The CliftonStrengths® assessment identifies our top themes of talent. Talent being the things we instinctively do well, our natural abilities and the things we see as blindingly obvious or common sense. Get a code today to discover your top 5 strengths.
Through 4 decades of research, Gallup distilled the thousands of identified talents into 34 themes. The assessment sorts these themes into order, specifically for us, with the report listing our top 5 themes of talent. The chances of our top 5 themes being the same as someone else and in the same order, is 1 in 33 million, so we’re pretty unique!
How to get your CliftonStrengths® assessment code
Select the reporting level you want from the assessment. You can start with the Top 5, then upgrade to see all 34 themes later – without needing to retake the assessment. Alternatively, go straight for the All 34 report. The Top 5 will give you an insight, where the All 34 will provide the depth.
Top 5 CliftonStrengths®
Discover your top 5 CliftonStrengths® themes to see your personalized results.
All 34 CliftonStrengths®
Reveal all your 34 CliftonStrengths® themes to maximize your potential.
Upgrade Top 5 to All 34
Unlock your CliftonStrengths® themes beyond the top 5 to see all 34.
Make your selection and add the product to the Cart, then follow the Checkout process. You will receive the code via email within a few minutes along with instructions on how to take the assessment. All sales of the assessment codes and the delivery of the results are managed on the Gallup Access platform.
Have you taken the assessment before? See Should I take the strengths assessment again?
Taking the CliftonStrengths® Assessment
Firstly, it is an assessment not a test, so there are no right or wrong answers. It’s about how honest you are with yourself. Each question involves pairs of statements asking you to select your natural preference, on a 5-point scale towards one of the sentences. There are 177 questions and just 20 seconds is allowed between each question. If you don’t answer a question in time, focus on the next question.
The timer is to make you choose your instinctive gut reaction, rather than reasoning your answer. They are looking for your natural, spontaneous reaction, not what you think you ought to do or what others expect. The more instinctively you answer the questions, the more you will resonate with the results.
Example Question
If both sentences appear to be true, you probably identify yourself or would be drawn more to one than the other. Try, where possible, to avoid the middle option.
How to take the assessment?
- Find a quiet place with about 40 minutes of uninterrupted time.
- Browse to www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths and click on Redeem Code at the top.
- Enter the one-time code from your email or at the back of the Gallup book and complete the registration details.
- Follow the instructions to take the assessment and it will reveal your top 5 or all 34 themes of talent.
What to do after taking the assessment
- On the dashboard find the section Your CliftonStrengths Reports
- Click on the available reports
Top 5 – Strengths Insight Guide
All 34 – CliftonStrengths® 34 Report
Role based report – CliftonStrengths® for Sales/Leaders/Managers Report - Read the report, noting the aspects that resonate and actions that may help.
- Share your report with others for their perspective.
- Talk to a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach for a deeper understanding of your report and to discover how you can apply your strengths in everyday life.
Taking the next step
This is just the start of the journey, so investing time to explore and build on your talents will develop your strengths. A Gallup Certified Strengths Coach can help you gain a greater understanding of yourself and create more positive outcomes.
How to find a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach?
There’s finding a coach and finding a coach that is right for you. Make sure you gell with a potential coach before signing up for a package. Many coaches offer a free 15 minute introductory call, so you can both get to know each other. Use this time to see if you feel understood and want to hold further conversations. Ask them how they can help you get the most from developing your strengths.
Conversations online via Zoom or Teams can be convenient, however, you may prefer to meet in person. The meeting format will often govern your decision when looking for a coach.
Where to find a Strengths coach? Here are some suggestions
- Contact the person or coach who gave you the assessment code.
- Search the Gallup Coaching Directory for a coach in your area.
- Find a Gallup Office or one of their Strategic Licensees near you.
- Ask a coach in the Strengths Resources Contributor Gallery.
Check that the coach is experienced with CliftonStrengths® and ideally is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Other qualifications, such as ICF – International Coaching Federation are a benefit for deeper conversations.
Other ways to get a CliftonStrengths Code?
The easiest way to get a code to take the CliftonStrengths® assessment is online. Alternatively, there are codes in the back of several of the Gallup books. These are one-time use codes, so once they have been used, you will need to purchase another one for someone else to take the assessment. Be aware of buying second-hand books where the code may already have been used.
Explore the range of books that contain a CliftonStrengths® assessment code.
- Strengths Finder 2.0 – the most generic book describing the strengths-based approach.
- Living Your Strengths – shares examples in a church setting with biblical references to the strengths-based approach.
- Strengths-Based Parenting – bringing strengths into families, this book contains one CliftonStrengths® code and one Strengths Explorer® code for 10 – 14 year olds.
- Teach with your Strengths – explores a strengths-based approach in education.
Do you need lots of codes?
To save on purchasing lots of books, shipping costs and the environment, it is quicker to get a digital code. Using the Gallup Access platform, you can order your codes and share them via email. When the assessment is taken, the results are immediately visible in your Access portal. This is available for anyone, not just Gallup Certified Strengths coaches.
As you order more codes, do contact Gallup to see if it is worth getting the Subscription level of Gallup Access. This opens up more resources and you can download Gallup Cascade to create reports for your colleagues and friends.
More Assessment Options – Role Based Reports
The CliftonStrengths® assessment results are universal, meaning they can apply to any aspect and walk of life. Work, families, faith groups etc.
Gallup has special reports for specific roles. These reports suggest actions fitting the role, providing greater guidance. Each role based report includes information for the Top 10 themes. They can be purchased in their own right, or bundled with the All 34 report.
- The Role-Based report on its own just reveals the Top 10 CliftonStrengths® Themes. It includes additional action steps for each theme for the specific role. If you have already taken the CliftonStrengths® assessment, there is no need to take it again.
- The Bundle offers the role-based report with the Top 10 specific action points, AND the All 34 report revealing all the 34 themes. Naturally, there is a cost saving when purchasing the two reports together in the bundle.
Sales Report
The Sales Report is helpful for those in a sales role and any role involved in negotiating with others. Learn how to use your themes to bring people together towards a common goal – a sale.
Managers Report
The Managers Report is for those who manage people, with insights on how your themes can help and hinder your actions.
Leaders Report
The Leader Report is not just for business leaders, it is for anyone leading people in a common direction. Additionally, it is helpful for those pioneering a way forward in unchartered territory.
What is the difference between CliftonStrengths® and StrengthsFinder®?
StrengthsFinder® was first launched in 1999 then Gallup published their best-seller book Strengths Finder 2.0 in 2007. To credit Donald Clifton – the father of strengths-based psychology – the assessment was formally renamed to CliftonStrengths® in 2015. The formal name is officially CliftonStrengths® and many people still refer to it as StrengthsFinder®.
While we are here, it is CliftonStrengths® as one word, not Clifton Strengths or Clifton Strengthsfinder. There is a capital S for the word Strengths. Similarly, it is StrengthsFinder ®, not Strengths Finder as two words or the plural Strengths Finders.
Both the names CliftonStrengths® and StrengthsFinder® are registered trademarks by Gallup, so they should be followed by the Registered symbol ®. To create the ® symbol, hold down the left Alt key and type the number 169 in the number pad. Alt + 169 To complete the process, make the ® superscript so it appears nearer the top of the letters. Look for the x2 symbol in the editor menu or in HTML enter <sup>®</sup>
Should I take the strengths assessment again?
This is a frequent question. As the assessment looks at innate talents rather than behaviors, the results are less situational and therefore less likely to change. Statistically, the take-retake rate is around 72%, meaning that 3 of your top 5 themes are likely to stay in your top 5. Other assessments such as MBTI and DiSC are behavorial based and have a take-retake rate of around 52%. For these assessments, it is likely that 2 out of the 4 indicators will change.
The main criteria to retake the CliftonStrengths® assessment is when it was taken as a teenager who is now an adult where the brain is now fully developed. Also, if there is a major environmental or life change – moving away from a stressful job or having had a serious illness.
When Gallup studied the take-retake results, they discovered a major factor that affected the number of themes that changed. It was the length of time the person took to answer each question. When the questions were answered quickly – or slowly – for both of the assessment takes, the results were very similar. However, when the questions in one take were answered quickly and in the other more slowly – or vice-versa – the results showed a greater difference.
The important question to ask before retaking the assessment, is why? What do you hope to gain with the new results? If you just want a different set of themes, maybe it’s time to talk to a coach about your existing themes.
Finally
We hope the information here is helpful. Please get in touch if you need anything more so we can help you on your strengths journey.
Further Reading
Cascade Strengths Reports for Coaching Sessions
Resources for Teams and Team Workshops
