Partnership is the most direct upgrade for teams that want both a modern platform and better-validated personality assessment. The personality questionnaire is grounded in the Big Five model, which has a considerably stronger evidence base than the proprietary framework McQuaig uses, and it sits alongside validated cognitive assessments in the same platform.
The candidate experience is also notably more modern. The platform is self-service, well-supported, and designed to be accessible to in-house teams without specialist assessment knowledge. For organisations that have outgrown McQuaig's functionality or are concerned about the scientific grounding of the personality model, Test Partnership addresses both directly.
Thomas International
Thomas International occupies similar territory to McQuaig: a DISC-based behavioural assessment paired with a cognitive test, used widely across mid-market organisations for hiring and development. It has been in the market longer and has a larger user base, which can make it easier to benchmark candidates and find external practitioners familiar with the tool.
Like McQuaig, Thomas uses a DISC framework that has well-documented scientific limitations compared to Big Five approaches. But if the familiarity and simplicity of DISC-based reporting is what you value, Thomas is a more established version of the same proposition.
Predictive Index
Predictive Index combines a short behavioural assessment with a cognitive test, and has a particularly strong following in North American markets. The platform is more modern than McQuaig and the reporting has been developed significantly in recent years, which makes it easier to communicate results to hiring managers.
The main consideration is that PI also uses a proprietary behavioural model rather than Big Five, and the pricing can be a step up from McQuaig depending on your volume. But for teams that want a more widely known and better-supported version of the behavioural plus cognitive combination, PI is worth evaluating.
Criteria
Criteria is worth considering if you want to move towards a broader, more flexible assessment platform with stronger cognitive testing at its core. The CCAT (cognitive ability test) is one of the better short-form cognitive assessments on the market, and Criteria's personality tool provides a solid baseline measure alongside it.
The platform is self-service and relatively easy to set up, which makes it practical for in-house teams. For organisations that want to weight cognitive ability more heavily than McQuaig allows, or that want to add skills testing to the mix, Criteria offers more flexibility.
Conclusion and next steps
If the concern is the scientific grounding of the personality model or the age of the platform, Test Partnership is the clearest alternative: modern, validated, and built around a well-researched personality framework. For teams that specifically want to stay in the DISC-adjacent behavioural space, Thomas International is the most established option and Predictive Index is the most widely recognised. And for a broader cognitive and personality battery, Criteria is straightforward and well-priced.
You can explore Test Partnership's personality tests and aptitude tests, or find out more about why organisations choose Test Partnership.
Sources: McQuaig, McQuaig on G2, Thomas International, Thomas International on G2, Predictive Index, Predictive Index on G2, Criteria, Criteria on G2.
Joshua Hancock
Digital Marketing Manager at Test Partnership. Over 7 years experience as a writer, content strategist, SEO and digital marketer.
