10 Free Personality and Career Tests

Science, psychology, and a lot of research have helped us evaluate people’s personalities through tests and quizzes. We can now know if someone is introverted or extroverted, has leadership qualities or is creative, what type of personality one has, and plenty more just by asking them a few simple questions.

And although personality tests and quizzes aren’t always 100% accurate, they give a valuable indication and help managers and HR experts create efficient teams and a pleasant work environment. So if you’ve never taken a personality test, it’s time to try the most popular and reliable free personality tests and quizzes.

Contents:

  • What Is a Personality Test?
  • Why are Personality Tests Important?
  • Main Types of Personality Tests for Employees
  • Free Personality Tests
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
  • Big Five Personality Test
  • Enneagram Personality Test
  • DiSC Personality Test
  • Holland Code
  • Clifton Strengths
  • CarrerExplorer by Sokanu
  • True Colours Personality Test
  • HEXACO
  • Where can you take these tests?
  • Additional personality and career aptitude assessment tests
  • Top personality books

What Is a Personality Test?

A personality test is a list of questions that aim to determine the personality type or profile of the respondent. Often, they target a particular area, such as personality types, character traits, career assessment, relationships, communication skills, and emotional intelligence. Personality tests and quizzes are designed for a specific setting (e.g., workplace, love life, lifestyle). Employers and HR experts testing the employees is probably the most popular use scenario.


Why Are Personality Tests Important?

Personality tests and quizzes may show what type of job suits an employee. For example, a creative person will be more efficient in doing creative tasks. An organized person will be happier and more efficient in doing repetitive tasks that require attention to detail and patience. Tests also show how much pressure employees can handle and how well they perform in stressful conditions.

In addition, employers use personality tests to find the employee’s personality type and put them in a role that fits their personality. For example, extroverted people will be more productive and happier when they interact with people and have the opportunity to showcase their communication skills. Introverted people will endure less stress and perform better in a quiet role. Tests also show who has leadership qualities and will make a good team leader or manager, who will step up to cover for a colleague, and who will be a good mentor for others.

When the employer understands the staff’s needs, they can build strong teams and find the best place for each employee. As a result, companies will have lower turnover rates, less stressed employees, and higher productivity.


Main Types of Personality Tests for Employees

Although there are many types of personality tests, three of them are efficient in the workplace. They assess the personality type, authoritative career type, and emotional intelligence type.

Tests that determine personality type, such as Myers-Briggs, categorize people based on their character. And because one can’t change one’s personality, you only need to take the test once. The assessment will not only tell the employer in which team and the role the employee will perform better but will also show the respondent how others perceive their actions and traits.

Authoritative career assessments, such as DiSC, reveal career ambitions and help people understand their career path and future steps. It also helps employers determine who is better in a leadership position, who aims for a promotion, and who is a team player. It’s a personality test that targets levels of compliance, dominance, steadiness, and other similar attributes.

Emotional intelligence assessments reveal how well employees react in a stressful environment, their empathy levels, how well they manage their emotions, and how willing they are to help someone in need. It’s a test that can be taken periodically because emotional intelligence can be grown and develop over time.


Free Personality Tests

1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Based on Carl Gustav Jung’s study of psychological traits, Myers-Briggs categorizes the respondents based on four main factors with two attributes each. As a result, 16 personality types cover the following:

  • how you deal with the world (extraversion or introversion),
  • how you manage information (sensing or intuition),
  • how you make decisions (think or feel), and
  • how you deal with structure (judging or perceiving).

The test was developed in the 1940s and had hundreds of studies to validate its results. It may also be used for teams or groups.

Pros: It’s based on studies and research and used as a ground level for other personality tests.

Cons: The results have a broad interpretation.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) illustration via Owlcation

Where can you take this test?


2. Big Five Personality Test

Big Five Personality Test assesses the respondent’s personality based on five traits: Openness (how open one is to new ideas), Conscientiousness (how goal-oriented one is), Extraversion (how much attention one needs for the outside world), Agreeableness (how much one prioritizes the others’ needs over their own), and Neuroticism (how much negative emotions one uses in response to stressors).

The test is easy to take. It doesn’t use questions but affirmations. The respondent rates them between inaccurate and accurate using a 5-step scale. The scientific community considers the Big Five model accurate and helpful in understanding how people react or behave in particular situations.

Pros: It’s approved by the scientific community and very easy to take.

Cons: It’s not fake-proof because it allows the responder to unconsciously base their answer on what they would like to do in a particular situation rather than on what they do.

Big Five Personality Test illustration via Adioma

Where can you take this test?


3. Enneagram Personality Test

Enneagram Personality Test is another scientifically validated test aiming to find your personality type. It helps the respondent understand their best traits and how to enhance them, how they behave in relationships, and what their highest challenges are. The test uses nine personality types: The Reformer, The Helper, The Achiever, The Individualist, The Investigator, The Loyalist, The Enthusiast, The Challenger, and The Peacemaker. Even just from their names, you can see what type of job an employee is suited to and in which team and role they will perform better.

Enneagram Personality Test illustration via Christie Chaump

Pros: It’s accurate but versatile and gives a typology and an indication of how to enhance your strong points and get rid of the weak ones.

Cons: The extended version has 144 questions and may take some time and vulnerability to get through.

Where can you take this test?


4. DiSC Personality Test

DiSC is a personality test that assesses authoritative career levels. It reveals career ambitions based on four factors: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. The test aims to show who you are and your goals and help you understand your employees, managers, and coworkers. It’s a work-oriented test, and many companies advise their employees to take it early in their careers.

DiSC Personality Test illustration via United Partners

Pros: It’s a work-oriented test that helps employees find their optimal career path.

Cons: The test considers only career ambitions and doesn’t consider personality traits. It also doesn’t use psychological research or studies.

Where can you take this test?


5. Holland Code

Developed by Dr. John Holland, the Holland Code uses three dominant personality traits and categorizes the respondent into one of six personality types: Realistic (R), Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E), and Conventional (C). The test is career-oriented and provides corresponding work environments for each personality type. As a result, the employer can easily find the best environment for the employee and ensure they have the opportunity to perform and grow. The test considers feelings, actions, and behaviors to maximize potential and satisfaction at work.

Holland Code Personality Test illustration via Brain Manager

Pros: It’s a career-oriented test that helps employers find the best environment for their employees.

Cons: The questions aren’t fake-proof because they allow the responder to consider what the employer would like to hear. For example, they may check the “Able to operate tools and machinery?” box for fear of not being considered unsuited for the job.

Where can you take the test?


Career Tests

6. Clifton Strengths

Clifton Strengths assessment helps responders discover their strengths and maximize their potential. It’s a work-related test taken by over 29 million people looking for a boost of confidence and understanding. The test takes an hour and has 177 questions, but it is worth the time and energy. Besides the regular results, Clifton Strengths provides resources and tools to improve your career and become successful. It applies to individuals, students, educators, managers, teams, and organizations. However, the test is not free. You can find a free sample of the report here.

Clifton Strengths Assessment illustration via Lead Through Strengths

Pros: The test shows your strengths and provides resources for growing and reaching your goals.

Cons: It’s not free.

Where can you take the test?

https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/home.aspx


7. CarrerExplorer by Sokanu

Sokanu offers a career test that helps the responder understand their goals and career paths. It uses personality traits and interests to determine what your perfect workplace looks like. You get more than one option, so you have the last word in choosing your career. In addition, Sokanu describes and explains over 1,000 careers to help you understand each job.

CarrerExplorer by Sokanu

Pros: It’s career-oriented and supports choosing a career based on personality.

Cons: Some questions are complex and use business terms that might not be easy to understand. Others are too straightforward. For example, if you already know you would like to direct the making of a movie, you wouldn’t need to take the test.

Where can I take this test?


8. True Colors Personality Test

Asking you to pick colors you like or don’t like True Colors Personality fun personality test. It uses color psychology to determine your emotional intelligence, social skills, creativity, and openness levels. Furthermore, True Colors Personality is a black box. You can’t fake the answers to create a better profile for yourself. The test takes 5 minutes or less and leaves the respondent with a pleasant feeling.

True Colors Personality Test illustration via United EVENTures

Pros: It’s fun, fast, and unbreakable.

Cons: The results are interpretable and vague. The test isn’t career-oriented and doesn’t use clear categories for personality types.

Where can I take this test?


9. HEXACO

HEXACO analysis six personality traits: honesty, humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. It helps the respondent understand how they will react in a particular scenario, how well they communicate with others, and how to use their personality traits in their careers.

HEXACO Personality Test illustration via psyML

Pros: It’s based on academic research and continuously uses collected data to improve its accuracy.

Cons: The full-length test has 200 questions. There are 60 and 100 questions versions.

Where can you take this test?


Where can you take these personality and career tests?

Among the most popular websites to take such personality tests, we would like to highlight:

Truity

Truity offers several personality tests that cover personality types, career assessments, scientific trait assessments, work styles, and others. The tests help the employer understand the staff, reduce conflicts, and build stronger teams. On the other hand, the tests help individuals find how they really are, how to manage their careers, and where they should put more effort. The tests are easy to take.

Pros: Truity covers a wide selection of tests, including personality type-based tests and career-oriented tests.

Cons: The tests aren’t fake-proof.


16Personalities

16Personalities is a personality test that divides its respondents into 4 large categories with 4 levels each. After taking the test, you may be an Analyst, Diplomat, Sentinel, or Explorer. The test assesses how much you rely on intuition, thinking, feeling, observing, judging, and prospecting.

16Personality uses Carl Gustav Jung’s study of psychological traits and aims to cover the most important character traits. It is extremely popular and appreciated inside and outside the workplace.

Pros: Based on psychological studies and taken by over 500 million people, the test is reliable and popular.

Cons: It’s a general-purpose personality test that helps the respondent more than the employer.


123Test

123Test provides many personality tests, each addressing a particular question. For example, their tests may help you understand your career path, find the next step, know your weaknesses and strengths, find your personality traits, or check if your current job suits you. The tests are based on authoritative career assessments and are suited for a work environment.

Pros: 123Test is job-oriented and offers information about the optimal career path.

Cons: It’s not very accurate. The questions are interpretable, and you can easily give different answers each time you take the test.


Skills You Need

Skills You Need focuses on interpersonal skills, and it’s a great personality test to take on your own or in a work environment. It shows how well you interact with other people and helps self-awareness and find the best role for an employee. The test assesses listening skills, verbal communication, emotional intelligence, and the ability to work in teams.

Pros: The test addresses essential interpersonal skills that other tests may overlook.

Cons: You have to be honest when answering the questions, and many people tend to respond based on how they would like to be rather than on how they actually are.


Crystalknows

Crystal was founded in 2015 with the mission to help people understand themselves better and communicate more effectively with others. Although their core business is not personality tests, they developed the Personality AI app, which could tell you anyone’s personality without a personality assessment.


Additional personality and career aptitude assessment tests

There are many tests you can do online. Some of them are free, and others are paid. There is also the option where the basic result is free. However, a sum of $10 to $60 is required for an in-depth explanation.

In the list above, we have highlighted the most popular tests. However, others exist:

  • Keirsey Temperament Sorter
  • PI Behavioral Assessment
  • Szondi Test
  • The Birkman Method
  • Eysenck Personality Inventory
  • Strong Interest Inventory
  • The Princeton Review career quiz
  • Caliper profile
  • TestColor
  • O*NET Interest Profiler
  • SHL test
  • NEO PI-R
  • Inkblot Test
  • Empathy quotient
  • Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory - MVPI test


Top Personality Books

When you want to learn more about your personality, or the personality of others, some excellent books go into detail about the different personality types, tests, and evolution. Below we look for some of the most important:

  1. Do What You Are By Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron, And Kelly Tieger
  2. Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type By Isabel Briggs Myers And Peter B. Myers
  3. Personality Type By Lenore Thomson
  4. Please Understand Me Ii: Temperament, Character, Intelligence By David Keirsey
  5. The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover The 9 Types Of People By Elizabeth Wagele And Renee Baron
  6. Personality Types: Using The Enneagram For Self-Discovery By Don Richard Riso And Russ Hudson
  7. The Wisdom Of The Enneagram: The Complete Guide To Psychological And Spiritual Growth For The Nine Personality Types By Don Richard Riso And Russ Hudson
  8. Personality: What Makes You The Way You Are By Daniel Nettle
  9. Personality Isn’t Permanent By Benjamin Hardy
  10. The Enneagram Guide To Waking Up By Beatrice Chestnut And Uranio Paes
  11. The Road Back To You Ian Morgan Cron And Suzanne Stabile
  12. Personality Hacker By Joel Mark Witt And Antonia Dodge
  13. The Four Tendencies By Gretchen Rubin
  14. The 5 Personality Patterns By Steven Kessler
  15. Your Secret Self By Barbara G. Cox

Conclusion

All the above personality tests and quizzes are free and can be taken online. Some of them you need to take only once, while others may become periodical assessments. Whether you choose you test yourself or your employees, personality tests and quizzes give you an indication of where you stand and what you need to change or improve. And while they may provide vague answers and not be 100% accurate, you can find your answers by observing how you answer the questions and what emotions they raise in you.