The Science, Mathematics, and Medical Science Basic Interest Scales

The Basic Interest Scales (BIS) on pages 1 and 2 of the Strong Profile show how your interests match those of people working in various careers. Your BISs show the things you like to do, as opposed to just interest you. This time we'll look at three BISs on the Strong and which careers they match. You'll notice these three BISs are all from the Investigative General Occupational Scale. We'll look at the jobs that match these BISs to give you a better idea of where you might enjoy working.

Let's start with the Science BIS. The six professions with the highest scores on this scale are Physicist, Medical Technologist, Chemist, Science Teacher, Mathematician, and Geologist. In contrast, the lowest six professions on this scale are Life Insurance Agent, Business Education Teacher, Interior Decorator, Advertising Executive, Secretary, and Child Care Provider.

For the Mathematics scale, the highest scorers were Mathematician, Mathematics Teacher, Actuary, Physicist, Research and Development Manager, Engineer, and Computer Programmer/Systems Analyst. The lowest scores were found among Public Relations Director, Child Care Provider, Interior Decorator, Art Teacher, Social Worker, and Advertising Executive.

On the Medical Science BIS, the highest scoring professions are Dentist, Athletic Trainer, Medical Technologist, Science Teacher, Veterinarian, and Physician. The lowest are Business Education Teacher, Farmer, Interior Decorator, Bookkeeper, Advertising Executive and Banker.

You'll notice that the same professions cluster in the highest and lowest scores. Science Teachers score high on all two scales, while Advertising Executives score low on all three scales. This makes great sense, as the Investigative scales are most dissimilar to the Enterprising scales, followed by the Social scale. This makes it quite difficult for those who have high scores on both scales to find a job that combines both scales. One profession that combines Investigative with Enterprising is Computer Saleperson.

It's important to remember the matches on your BISs are frequently a better indication of where you might like to work than the General Occupational Themes. That's because your answers are compared to people who are working in these particular professions.