IPAT acquires Hilson Research

You may recall the scene in “Dr. Strangelove” in which General Jack D. Ripper (played by Sterling Hayden) lectured Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (played by Peter Sellers), moments after he had launched a squadron of B-52’s carrying nuclear bombs to attack the Soviet Union. “I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.” Would General Ripper have passed the psychological and persoanlity tests now being administered to offices in his position?

Psychological and personality testing is a growing business, and the Savoy, Illinois-based Institute for Personality and Ability Testing, or IPAT, a publisher of personality and ability assessments and interpretive reports, has just acquired the Kew Garden, New York-based Hilson Research, one of the U.S. leading publishers of psychological tests for protective services and public safety applications.

Hilson Research was founded in 1980 by Robin Inwald, Ph.D., and has made a name for itself as a specialist in tests used to assess individuals in high-risk occupations such as police and security services. Hilson’s tests are widely used for pre-employment screening, and promotional and “fitness for duty” evaluations. Hilson’s tests are also used by businesses for selection, placement, and management development. Combining the services and expertise of the two firms will create a new entity with significant presence in the psychological testing and services market.

“Hilson products are well known and respected in the marketplace and form a highly complementary fit with our own suite of assessment products and services,” said Dr. John W. Jones, president, IPAT. “Hilson founder and director, Dr. Robin Inwald, has written much of the industry knowledge when it comes to screening and selection assessments in the public safety, corrections, law enforcement and homeland security markets. We’re fortunate to be able to bring our two brands together for the benefit of our mutual clients.”

“After reviewing other test providers, IPAT emerged as the obvious choice to continue the promotion and delivery of Hilson tests,” said Robin Inwald, Ph.D., founder of Hilson Research, Inc. “IPAT’s parent company, OPP Ltd., is a global provider of psychology-based services to organizations, and has a strong history in the distribution of psychometrically-sound assessment tools and related consulting services. IPAT is technically advanced and shares Hilson’s customer-oriented values. I am confident that IPAT will continue to treat Hilson customers as significant professional partners.”

IPAT was established in 1949 by Dr. Raymond Cattell, a prominent psychologist and researcher at the University of Illinois. During the next few months, IPAT will begin integrating the two companies’ service offerings.