Minnesota Importance Questionnaire

Profile, Occupation Listing, and LCT

How it's scored

Minnesota Importance Questionnaire

Computer scored by Vocational Psychology Research

• Profile of need and value scores on first page
• Listing of occupations in which satisfaction is predicted or not predicted on second page
• Logically Consistent Triad (LCT) report is given in addition to MIQ report

• Profile
• Need scores fall within -1.0 and +3.0
• Plotted as "X"
• Dashes indicate range that score might vary
• Value scores plotted as "V"
• Profile scale (0.0 point)
• Importance and Unimportance
• Occupation Listing
• 90 representative occupations grouped into 6 clusters
• Clusters designate groups of occupations with similar Occupational Reinforcer Patterns (ORP)
• C-Index ranges from -1.00 to +1.00
• degree MIQ profile corresponds to ORP of each listed occupation
• Column labeled "Pred. Sat." (predicted satisfaction)
• S (satisfied), L (likely satisfied), and N (not satisfied)
• LCT shows distribution of response inconsistency and indicates if there is a pattern of random or non-random responding
• If score drops below 33% (paired form) or 50% (ranked form), profile is considered questionable from high level of inconsistent response

How to Administer

By: Hillary Cook and

LaLania Thomason

• Self-administered paper and pencil
• Individual and group settings
• Focus of test is on the "ideal job"
• Respond to every item
• Answer with your first reaction to reflect "true" feeling

How to obtain the MIQ

University of Minnesota, Vocational Psychology Research

Website:

http://vpr.psych.umn.edu/miq.html

• Paired form
• Presents pairs of vocational need statements
• Indicate the most important need in each pair
• Ranked form
• presents vocational need statements in groups of five
• Rank the five needs in each group according to importance

Target Population

• Appropriate with adults/high school students of both sexes
• Keep in mind that needs (preferences of reinforcers) might not be well enough defined until about 10th grade for most individuals

MIQ manual (73 pages):

vpr.psych.umn.edu/assets/pdf/MIQ%20Counselor's%20Manual.pdf

How scores are interpreted

• If LCT shows an inconsistent response pattern, explore following causes:
• lack of understanding of task, poor motivation, carelessness, faking, or lack of clear preferences for reinforcers
• If LCT shows a consistent response pattern:
• Scale scores placed in rank order to show hierarchy of needs
• Profile of needs inspected for most/least important needs
• Scale scores interpreted as indicating needs that are important
• Look at likelihood of satisfaction in specific occupations
• Look at cluster of occupations with similar reinforcer patterns
• Look at the pattern of basic values

6 Values for a

Work Environment

• Achievement
• Comfort
• Status
• Altruism
• Safety
• Autonomy

The MIQ

Benefits

• Easy to administer
• MIQ results have been shown to stay reliable over time
• Easy to understand (requires 5th grade reading level)

• A scale to measure potential job satisfaction based on an individual's needs
• Created in 1967 by James B. Rounds, George A. Henly Jr., Ren V. Dawis, Lloyd H. Lofquist, and David J. Weiss
• MIQ can be administered to groups or individuals
• MIQ manual indicates that a licensed Psychologist should administer, although counselors often administer the test
• MIQ is available in English, Spanish and French

20 Work-Related Needs*

11. Moral Values

12. Recognition

13. Responsibility

14. Security

15. Social Service

16. Social Status

17. Supervision-Human Relations

18. Supervision-Technical

19. Variety

20. Working Conditions

1. Ability Utilization

2. Achievement

3. Activity

4. Advancement

5. Authority

6. Company policies and practice

7. Compensation

8. Co-workers

9. Creativity

10. Independence

*The Ranked Form includes 1 additional need:

Autonomy