Thomas International Assessment: What to Expect on the GIA and PPA

An invite to a Thomas International assessment usually means one of two tests — the GIA, a timed cognitive aptitude test, or the PPA, a short behavioural questionnaire. They feel very different to take, and knowing which one you are facing changes how you should prepare.

Quick answer: Thomas International delivers psychometric hiring assessments on its Thomas Assess platform. The two you are most likely to meet are the GIA, a fast timed aptitude test with five short sections, and the PPA, a roughly eight-minute forced-choice behavioural questionnaire with no pass or fail. The GIA is the demanding one.

The two tools measure different things:

• GIA (General Intelligence Assessment) is a cognitive aptitude test. Thomas describes it as measuring fluid intelligence and learning agility, and states it is used by more than 11,000 businesses globally.
• PPA (Personal Profile Analysis) is a behavioural questionnaire based on the DISC model — Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. It was adapted by Dr. Thomas Hendrickson from Marston's DISC theory in 1958.

Thomas also offers the HPTI personality assessment (78 statements rated 1 to 7) and a TEIQue emotional-intelligence assessment, but the GIA and PPA are the two you are most likely to encounter in hiring. Customer logos published on the vendor's product pages include McDonald's, Asics, Carlsberg, Red Bull Racing, Canon, BP, Porsche, Estée Lauder, Specsavers, Siemens, Skechers, and Veolia.

The GIA is timed and has five sub-tests, each lasting between two and five minutes. Including instructions and eight practice examples per task, the vendor puts the total at 30 to 45 minutes and recommends completing it in one sitting. The five tasks are:

• Reasoning
• Perceptual Speed
• Number Speed and Accuracy
• Word Meaning
• Spatial Visualisation

You answer by pointing and clicking with a mouse — no keyboard is needed — and the vendor recommends attaching a mouse if you are on a laptop. Sample questions from the vendor booklet include comparing two people on the Reasoning task (who is heavier or stronger) and checking pairs for matches or errors on Perceptual Speed.

The GIA is fast. Independent prep sites describe it as one of the most time-pressured cognitive tests around. JobTestPrep characterises it as roughly 200 questions in under 20 minutes and calls it one of the most challenging and exhausting mental experiences, with other sites citing about two to three seconds per question. Note the framing difference — the vendor's 30 to 45 minutes includes instructions and practice, while third-party estimates focus on the timed question portion.

The PPA is a different experience. It has 24 questions, takes about eight minutes, and is untimed. It is forced-choice — for each set of four words you pick the one "most" like you and the one "least" like you. There is no pass or fail. It measures your natural behavioural preferences rather than ability, so there are no correct answers to work toward.

The GIA produces a score report with per-section and overall percentile rankings against a norm group, alongside Done, Right, Wrong, and Adjusted Score columns. A key detail — the GIA is scored on both correct and incorrect answers. Correct answers add a point, and wrong answers deduct points that vary by section, so accuracy matters as much as speed. According to JobTestPrep, percentile bands run from Low (4 to 15) up to High (86 and above). CareerTestPrep notes the GIA can also be reported as Sten scores standardised against the general working population.

Because the GIA rewards performance across all five sections rather than one strong area, prep sites stress that you cannot coast on your best skill. If you want to understand how timed aptitude tests fit into the broader hiring process, our skills assessments hub covers the category.

Direct candidate discussion is limited. A LinkedIn candidate-experience post titled "An Honest Observation on the Thomas GIA Assessment Experience" discusses the GIA under candidate-experience tags. Independent prep sites consistently describe the GIA as exhausting because of the volume of questions in very little time.

On the vendor's own reliability side, Thomas provides a free GIA Example Booklet and eight practice items before each task, with instructions and a demonstration at the start of every section — a genuine plus for preparation. Independent review signals are mixed. A Trustpilot profile shows roughly 2.7 from about 15 reviews per search snippets, though that page could not be retrieved directly, while an aggregator reports around 4.1 across the web.

• Use the free GIA Example Booklet and the built-in eight practice items before each task.
• Practice all five GIA areas, not just your strongest, since the overall score depends on all of them.
• Balance speed against accuracy because wrong answers carry negative marking that varies by section.
• Set up a mouse if you are on a laptop, since the GIA is answered by point and click.
• Take the GIA on a home computer. The vendor states it will not run on mobile devices and recommends avoiding work networks where security settings may block it. All content preloads, so a brief connection drop will not disrupt the test.
• For the PPA, answer honestly. It is untimed with no pass or fail, so there is nothing to rush or game.
• Request accommodations early. The vendor booklet asks candidates with a disability or other condition to contact the inviter beforehand so reasonable adjustments can be made, and left-handed candidates can have mouse buttons reversed.

Is the Thomas GIA test hard?

It is demanding mainly because of the time pressure. Prep sites describe a high volume of questions answered in very little time across five sections, so pacing and accuracy matter more than any single hard concept.

How long is the Thomas GIA assessment?

The vendor puts the total at 30 to 45 minutes, including instructions and eight practice items per task. The five sub-tests themselves each run two to five minutes.

How many questions is the Thomas PPA?

The PPA has 24 questions and takes about eight minutes. It is untimed and forced-choice, asking you to pick the word "most" and "least" like you from each set of four.

Can you retake the Thomas GIA?

No specific vendor cooldown or retake window was published for the GIA or PPA. Retakes appear to be employer-controlled, and some employers may request an in-person re-sit.

Is the Thomas GIA proctored?

It is usually administered online and unsupervised, though some employers may request a proctored session or an in-person re-sit. No vendor-published webcam or lockdown-browser requirement was found.

Can you do the Thomas GIA on a phone?

No. The vendor states the GIA requires a desktop or laptop and will not run on mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones.

If you are earlier in your job search and want to understand the AI-driven side of hiring you are likely to meet alongside tests like these, our guide to the best AI recruiting software in 2026 breaks down the tools employers use to screen candidates.