What is it?

The Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment is an online tool, designed to aid recruitment into the advertising and communication industries. It tests the hypothesis that the most successful individuals working in the business are both Linear and Lateral Thinkers – they think ‘diagonally’.

Why do we need it?

You might think that everyone who works in advertising actually creates the words and pictures that are used in TV, radio, press, posters and all the other communication media. In fact, whilst these roles are specific to art directors and copywriters who work in the creative department, they only account for a small percentage of agency staff. Whilst not everyone who works in advertising is directly involved in the creative process, there are many other roles which require highly creative thinkers.

People who work in the industry want to do work that is creative, but want it to have a practical impact too. Those who are successful all share the special skill we call Diagonal Thinking. Oscillating effortlessly between logical or rational thinking, and creative or lateral thinking, they are able to analyse a company’s business and then make creative leaps based on their findings. We are always looking out for people with this special skill and we are keen to encourage applications from people who might not have known they were especially suited to our industry.

Do you think you might have this ability?

You can take this free test and find out if you are a Diagonal Thinker. If you are, you could be suited to the advertising and communications business. The self-assessment itself is timed to take forty minutes but with registration and practice questions it takes around an hour in total to complete. We recommend you complete the whole self assessment in one sitting, if possible. You should therefore only proceed to the registration section of this site if you are able to give the self-assessment an hour of your uninterrupted time. After registering, however, should you need to exit the site urgently for some reason, you will be able to re-enter the site at the point you left it, providing you return to complete the full assessment within a period of 48 hours. Note that the test complies with the Data Protection Act and applicant profiles will be anonymously monitored to ensure diversity/equal opportunities are respected.