Frequently Asked Questions
About CliftonStrengths
CliftonStrengths is an assessment developed by Gallup that identifies an individual’s unique combination of talents. It helps people understand what they naturally do best so they can develop those talents into strengths and thrive personally and professionally.
PantherStrengths reflects PVAMU’s Panther identity and its commitment to helping every member of the community discover and develop what makes them strong. It emphasizes that strengths development is part of the Panther experience.
PantherStrengths is integrated into courses, advising, leadership programs, and career development to help students and staff apply their strengths. As access expands, it creates a shared language that strengthens connection, collaboration, and leadership across campus.
The assessment provides insight into your top talents, helping you maximize your potential, improve how you work with others, and make more informed decisions about your career, leadership, and personal development.
No. Unlike personality tests that categorize people, CliftonStrengths identifies your unique combination of talents and focuses on growth and development rather than labeling.
CliftonStrengths focuses on what is right with people by identifying natural talents and developing them into strengths. It is growth-focused rather than type-based.
Understanding Your Results
You will receive a personalized Strengths Report that includes your Top 5 talent themes, along with descriptions and strategies for applying them. Report access for faculty and staff may vary depending on the program.
According to Gallup, a talent is a naturally recurring pattern of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. A strength is the ability to consistently perform at a high level in a specific activity. Strengths develop when talents are combined with knowledge and skills.
Your dominant talent themes typically remain stable over time, though they can develop and evolve through intentional effort and life experiences.
The assessment measures talent across 34 themes but highlights your Top 5 to help you focus on developing your most dominant talents into strengths.
You can upgrade to your full results through Gallup’s website. A general list of the 34 themes can be found on Gallup's The 34 CliftonStrengths Themes webpage.
The likelihood of having the exact same Top 5 themes in the same order as someone else is about 1 in 33 million. Even in a different order, the probability is low, making your results highly unique.
Using Your Strengths
It will not tell you what to choose, but it can help you align majors, careers, and leadership roles with your natural strengths. Members of the PV Cares team, including career coaches and academic advisors, may use your results along with other tools to help you explore career options, build resumes and portfolios, connect to internships and experiential learning, and prepare for careers, graduate school, military service, or research opportunities.
You can apply your strengths in academics, group work, leadership roles, and career planning. Advisors, faculty, and PV Cares coaches can help you turn your results into actionable strategies.
No, but working with a certified CliftonStrengths coach can deepen your understanding and help you apply your strengths more effectively. To dig deeper into your results contact your assigned PVAMU Career Coach.
Taking the Assessment
The assessment takes about 30 to 45 minutes. It includes 177 paired statements, and you will have 20 seconds to choose the option that best describes you.
The assessment is designed to capture natural patterns that are generally stable over time. Retaking it is not usually necessary unless there is a technical issue.
If this occurs, you will need to retake the assessment. Your account should reset automatically, allowing you to log back in and complete it again.
Yes. CliftonStrengths is offered in multiple languages, and you can select your preferred language when you begin the assessment.
The assessment is free for PVAMU students and staff. Initial support from a Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) grant helped launch this initiative, and the University is continuing to expand access over time.
Yes. Your CliftonStrengths results belong to you. You can choose when and how to share them with advisors, coaches, or others.
The Class of 2030 will be the first full student cohort with access, with broader rollout continuing over time. Faculty and staff in select department may also receive access and training. For more information, contact the Office of Strategy and Transformation at ost@pvamu.edu or 281-936-2230.