MCode vs Big Five
People are too unique and nuanced to be judged by personality traits alone. That’s why MCode evaluates intrinsic motivation — what drives a person’s thoughts, decisions, and actions and that powers their strengths and unique value.
Meaningful questions and answers
Rather than presenting statements and asking for an accuracy ranking, MCode asks individuals to share personal stories of achievement and fulfillment and asks questions about how they felt about those lived experiences.
- Every question asked is about the stories shared and the role an individual played in each story.
- Questions address different parts of their stories and experiences and answers rank satisfaction levels on a scale of 1-10.
With every question and answer specific and meaningful to the person taking the MCode assessment, results are deeply personal, highly relevant, and as we’re told, scary accurate.
Reliable and consistent results
Workplace assessments are used to support critical hiring and personnel decisions, which means results must be reliable, accurate, and trustworthy. That’s why assessments measuring personality traits can be problematic.
- Personality can change over time and with experience. Personality can also shift depending on the environment or situation.
- Reliance on self-reporting of traits can lead to inaccurate results, as most answers are aspirational or based on perceived expectations.
Because MCode assesses an individual’s motivational drivers, which are proven to remain consistent throughout life, results are consistent, accurate, and dependable. MCode results are also highly applicable in the workplace because motivation is what drives engagement, productivity, and high performance.
Actionable insights and resources
For an assessment to be valuable, results must go beyond “that’s nice” or “this part is sort of like me” and deliver insights that are not just relevant to their work and life but also immediately actionable. With MCode individuals will:
- Confirm what they know to be true and gain language to clearly communicate who they are to others.
- Gain new insights that explain what drives their best work and leads to showing up at their best.
- Get personalized insights and resources that make applying their MCode faster, easier, and more fun.
MCode doesn’t tell someone a little about who they are and leave them to figure out what to do with their results. Each custom MCode report is designed to help an individual use their newfound knowledge.
MCode vs Big Five Features Comparison
The science behind the Motivation Code assessment and the Big Five personality test reflects two distinct approaches to understanding human behavior. Both personality frameworks are grounded in psychological research but focus on different aspects of personality and motivation.
MCode
Big Five
Assessment framework
8 Dimensions shaped by a stacked ranking of 32 Motivations.
5 Personality Traits.
Assessment creation
Result of continuous research started in the 1950s and first used with NASA in the early 1960s.
Originally developed in 1949. Expanded on by other researchers in 1967, 1981, and 1987.
Assessment science
Motivation-based. Focused on drivers of behavior and performance; what propels someone toward personal and professional fulfillment.
Trait-based. Focused on broad personality descriptors and adjectives, and understanding general behavioral tendencies.
Assessment research
Rooted in narrative psychology and the study of personal stories of achievement and fulfillment.
Rooted in psychological research, factor analysis, and the categorization of personality characteristics.
Assessment experience
Individuals share personal stories and answer questions about their experiences using a 1-10 ranking of satisfaction.
Individuals self-report personality traits by reading general statements and ranking accuracy on a scale of 1-5.
Assessment consistency
The Motivation Code assessment experience is always the same and only available through Motivations AI.
Many companies offer versions of Big Five and your experience, results, and report vary from company to company.
Assessment application
Applicable in personal growth, career development, and team dynamics.
Applicable in clinical, social, and personality psychology.
Assessment results
Provides an understanding of how an individual is motivated to engage and why they behave the way they do at work and throughout life.
Provides an understanding of an individual’s general disposition and how they might behave across different contexts.
Assessment challenges
Individuals may find it difficult to come up with or decide which four stories to share.
Personality traits aren’t always consistent in personal and professional situations.
MCode
Big Five
Assessment framework
8 Dimensions shaped by a stacked ranking of 32 Motivations.
5 Personality Traits.
Assessment creation
Result of continuous research started in the 1950s and first used with NASA in the early 1960s.
Originally developed in 1949. Expanded on by other researchers in 1967, 1981, and 1987.
Assessment science
Motivation-based. Focused on drivers of behavior and performance; what propels someone toward personal and professional fulfillment.
Trait-based. Focused on broad personality descriptors and adjectives, and understanding general behavioral tendencies.
Assessment research
Rooted in narrative psychology and the study of personal stories of achievement and fulfillment.
Rooted in psychological research, factor analysis, and the categorization of personality characteristics.
Assessment experience
Individuals share personal stories and answer questions about their experiences using a 1-10 ranking of satisfaction.
Individuals self-report personality traits by reading general statements and ranking accuracy on a scale of 1-5.
Assessment consistency
The Motivation Code assessment experience is always the same and only available through Motivations AI.
Many companies offer versions of Big Five and your experience, results, and report vary from company to company.
Assessment application
Applicable in personal growth, career development, and team dynamics.
Applicable in clinical, social, and personality psychology.
Assessment results
Provides an understanding of how an individual is motivated to engage and why they behave the way they do at work and throughout life.
Provides an understanding of an individual’s general disposition and how they might behave across different contexts.
Assessment challenges
Individuals may find it difficult to come up with or decide which four stories to share.
Personality traits aren’t always consistent in personal and professional situations.
Personality test vs. Motivational assessment
The Big Five personality assessment evaluates individuals based on 5 personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Also referred to as OCEAN or CANOE, Big Five results can lead to a better understanding of work habits and social interactions.
The MCode assessment reveals an individual’s ranking of 8 Motivational Dimensions: Achiever, Driver, Influencer, Learner, Optimizer, Orchestrator, Relator, and Visionary. It directly addresses work-related scenarios, such as performance, leadership styles, work environment fit, team collaboration, and personal fulfillment.
Breadth vs. Specificity:
Big Five offers a broad overview of personality that influences general patterns of behavior. In contrast, MCode’s 8 Dimensions are more specific and focus on the underlying motivations that drive behavior and actions in particular situations.
Trait vs. Motivation:
Big Five assesses 5 personality traits that describe how people generally interact with the world. MCode, however, identifies the reasons behind people’s actions, providing insights into why they act, work, and maintain relationships in the ways they do.
Predictive vs. Prescriptive:
While Big Five can predict potential behavior based on personality traits, MCode offers a more prescriptive approach, suggesting how individuals can align their actions with their core motivations for greater fulfillment and effectiveness.
Here is what’s included in your MCode results
While every Motivation Code assessment experience is the same, the personalized reports generated are not. Your MCode results are unique and every aspect of your report is tailored to who you are and how you show up in the world so the insights you gain are highly relevant and immediately applicable.
When choosing your individual or team MCode experience, you have two choices:
- MCode Lite
- MCode Premium
MCode Lite
MCode Lite reveals your MCode and provides the core foundational insights to better understand what drives your best work.
Your MCode reveals what makes you YOU and explains how you’re motivated and why it matters.
Discover what energizes and drains you, the work environments where you’ll thrive or struggle, your natural advantages and disadvantages, and how you’re naturally wired to contribute value to the world around you.
MCode Premium
MCode Premium reveals your MCode, provides core foundational insights, and includes actionable resources to help you apply your MCode.
When you choose or upgrade to MCode Premium, you gain access to interactive tools and resources to help you apply your MCode at work and throughout your life.
Applications focus on elevating your mindset, speaking confidently, refining your LinkedIn profile, crafting a compelling professional bio, making more persuasive pitches, and becoming a more effective negotiator.
MCode Foundational Insights
- Discover your Top 5 Motivations and how they drive your thoughts, decisions, and actions.
- See your ranking of 32 Motivations and how it shapes your MCode across 8 Dimensions.
- Understand your strongest Dimensions and potential blind spots to watch out for.
Additional Premium Tools
- Identify your Motivational Flow to unleash your full potential and perform at your best.
- Explore how Motivations impact how you show up.
- Compare your Motivations with another’s Motivations to see how you interact with others.
Additional Premium Resources
- Personalized affirmations and declarations to cultivate a positive, growth mindset.
- A word bank of action verbs and power descriptors that align with your Motivational Dimension.
- LinkedIn enhancers to better communicate how you add value and why you are the best choice.
- Bio suggestions and sentence starters to highlight your unique strengths, motivations, and impact.
- Motivated pitching examples to tailor your sales message to each Motivational Dimension.
- Motivated negotiation suggestions to use motivation to negotiate more effectively.
