FAQ

Quo vadis is a Latin phrase that means where are you going. We named our company that because it speaks to the self-same question that many of us have about our lives, as well as to our objective to provide guidance to our clients for their future paths.

It’s actually not relative to the cost of a college education, not to mention graduate school or years spent frustrated in a career that isn’t a good fit. We firmly believe that knowing your natural abilities and planning smartly for your life's work is worth every penny and every moment that you invest. In fact, it can save you a lot of time and money when you consider that the longer you follow a particular education and career track, the harder it becomes to change course. Take it from two people who very much wish we had known our natural abilities at a younger age and who wasted a lot of time and money on career paths that never quite fit.

While there is no definitive rule about age, we recommend that clients ages 15 and older take the HAB. The HAB will give you a lot of information about yourself. What you do with the information is up to you. So motivation is more important than age. Taking the test at a younger age is advantageous because you can get a head start charting your career path based on what you know about your wiring. But adults have the advantage of life experience and often gain a deeper understanding of themselves from their results.

Interpersonal conflicts aside, we often experience frustration or boredom at a job because the job is not a good fit with our abilities and/or personality style. If a job requires an ability in which you are low, you may feel stressed; if you are high in an ability, and your job does not use it, you may feel bored and frustrated. Or if a job requires a personality style that is the opposite of yours, discontent is common. By understanding who you are, you will be better equipped to understand what kind of job is best suited to you.

High school is actually the ideal time to take the HAB and gain an indispensable understanding of your abilities, how you learn best, and what types of majors and future career paths may be best suited to you. The price of college and graduate school has risen astronomically in recent years, so knowing yourself can only help you (and your parents) as you consider your future. Be aware though that the HAB gives you information. It's up to you to put that information to good use.

The career assessments available to most high school students are self-reporting interest inventories. These have great value in helping you think of what type of work you are drawn to. Quo Vadis Consulting uses a similar interest profiler to the same end. Such interest assessments, however, are not the same as the HAB, which objectively measures your hard-wired abilities. Interests and abilities are equally important but should not be confused with one another.

No. In fact you can't really prepare for the HAB. The work samples are more like games, nothing like a typical standardized test of math and reading comprehension. Just make sure you are well-rested and in a quiet place when taking the HAB. And remember that the goal is not to get high marks. The goal is to discover how you are wired.

The HAB is an online test. You can take it in any quiet location where you have access to a computer, mouse, and headphones, and where you will not be interrupted. The HAB takes about 3-3.5 hours to complete. You can take breaks during the test or even take it in multiple sittings; you just may not pause in the middle of a work sample as they are timed. After you complete your purchase, we will email your registration code and test instructions within 24 hours, and you can take it at your convenience.

As soon as you finish your HAB, you will receive your HAB results in the form of several different reports. The reports provide explanations of each ability as well as your particular results. The fifty-plus pages of information is often overwhelming, especially because "ability-speak" is not part of our common parlance. We advise you to read what you can and jot down any questions in preparation for your consultation which will help you understand more clearly what your abilities are. 

The HAB is the property of The Highlands Company and may only be purchased through a Highlands Certified Consultant. It is not available for purchase on your own. The Highlands Company considers the individual or group debrief to be a critical part of the personalized experience that they provide to their clients. Most clients find that the 50+ pages of reports are overwhelming to sift through on their own and that the personal consultation is indispensable to understanding their results.

No. No one can tell you what you should do. Only you can decide that. We will be your guides to help you understand what your natural abilities are, and therefore what work roles and environments best suit you. You must take into consideration several other factors, such as your interests, values, life stage, and skills. For example, just because your test results say that you have the ability profile to be a lawyer doesn't mean you should be a lawyer, especially if you have no interest in jurisprudence. Or you may be interested in and have the abilities for investment banking, but that career path may not fit your value of quality family time. Your unique ability pattern will be a good match for a number of different career paths, and only you can decide which best matches up with your interests and values. The more you are willing to take your results and put in the work to research, interview others, and try out jobs/volunteer positions before committing to a career, the more likely you will find the right fit for you.

Because high and low scores mean different types of abilities, the HAB cannot result in a profile that says you are not good at anything. Unfortunately the scores of high-mid-low evoke school grades where high is good and low is bad. Abilities are not like school grades. They are more akin to personality. Just as there are pros and cons to different personality traits, there are pros and cons to each type of ability score. Each unique ability profile will have its strengths and challenges. The goal is to understand how you are uniquely wired and to chart a course that best fits you.