Clinical Case Stories

Uchida-Kraepelin Test – Case 12: Hiring Engineers for Originality

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Case 12: Prioritizing originality—an automaker’s engineer recruitment strategy

Case 12 work curves: red is the examinee; blue is the Japanese comparison average

In recruiting for its technical division, one automaker emphasizes expertise and original thinking rather than a well-balanced profile. For this reason, it does not hire applicants with typical work curves, instead giving priority to highly capable applicants whose curves tend toward atypical patterns.

On one occasion, when only members of the technical division took the Uchida-Kraepelin Test, a distinctive tendency was observed: their amount of work at the start of the second half was lower than that of a typical work curve.

Here is a case example from the Uchida-Kraepelin Test.

The Uchida-Kraepelin Test is a psychological test using a work-performance method. Examinees perform single-digit addition for a total of 30 minutes, changing rows every minute, with a 5-minute break between the two halves.

Connecting the final calculation position for each minute produces a graph characteristic of the individual examinee.

The upper graph shows the first 15 minutes; the lower graph shows the second 15 minutes.

The red line is the examinee’s own work curve. In this case, the blue line is an average work curve calculated from the test results of contemporary Japanese examinees with a similar amount of work to that of the examinee.

Interpreting the red line provides insight into the examinee’s latent behavioral characteristics.

Editorial note: This is a case from the Japanese source article, not a universal hiring rule. “Typical” and “atypical” refer to work-curve patterns, not medical diagnoses or a person’s value. An atypical curve alone does not demonstrate creativity or engineering ability. Amount of work means output in this test, not job productivity itself. The Japanese comparison average is not automatically a norm for other populations. Hiring and placement require consideration of skills, experience, work observations and job requirements alongside test results.


To arrange the Uchida-Kraepelin Test, a work-based aptitude and personality test that can be used in the same way in Japan and overseas, please contact your nearest distributor in your country or region.

Distributors in East Asia

  • South Korea
    • Korea Management Association
      • Main areas served: Seoul, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, Jeju
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Management consulting
      • Languages supported: Korean
  • Mainland China
    • Shanghai Oracle Bay Enterprise Group, Co., Ltd.
      • Main areas served: Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Yancheng, Nantong, Nanning, Ningbo, Bengbu, Xining, Yinchuan
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Human resource development
      • Languages supported: Chinese
    • NINGBO NAPU TRADE CO., LTD.
      • Main areas served: Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dongguan
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Manufacturing consulting, Fabless manufacturing
      • Languages supported: Chinese, Japanese
  • Hong Kong
    • N-ERVE TECHNOLOGY
      • Main areas served: Hong Kong
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Manufacturing consulting, Fabless manufacturing, Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Chinese
  • Taiwan
    • Pasona Taiwan
      • Main areas served: Taipei, Hsinchu, Kaohsiung
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: HR consulting, Human resource development, Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Chinese

Distributors in Southeast Asia

  • Thailand
    • Krung Asia Insight
      • Main areas served: Bangkok, nationwide Thailand
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Thailand market entry consulting
      • Languages supported: Thai, Japanese
    • Waguri
      • Main areas served: Bangkok, Chon Buri, Rayong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai, Lamphun
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: HR consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese
    • Pasona HR Consulting Recruitment (Thailand)
      • Main areas served: Bangkok
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, HR consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Thai
    • TRAINING AND SEMINAR KOTSUKOTSU
      • Main areas served: Bangkok
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Human resource development, Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Thai
  • Vietnam
    • Kosaido HR Vietnam
      • Main areas served: Hanoi (on-site visits available for Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and other locations)
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, Human resource development, Vietnam market entry consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Vietnamese
    • Success Partner
      • Main areas served: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Organizational development
      • Languages supported: Vietnamese
  • Myanmar
    • J-SAT CONSULTING
      • Main areas served: Yangon, Mandalay
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, Myanmar market entry consulting, Japanese language education
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Burmese
  • Cambodia
    • Creative Diamond Links
      • Main areas served: Phnom Penh
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Khmer
  • Malaysia
    • Pasona HR MALAYSIA
      • Main areas served: Kuala Lumpur
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Malay, English
  • Laos
    • Lao-Japan Gateway
      • Main areas served: Vientiane
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Cybozu Kintone, Laos market entry consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Lao
  • Indonesia
    • Bruggen Batavia Indonesia
      • Main areas served: Jakarta, Bekasi
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: HR consulting, Legal consulting, Visa consulting
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Indonesian, English
    • Japan Asia Consultants
      • Main areas served: Jakarta, Bekasi
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Indonesia market entry and company incorporation, Accounting and bookkeeping, Tax services, Labor affairs, Legal services, Visa services
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Indonesian, English
  • Philippines
    • One World Human Resources Development
      • Main areas served: Manila, Quezon
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Japanese language education, Human resource development
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Tagalog, English
  • Singapore
    • Pasona Singapore
      • Main areas served: Singapore
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment, HR consulting
      • Languages supported: English

Distributors in South Asia

  • India
    • Pasona India
      • Main areas served: Delhi, Gurugram, Chennai, Bengaluru
      • Other services available alongside the Uchida-Kraepelin Test: Recruitment
      • Languages supported: Japanese, Hindi, English

If you cannot find a nearby distributor or would like to arrange testing in multiple regions, please contact us using the contact form.