JRA

What JRA does

JRA (Johnson, Roberts, & Associates, Inc.) is a privately held, founder-owned provider of proprietary psychological assessment tools used in pre-employment screening of public safety personnel, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, with a test-processing office in Alameda. The company offers four validated psychometric instruments — the California Psychological Inventory (CPI-434/260), the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI/STAXI-II), and two life-history questionnaires (PHQ, PsyQ) — all delivered as specialized "Police and Public Safety Selection Reports" with job-specific normative comparisons drawn from databases of up to 146,000 actual public safety applicants. Reports are generated through a proprietary software stack: the free Windows-based JRA Test Scoring System produces reports from either scanned paper answer sheets (being phased out as of 2025) or data captured through the JRA Online Testing Center; output is delivered via the JRA Mailbox secure file-transfer platform using 256-bit AES encryption. A customizable forms module (JRA Forms, launched 2021) and a WeProctor online-proctoring partnership extend the workflow to fully digital administration and remote candidates.

The company operates a per-report transaction revenue model priced at $6-$20 per generated report, plus ancillary fees for a delegated report-creation service ($2.50/report), JRA Forms authorizations ($1/candidate), and WeProctor proctoring ($30/applicant). JRA holds exclusive licensing arrangements with CPP, Inc. (for CPI) and Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. (for PAI and STAXI/STAXI-II), making it the sole provider of these public-safety-specific selection reports. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeted at 100+ public safety agencies (police, sheriff, state trooper, corrections, fire/EMS, dispatch, juvenile probation, security) and 100+ independent licensed psychologists across the United States, supported by direct phone/email customer support and an annual doctoral-level training conference co-located with IACP. Leadership consists of founder Dr. Michael Roberts (a pioneer of the San Jose Model of law enforcement selection, ABPP Board Certified, former FBI Academy instructor) and Principal Dr. Ryan Roberts, JD, PhD (ABPP Board Certified, MIT-trained engineer and former patent litigator). The company has been bootstrapped throughout its history with no institutional funding.

Name

JRA

Legal name

Johnson, Roberts, & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://jra-assessment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JRA is a privately held provider of proprietary psychological assessment reports and supporting software used by 100+ US public safety agencies and independent psychologists to screen police, corrections, fire, dispatch, and security job applicants for psychological suitability, operating on a per-report transaction model since 1986.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Psychological Assessment Software

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Pre-Employment Screening & Aptitude Testing (BPACAMAA)

Keywords

• Psychological assessment tools
• Public safety screening
• Pre-employment testing
• Selection reports software
• Personality assessment platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Test Report Fees: Per-report fees for proprietary selection reports generated from psychological assessments (PHQ, PsyQ, CPI, PAI, STAXI). Reports can be created by customers using JRA software or via delegated report creation service.
2. Delegated Report Creation Service: JRA staff creates test reports on behalf of customers using proprietary software, delivering PDF reports via secure Mailbox system. Additional $2.50 per report fee on top of report fee.
3. Testing Supplies: Sale of reusable test booklets ($11) and answer sheets ($0.80) for paper-based testing. Note: As of 2025, JRA has phased out paper testing.
4. JRA Forms Authorizations: Per-candidate authorization fees for digital form administration: $1 for consent/waiver forms, $1 for other questionnaires up to 100 questions.
5. Online Proctoring Service: Partnership with WeProctor providing secure online test proctoring for $30 per applicant, with additional fees for non-JRA test products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

JRA provides proprietary psychological assessment software and selection reports for pre-employment screening of public safety personnel including police, corrections, fire, dispatch, and security roles. The company sells specialized Police and Public Safety Selection Reports (PHQ, PsyQ, CPI, PAI, STAXI/STAXI-II) generated through its proprietary Test Scoring System software, Online Testing Center, and secure Mailbox file-transfer platform, plus a Delegated Report Creation service.

Product overview

JRA (Johnson, Roberts, & Associates, Inc.) offers a unified portfolio of proprietary psychological assessment tools and software platforms designed for pre-employment screening of police, corrections, fire, and other public safety personnel. The core product set consists of four validated psychological tests — the California Psychological Inventory (CPI-434 and CPI-260), the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI/STAXI-II) — supplemented by two life-history questionnaires: the Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ/PHQ-RE), administered pre-offer, and the Psychological History Questionnaire (PsyQ/PsyQ-RE), administered post-offer. All tests generate specialized Police and Public Safety Selection Reports with job-specific normative comparisons. These reports are produced using the JRA Test Scoring System software, a free Windows desktop application that processes data from either scanned paper answer sheets or the JRA Online Testing Center. Completed reports are delivered via the JRA Mailbox secure file-transfer platform. JRA Forms, launched in 2021, extends the platform to support fully digital custom questionnaires and consent forms. An optional Delegated Report Creation service allows JRA staff to generate reports on the customer's behalf. The company also partners with WeProctor for online test proctoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ) A self-report pre-offer background investigation questionnaire containing 255 multiple-choice questions across nine topic areas (education, employment, law enforcement experience, driving record, criminal record, substance use, etc.) used by public safety agencies to efficiently screen applicants before a conditional offer of employment.
• Personal History Questionnaire-Required Explanations (PHQ-RE) An online-only version of the PHQ that requires candidates to provide further written explanations (who, what, why, when, where) for questions deemed selection-relevant by expert psychologists, administered before a conditional offer of employment.
• Psychological History Questionnaire (PsyQ) A post-offer self-report questionnaire with 340 questions covering 14 topic areas (education, employment, military, law enforcement, driving, financial, legal, substance use, developmental history, adult relationships, parental responsibilities, psychological treatment, job-relevant sexual history) used to collect behavioral and psychological history after a conditional offer of employment.
• Psychological History Questionnaire-Required Explanations (PsyQ-RE) An online-only version of the PsyQ that includes a 'required explanations' feature where applicants who make certain responses must provide further details in their own words before proceeding, administered after a conditional offer of employment.
• California Psychological Inventory-434 (CPI-434) Police and Public Safety Selection Report A specialized CPI report based on a normative sample of over 50,000 public safety job applicants that helps screening psychologists assess psychological suitability for public safety roles using normal-range personality traits such as Tolerance, Responsibility, Integrity, Empathy, and Self-Control.
• California Psychological Inventory-260 (CPI-260) Police and Public Safety Selection Report A short-form version of the CPI selection report using 260 true/false items from the CPI-434, producing essentially the same report data in a shorter administration time. Highly correlated with CPI-434 results, enabling uniform interpretation.
• Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) Police and Public Safety Selection Report v2 A specialized PAI report designed for post-job-offer psychological evaluations of public safety applicants, identifying psychopathology such as Anxiety, Paranoia, Aggression, and Depression. Based on a normative sample of over 146,000 public safety job applicants with job-specific norms for six position types.
• State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-II (STAXI-II) Police and Public Safety Selection Report An anger expression assessment based on a normative sample of over 100,000 public safety job applicants across 5 job classes (Police/Deputy/Trooper, Corrections, Dispatcher/Communications, Fire, Probation) with graphically depicted scale profiles, percentiles, and refined selection-relevant items.
• JRA Test Scoring System Client-side desktop software (free download) used to create all JRA Police and Public Safety Selection test reports from either scanned paper answer sheets or data collected online through the JRA Online Testing Center. Includes a database for archiving test data, a Data Editor, a Data Viewer, and report preview, print, and PDF export capabilities. Runs on Windows 7, 8, and 10.
• JRA Mailbox A secure web-based system for sending and receiving files over the internet between JRA and authorized customers. Uses SSL for data transmission and 256-bit AES encryption, supports files up to 100 MB with configurable expiration dates.
• JRA Online Testing Center A web-based platform used by JRA and authorized customers to manage the online administration of tests for Police and Public Safety Selection reports. Allows configuration of testing sessions including customer name, test type, agency, password, start/end dates, walk-in eligibility, retake permissions, and time limits, with data management commands for deleting, editing, refreshing, and exporting test records to Excel.
• JRA Forms A customizable online webform software solution for digitizing assessment workflows. Allows integration of custom questionnaires, consent forms, and agreements into the JRA online testing platform with the customer's logo. Supports conditional question branching and generates customizable output reports across signatures, text fields, paragraph responses, single-selection, and multichoice formats.
• WeProctor Online Proctoring A secure online virtual proctoring service delivered through a partnership with WeProctor, utilizing a HIPAA-compliant video platform and HIPAA-compliant Box platform for same-day report delivery. Priced at $30 per applicant, with additional fees for non-JRA test products.
• Delegated Report Creation Service A service where JRA staff obtain customer test data, create test reports using the proprietary JRA Test Scoring System software, and deliver PDF reports via the secure JRA Mailbox system. Charged at $2.50 per report in addition to the report fee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Normative database of 146,000+ PAI public safety applicants across 6 job classes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WeProctorcoreTechnology or IntegrationWeProctor provides secure online test proctoring for JRA test products using a HIPAA-compliant video platform. Services include scheduling proctored test sessions, administering and collecting non-JRA test products, and delivering same-day reports via HIPAA-compliant Box platform. Pricing: $30 per applicant plus additional fees for non-JRA products.
• CPP, Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerExclusive licensing agreement for JRA to create and provide the CPI Police and Public Safety Selection Report based on the California Psychological Inventory. CPP publishes the original CPI authored by Harrison Gough, Ph.D. JRA holds copyright and is sole provider of the specialized selection report.
• Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. (PAR, Inc.)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerExclusive licensing agreement for JRA to create and provide specialized PAI and STAXI/STAXI-II Police and Public Safety Selection Reports. PAR publishes the original PAI (by Leslie Morey, Ph.D.) and STAXI (by Charles D. Spielberger, Ph.D.). JRA is creator and copyright holder of the specialized selection reports.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EB Jacobs: Provides entry-level public safety assessment products and selection testing for police, fire, and corrections agencies in the U.S. — directly competing with JRA's pre-employment assessment suite at the same buyer (public safety HR and assessment psychologists).
• CPP, Inc. (The Myers-Briggs Company): Publisher of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) and JRA's exclusive licensing partner for the CPI Police and Public Safety Selection Report. Operates in the same psychological assessment space and is the upstream owner of one of JRA's core instruments.
• Reid Psychological Systems: Long-established provider of pre-employment integrity and psychological assessments used by law enforcement and other public safety agencies. Competes with JRA for the same hiring-decision budget of public safety HR/recruiting teams.
• Public Safety Testing: Offers entry-level written and psychological test batteries for police, fire, and corrections candidates, serving many of the same municipal and county agencies that JRA serves — competing on the candidate-screening stage of the same hiring pipeline.
• Sigma Assessment Systems, Inc. Provides psychological assessment tools and pre-employment screening solutions specifically for public safety agencies, including police and fire departments. Directly comparable in customer segment (public safety) and product category (psychological selection reports).
• PAR, Inc. (Psychological Assessment Resources): Publisher of the PAI and STAXI/STAXI-II instruments and JRA's exclusive licensing partner for the PAI and STAXI Police and Public Safety Selection Reports. A directly adjacent player providing the underlying psychometric instruments that JRA packages into public safety-specific reports.

Broad incumbents

• Hogan Assessments: Major personality assessment publisher whose instruments (HPI, HDS, MVPI) are widely used in public safety and high-stakes selection. A broader incumbent in the personality assessment space that competes for share-of-wallet against JRA's CPI/PAI-based selection reports.
• Prevue HR: Provides a broader pre-employment assessment platform (cognitive, personality, integrity) used across industries including public safety. Overlaps with JRA on the pre-employment psychological screening use case but serves a wider customer base and is not niche to public safety.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 JRA