DISC graphs explained: graph 1, 2 and 3
A DISC assessment produces three graphs, not one. Here is what each of them shows, how to read the scale, and what it means when they differ.
Where the three graphs come from
Your "most" and "least" choices are tallied across the four dimensions and turned into three graphs, each on a 1–7 scale where segment 4 is the midline:
Graph 1 — public. From your “most like me” choices: how you believe you need to act in order to succeed where you are now. The graph most likely to change if you change jobs.
Graph 2 — core. From your “least like me” choices: your instinctive behaviour under pressure, when the public version stops working. Usually the most stable part of the profile over time.
Graph 3 — perceived. The two combined: how colleagues most often experience you. Your written profile is based on this graph.
How to read the scale
The scale runs from 1 to 7. Segment 4 is the midline — the shaded band. The dimensions that rise above it shape how you are most often experienced.
Dimensions below the midline are not weaknesses. They describe where you invest less of your natural energy — not what you are capable of.
The scale is relative to your own profile, not to a population. A high score does not mean “more of a good thing”. It means this dimension takes up more room in how you operate than the others do.
When the three graphs differ
If the three look alike, you behave publicly much as you are privately — predictable, and spending little energy maintaining a version of yourself. A large gap is not a fault; it usually means you are adapting to what your role demands. But adapting costs energy, and people who meet you in calm conditions may meet someone different under pressure.
Questions about the graphs
Which graph is my real profile?
All three are you, in different conditions. Graph 3 combines the other two, and your written profile is based on it, because it is how you are most often experienced.
Why can graph 1 change while graph 2 does not?
Graph 1 reflects what you believe your current role demands, so it moves when the role does. Graph 2 reflects instinctive behaviour under pressure, which usually stays stable over time.
See your own DISC graph
Take the free test: 28 blocks, 5–8 minutes, no account. The full report adds your other two graphs.