About the Strong Interest Inventory®: Changes in the 2004 Revision

Many changes were made in the latest revision of the test.  One important change was the normative group now includes more non-White participants than in earlier editions.  Occupations are more varied as well: people in 370 different occupations are part of the sample.  The average age was 35, and they had an average of 9 years work experience in that profession.

New or renamed occupations that are part of the latest Strong include Admin Assistant, ESL Instructor, Network Administrator, Recreation Therapist, Technical Support Specialist, Computer and IS Manager, Urban and Regional Planner, Financial Analyst, Financial Manager, Rehab Counselor, Firefighter, Production Worker, Top Executive, and Computer Systems Analyst.

There is a new Personal Style Scale as well: Team Orientation.  The scale shows a person’s attitude towards teamwork and shared goals.  The two poles on the scale are "Prefers to accomplish tasks independently" and "Prefers to accomplish tasks collectively."

Further, there are changes to the Basic Interest Scales, for just the second time since 1968.  New scales were added and some were renamed.  The new scales include Computer Hardware and Electronics, Protective Services, Research, Human Resources and Training, Social Sciences, Marketing and Advertising, Entrepreneurship, Taxes and Accounting, Programming and Information Systems, and Finance and Investing.  Some of the renamed scales include Mechanics and Construction, Visual Arts and Design, Performing Arts, Writing and Mass Communication, Teaching and Education, Healthcare Services, Management, and Law.

The General Occupational Themes were revised too.  Conventional now includes programming and working with software, while Realistic includes working with computer hardware.