The OPTO Test and TT38
OPTO sees who can. TT38 sees for how long.
OPTO is a Big Five tool that translates personality into job-relevant behaviour against job requirements. It is powerful for selection and performance. However, a good prediction here does not indicate whether the tasks align with what truly drives them.
OPTO
Built on the Big Five, OPTO translates personality into job-relevant behaviour across eight dimensions. It is scalable, linked to job analysis, and designed for fast, data-driven decisions with bias kept in check. It is highly effective for selection within a performance culture.
TT38
A candidate can meet the job criteria well and still burn out quietly. TT38 examines whether the drivers of performance come from within or are forced – and identifies when a robust profile begins to cost more than it delivers.
OPTO covers certain areas, TT38 others. Together, they provide broad coverage. The chart shows which: green where the answer is solid, yellow where the other tool steps in.
OPTO
TT38
Job match – do they meet the criteria?
OPTO is linked to job analysis and match criteria, excelling at data-driven selection against a role profile. TT38 adds whether the match is talent-based, not just behaviour-based.
Job-relevant behaviour – how do they perform?
OPTO translates the Big Five directly into job-relevant behaviour across eight dimensions. TT38 looks behind the behaviour at the talent patterns that activate the individual and provide energy.
Objective decisions – free from bias?
OPTO has an explicit focus on bias reduction and user-friendly output for fast, objective decisions. TT38 does not measure performance behaviour, but the recurring talent patterns behind it.
The drive behind performance – what does it cost them?
OPTO measures preferred work behaviour and performance preferences. It does not show whether the behaviour is natural or energy-draining. TT38 maps the talent patterns that provide energy rather than depleting it.
Robustness & exhaustion – are they losing energy?
OPTO’s Resilience dimension measures robustness under pressure. It does not capture the slow exhaustion of working outside one’s natural talents every day. This is one of the key things TT38 measures.
Match over time – do they thrive in the job?
A high OPTO match against job criteria does not guarantee that the person will thrive. A behavioural match is not a talent match – and long-term engagement depends on the latter.
Leadership potential – can they sustain it in the long run?
OPTO+ Leadership describes leadership behaviour and Big Five traits. TT38 shows whether the individual possesses the natural talent landscape upon which a leadership role rests over time.
Career – what can they become truly great at?
OPTO shows the current behavioural profile. TT38 provides the direction: what a person has the natural potential to become exceptional at, not just how they act now.
If you need to know more, let us dive deeper
Data is OPTO's strength, and it is genuine.
When you can compare a candidate against job requirements and see the match in black and white, decisions become both faster and fairer. The problem only arises later, in month five, when the well-matched employee stops delivering what the profile promised, and no figures explain why.
The answer is rarely found in behaviour. It lies in what that behaviour costs. A person can perform impeccably at something that drains their energy, and that bill does not appear in a job match – it appears in the resignation.
The chart is designed to make exactly that visible. Not just where OPTO and TT38 differ, but where they actually address the same points, and where only one touches the core of the issue you are facing.
There is no reason to let go of OPTO's precision. It makes selection sharper than gut feeling ever could.
TT38 enters from a different angle: not by asking if someone can handle the job, but whether they can keep doing it without wearing themselves down.
So, consider where your own needs lie.
If you require selection based on data, pace, and objective criteria, OPTO performs the task excellently. If the question is rather whether people will still be thriving once the year is out, then TT38 is what you need.
And should you currently be without a selection tool, TT38 can easily handle the entire process alone – from hiring and onboarding to development and higher sustained performance.
So, what should you choose?
Do you have a talent for what drives you?
A profile can predict what you can do. But not what it costs you.
When a talent advisor reviews your free TT38 with you, you will see your drive – and you will become better at building roles that people want to stay in.