Self Management Group

What Self Management Group does

Self Management Group (legal entity: Selection Testing Consultants International Inc.) is a Toronto-based private company founded in 1979 by John Marshall, PhD, that builds and commercializes predictive psychometric assessments and supporting talent management software. Its flagship product is POP™ (Predictor of Performance), a proprietary assessment platform developed from over 40 years of validation research and more than 10,000 validation studies, supported by a database of 25+ million completed assessments spanning 40+ countries and languages. The POP™ engine sits inside a wider product set that includes pre-employment Screening Tools, virtual Job Simulations, validated add-on modules (Integrity & Trust, EQ, Fluid Intelligence, Cognitive Skills, Diversity & Inclusion, Biographical Data), and HR survey tools (POP™ 360°, OES™, PWI, Engagement Survey™, e-Exit Interview™).

The company's software layer, TalentNest™, is a SaaS applicant tracking system launched in 2011 with integrated POP™ diagnostics, configurable recruitment flows, automated job distribution, and reporting. SMG monetizes through five primary streams: POP™ assessment subscriptions and licensing, TalentNest™ SaaS contracts, Talent Advisory Analytics Service (TaaS) consulting engagements, training and development workshops (Self Management principles, Managing Effort, Team Building, Hiring Top Talent), and margin/reseller economics from its Authorized POP™ Distributor Program. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

SMG serves 3,500+ organizations globally with an enterprise-leaning customer base concentrated in insurance (Knights of Columbus, American National, Ameritas, ADP, Allstate), financial services (ATB Financial, RBC, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, HSBC, UBS), retail (ShowcaseStores), and talent assessment (SmartWork Assessments). Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, a self-service POP™ Store, HRIS/ATS integration partnerships (Greenhouse, BambooHR, Ideal, Sense), and a network of certified distributors across North America, the Gulf States, and other regions. The company is founder-led (John Marshall remains President), privately held with no external funding, and SOC 2 Type 2 certified.

Name

Self Management Group

Legal name

Selection Testing Consultants International Inc.

Website

https://selfmgmt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Self Management Group (founded 1979, Toronto) develops POP™, a proprietary psychometric assessment platform built on 25M+ completed assessments and 40+ years of validation research, sold to 3,500+ insurance, financial services, and enterprise customers via subscriptions, SaaS, consulting, and a certified distributor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Talent Assessment Software

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting (BPAHAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personality & Behavioral Assessments (BPACAMAC), Leadership Potential, High-Potential & Succession Assessments (BPACAMAH), Learning Management (LMS) & Talent Development (BPACAPAG)

Keywords

• Psychometric assessments
• Talent management software
• Applicant tracking system
• Predictive hiring analytics
• Employee assessment tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. POP™ Assessments and Licensing: Subscription-based access to POP™ psychometric assessments with pricing based on usage volume and customization requirements. Includes validated add-on modules for enhanced talent profiling.
2. TalentNest™ Software Platform: SaaS-based applicant tracking system with integrated assessments. Pricing based on organization size and feature requirements. Includes branded career website, job distribution, and analytics capabilities.
3. Professional Services and Consulting: Talent Advisory Analytics Services (TaaS) providing data science consulting, validation studies, and implementation support. One-time engagement fees plus ongoing advisory retainer arrangements.
4. Training and Development Programs: Certified courses and workshops including Self Management principles, Managing Effort: Getting Results, Team Building, and Hiring Top Talent programs. Sold as individual workshops or comprehensive training packages.
5. Authorized Distributor Program: Revenue stream from certified distributors who resell POP™ assessments and services. Distributors pay certification fees and receive margin on assessments sold to their clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Self Management Group provides the POP™ (Predictor of Performance) psychometric assessment platform and the TalentNest™ applicant tracking system to help organizations predict job performance, retain top talent, and improve hiring outcomes. The company sells these alongside Screening Tools, Job Simulations, HR surveys, validation studies, and training programs to enterprises and mid-market companies across 40+ countries.

Product overview

Self Management Group offers a comprehensive talent management platform built around the POP™ (Predictor of Performance) system, a proprietary psychometric assessment platform spanning over 40 years of research. The product portfolio consists of core assessment products (POP™ Assessments, Screening Tools, Simulation), the TalentNest ATS platform for end-to-end recruitment management, and multiple validated add-on modules (Integrity, EQ, Fluid Intelligence, Cognitive Skills, Diversity & Inclusion, Biographical Data). Supporting services include Talent Advisory Analytics Service (TaaS) for data science consulting, Training & Development programs (Self Management principles, Managing Effort, Team Building), and HR Tools including 360° POP™, OES™, PWI, Engagement Survey, and e-Exit Interview. The POP™ ecosystem also includes the POP™ Admin Center (PAC), POP™ Engine, and POP™ Store. The platform operates in 40+ countries and languages, serving 3,500+ companies with predictive analytics solutions for the entire talent lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• POP™ (Predictor of Performance): The flagship assessment product of Self Management Group. POP™ assessments use science and advanced analytics to predict performance and make better talent decisions across selection, training, and development. Available in 40+ languages.
• TalentNest

Products and services

• POP™ Assessments (Predictor of Performance) Scientifically validated personality assessments predicting job performance and retention across 40+ languages. Core psychometric tool used for selection, development, and talent analytics with validated add-on modules (Integrity & Trust, EQ, Fluid Intelligence, Cognitive Skills, Diversity & Inclusion, Biographical Data) for customized talent profiling.
• TalentNest™

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% accuracy in identifying top and bottom performers when all Selection Rater steps are systematically utilized
• +14 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Paul Fairlie (Heliosophy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic consulting partner with expertise in talent acquisition and performance. Contributes to SMG's ability to develop highly committed, self-managed, high-performance cultures through consulting services.
• Glem DiascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSenior consulting partner specializing in leadership coaching and cultural competency. Delivers training and executive coaching for SMG clients including Canadian Mental Health Association.
• Elevate ConsultingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner contributing to SMG's professional services delivery and talent management implementations.
• JansenminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHR consulting partner extending SMG's reach and implementation capabilities in talent management.
• OptimalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner contributing to SMG's network of recruitment and consulting alliances.
• People 1st HRminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHR consulting partner extending SMG's professional services and implementation capabilities.
• Steven Rosen (StarResults)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive coaching and leadership development partner with extensive experience in talent optimization.
• Workplace EngagementminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner focused on employee engagement consulting and survey implementation services.
• Legacy BowesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting partner contributing to SMG's professional services delivery network.
• Gulf States (GSFS Group)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner operating in Gulf States region for POP™ assessment products and services.
• GuestxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for SMG's talent management solutions in their respective markets.
• EFC (Electro-Federation Canada)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustry association partnership for distribution and reach within Canadian electrical sector.
• MearieminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for SMG products and services, operating in their respective industry.
• MagellanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner extending SMG's reach in specific markets.
• XXV (25 Point Systems)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for SMG's talent management and assessment solutions.
• ADPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor enterprise client and industry leader who trusts and uses SMG's predictive assessment solutions. Represents significant reference customer and industry validation.
• AllstatecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor enterprise client and industry leader who trusts and uses SMG's predictive assessment solutions. Represents significant reference customer and industry validation.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Predictive Index: Behavioral and cognitive assessment platform for hiring and team design, with a SaaS-aligned talent optimization suite. Comparable to SMG in targeting sales/leadership hiring use cases and offering integrated ATS-adjacent tooling.
• Hogan Assessments: Provider of personality-based assessments focused on workplace performance, leadership, and occupational fit. Closely comparable to SMG's POP™ assessments on methodology, customer profile (enterprise sales/leadership), and predictive performance claims.
• SHL: Global leader in psychometric assessments and talent measurement. Directly competes with SMG's POP™ platform across selection, leadership, and development use cases, serving large enterprise customers with similar scientific-validation messaging.
• Mercer Mettl: Online psychometric and skills assessment platform now part of Mercer. Comparable to SMG in offering enterprise-scale talent assessments across selection, development, and engagement with both SaaS and consulting delivery.
• Criterion Partnership (Pearson TalentLens): Psychometric assessment practice within Pearson, providing personality, ability, and behavioral tests to enterprise and education markets. Closely comparable to SMG in science-led approach and global multi-language delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a sizable talent assessment division (KF360, Korn Ferry Assessments). Comparable to SMG for enterprise psychometric assessments but embedded in a much larger executive search and consulting platform.
• Aon (Assessment Solutions): Global professional services firm with a substantial assessment solutions practice (formerly PDRI/Aon Hewitt). Competes with SMG in enterprise psychometric selection, but operates as part of a much broader HR consulting and insurance brokerage portfolio.

Emerging players

• HireVue: Video interview and AI-based assessment provider for enterprise hiring. Represents the AI-augmented assessment category against which legacy platforms like SMG must compete for enterprise mind-share and budgets.
• Arctic Shores: Game-based psychometric assessment provider combining behavioral science with AI for enterprise hiring. An emerging-category competitor to SMG's job simulation products (call center, retail, banking simulations).
• Pymetrics: AI-driven soft-skills assessment platform using neuroscience-backed gamified tasks. Targets the same enterprise hiring and bias-audit use cases that SMG addresses, but with a modern ML-native approach rather than legacy psychometrics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/selfmgmtgroup
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4uQsaHXIhu1wwpOTiuk7OQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SelfManagementGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/self-management-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Self Management Group