Assessment Methodology

Career Compass uses Holland's RIASEC vocational-interest framework, which organizes interests into six dimensions: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.

The assessment is informed by vocational-interest research, person-environment fit, and career-development psychology. It does not claim to be a psychometrically validated instrument.

The assessment contains exactly 25 questions, each answered on a 5-point scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. Twenty-four questions map to the six RIASEC dimensions (four per dimension). Question 25 is a supplementary career-value item and is not included in scoring.

Each dimension is scored from its four questions. The normalized category score is:

((Sum of four responses − 4) / 16) × 100

This yields a 0-100 score. Four responses of 5 produce 100; four of 3 produce 50; four of 1 produce 0. The top three dimensions form your three-letter Holland code. Ties are disclosed and broken deterministically for display only.

All calculations run in trusted application logic. AI never modifies or overrides scores.

Each occupation carries an O*NET interest profile (an ordered RIASEC code). We convert that ordering into a numeric vector (primary 1.0, secondary 0.6, tertiary 0.3, unlisted 0.05) and compare it to your score vector using cosine similarity.

This is a documented, reproducible method. A high match reflects shared interests, not a probability of career success. Preference filters refine recommendations but never alter your scores.

This original 25-question assessment has not undergone formal psychometric validation. Results reflect your self-reported interests on the day you completed it and do not measure intelligence, aptitude, job performance, or guaranteed career success.

Salary and outlook data are national figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; local wages and conditions vary. Occupational interest profiles are summarized from O*NET OnLine.