Updated August 2026
cut-e Assessment: What It Is and How to Prepare
cut-e is the assessment brand now owned by Aon. If a recruiter has asked you to complete a “cut-e” or “Aon” assessment, you are most likely facing a short battery of online tests — a personality questionnaire, one or two ability tests, and sometimes a situational or gamified module. Here is exactly what each one measures and how to walk in prepared.
Practice now
Free ADEPT-15 practice test — 100 forced-choice pairs in the real format, instant AI report, no credit card.
The cut-e / Aon test family
cut-e is not a single test — it is a platform of short, adaptive modules that employers mix and match. The ones you are most likely to meet:
- ADEPT-15 — the flagship personality questionnaire. Forced-choice: two statements per screen, you pick which describes you more and how strongly. It measures fifteen work-relevant traits under the Big Five.
- scales / smart — short ability tests (numerical, verbal, logical, deductive). Heavily time-pressured and often adaptive, so the questions get harder as you get them right.
- chatAssess / situational — you react to realistic work scenarios and choose the most effective response.
The personality part is the one candidates underestimate most — because it feels like “there are no wrong answers”. There are: the wrong answers are the ones that don't fit the role and the ones that contradict each other.
How the ADEPT-15 personality test is scored
On each screen you see two statements, each mapped to a different trait, and you choose which is more like you on an intensity scale. Choosing one statement pushes its trait up relative to the other — you cannot score high on everything. Across roughly 100 pairs the system builds a profile of fifteen dimensions plus a consistency indicator that flags candidates whose answers contradict each other. Recruiters read the shape of your profile against the role, not any single answer.
How to prepare (the 20% that matters)
You cannot revise personality content, but you can prepare the two things that actually move your result: knowing your own trait ranking and answering consistently under time pressure. Candidates who take a full forced-choice practice test, read the report, and note their uncomfortable dimensions answer far more coherently on the real day — because they know their profile instead of inventing it live. For the ability tests, do a few timed sets so the format and the clock stop being a surprise.
Try a free forced-choice mock
Ten pairs in the exact cut-e / ADEPT-15 style. At the end you'll see a compatibility preview and your at-risk answers.
Indicate how much each statement describes you — like the real test.
I double-check every detail before I call a task done.
I move fast and fix issues as they surface.
See all 10 statements (full text)
- 1. Statement A: I double-check every detail before I call a task done. — Statement B: I move fast and fix issues as they surface.
- 2. Statement A: I speak up first when I disagree in a meeting. — Statement B: I listen fully before I weigh in.
- 3. Statement A: Unexpected changes to a plan energize me. — Statement B: I do my best work when the plan is stable.
- 4. Statement A: I set my bar higher than what's asked of me. — Statement B: I reliably hit the agreed target, no more.
- 5. Statement A: I stay calm when everything goes wrong at once. — Statement B: Pressure makes it hard for me to focus.
- 6. Statement A: I push my idea until the team commits to it. — Statement B: I look for a compromise everyone accepts.
- 7. Statement A: I enjoy meeting many new people at work. — Statement B: I prefer deep focus with a few people.
- 8. Statement A: I plan my week in detail in advance. — Statement B: I keep my days flexible and adapt as I go.
- 9. Statement A: I trust the data over instinct when deciding. — Statement B: I trust my gut when I must decide fast.
- 10. Statement A: I openly share credit and involve others. — Statement B: I take full ownership and drive it myself.
Practise the real thing
Persona Prep generates adaptive forced-choice practice in the exact ADEPT-15 / cut-e two-statement format, with a detailed report (per-dimension scores, a consistency indicator, and target ranges for your role) and an AI coach. A full practice test is free, no card required.