5 Reasons Why We Should Take a Personality Test

All of us are different. We have different perceptions, beliefs, opinions and interests. Hence, we are called “individuals”. What one person enjoys might not be thrilling for others. What one person finds fascinating might be boring for some people.

Have you felt like we thought we knew what we wanted, but in the long run, we end up feeling empty and with no sense of purpose?  We realized that what we have been doing all along isn’t right for us or it doesn’t suit our personality. In the end, we decide to change careers.

All those wasted years (and money!) could have been prevented if we know ourselves very well and we know exactly what we wanted to do in our life.

This is just one of the many reasons you have to take a personality test. If you’re the kind of person who is serious about having a successful professional career, you should consider taking a personality because of these reasons:

• Personality tests help you identify your strengths
• Personality tests help you understand your weaknesses
• Personality tests help you adapt to the environment you are in
• Personality tests help you find new approaches to your work

In Carrhure, we are using the 360 Feedback and the AEC Wheel to search for viable candidates. There are also other personality assessment tests like the Myers-Briggs Types and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter as discussed in our previous blog. There are still other tests that you can try. You can refer to the list of tests that are used by professionals to have a clear perception of their clients:

Projective Tests are personality tests that were created to let a person respond to ambiguous stimuli or factors which is believed to help show hidden emotions and internal conflicts.  The answers to projective tests are analyzed to provide insight to a person’s thought process.  Projective tests have their origins in psychoanalytic psychology which states that humans have conscious and unconscious attitudes and motivations that are beyond or hidden from conscious awareness.  1  There are many projective tests available. Common variants of it include Holtzman Inkblot Test, Rorschach Inkblot Test, Thematic Apperception Test. Draw-A-Person Test, Animal Metaphor Test, Sentence Completion Test, Picture Arrangement Test, Word Association Test and Graphology.

Click here to view links to free projective tests.

Holtzman Inkblot Test is a test developed by Wayze Holtzman in 1961 as an improved version of the Rorschach Inkblot Test.   This is designed for ages 5 and up.  In this test, the subject responds to each of a series of 45 inkblots.  These responses are scored to describe and to classify the personality of the subject. 2

Rorschach Inkblot Test was developed by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach.  This test is used to help assess personality structure and identify emotional problems by detecting internal and external pressures and conflicts as well as illogical or psychotic thought patterns.  This type of test can be administered to children as young as 3 years old. This technique is administered using 10 cards, each containing a complicated inkblot pattern. 3

Thematic Apperception Test was developed by Henry Murray and Christiana Morgan in the 1930s.  It is a test where the subject views ambiguous scenes of people, and asked to describe various aspects of the scene like describing what led to this scene, emotions of the characters and what might happen afterward.  These responses may reveal underlying motives, concerns and the way the subject see the social world through the stories they make up about ambiguous pictures of people. 4  Generally, this test will include 32 picture cards but some simply use between 8-12 selected cards that may be appropriate for the subject.

Draw-A-Person Test is also known as the Good-enough Harris Draw-a-Person test.  This was developed in 1926 by Florence Goodenough and later revised by Dr. Dale B. Harris.  The test involves asking the subject to make three separate drawings on different sheets of paper showing a man, woman and himself/ herself.  Later on, for the results, a quantitative scoring system analyzes different aspects of drawings such as specific body parts and clothing 5.  The primary goal of the test is to check cognitive developmental levels without worrying about language barriers or needs.

Animal Metaphor Test was developed by Dr. Albert Levis.  This test involves a series of creative and analytical prompts and is premised on self-analysis.  The test combines facets of art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and insight therapy. 6 The goal of the test is to describe emotions that are both extremely positive and negative.

Sentence Completion Test, was first developed by Herman Ebbinghaus in 18977. This test provides respondents with beginnings of sentences and asks the subject to finish in his own words.  Users of this method typically analyze them in terms of what they judge to be recurring attitudes, conflicts and motives reflected in the responses. 8 Different sentence completion tests vary in length.  Longer ones can have as much as 100 items.  This test is used in personality analysis, clinical applications, attitude assessment, achievement motivation and measurement of other constructs and widely used in psychology, management, education, and marketing. 9  Some examples of sentence completion tests are Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank and Miner Sentence Completion Test.

Picture Arrangement Test was developed by Silvan Tomkins.  It is a test in which an individual arranges 3 pictures in a sensible sequence and the subject is asked to create a sensible and meaningful story about the arranged pictures.

Word Association Test. This test was created to get an insight of person’s subconscious mind.  Basically, the subject is asked to find a word to associate with the chosen word.

Graphology. Is the study of handwriting.  This test covers the analysis of writing organization on the page, movement style and use of distinct letterforms 10 to infer a person’s character, disposition, and attitude11.  This method is commonly used in recruitment. This test can either be integrative, holistic or symbolic.

Whatever test you take, what’s important is to have a grasp of your personal identity, utilize your strengths, develop your weaknesses and present yourself confidently and professionally. Nothing beats a person who’s whole and ready to face the world despite the challenges that they are facing.

We hope you find this article enjoyable and informative. Don’t forget to hit “like” or “share” this article.