Personality Tests: Why We Like Them, Which To Take, & What to Do After

I love a good personality test. And as a $500 million industry, clearly I’m not alone in this.

Remember sitting on your bedroom floor with your trendy teen magazine back in the day? I’d be lying if I told you I skipped over those quizzes that told me what kind of flirt I was based off my favorite fast food order.

While I may pass on the less-than-intricate Buzzfeed quiz these days, my fascination with credible personality tests is here to stay.

Why We’re Obsessed

When reflecting on my own allure towards self-discovery quizzes, I’ve found the attraction toward personality tests makes sense:

1. They provide another means of self-definition you may otherwise not have discovered. Frankly, this is empowering!
2. They provide a feeling of belonging — And feeling understood is a valuable experience.
3. They help us understand other people.

You’ve Taken a Personality Test– Now What?

Whatever the reason is, it’s important to note that these tests become meaningless if you don’t apply your learnings to your daily life. Here’s how you can take your personality results to make an actual impact in your life:

Set Your Expectations

Be prepared to face some constructive criticism. You probably need to hear it and the only way to improve your shortcomings is to face them head-on.

Also note it’s highly likely your results aren’t going to be a perfect match. Skeptics may be turned off by personality tests because they don’t agree with every single statement– how could they? It’s pretty delusional to believe billions of people can fall into 1 of 10ish categories.

Think of your results as more of a spectrum. Some tests even score by percentage and show how you ranked across all categories. This should be your mindset going into any personality test.

Be Intentional

I’ll go over my favorite personality tests a little later but before you dive in, ask yourself what you want to get out of the test.

For work-related questionnaires, establish the end goal: Are you trying to hone-in on your strengths for a possible career change? Maybe you want to find the root of why you can’t get along with that one coworker for the life of you.

Are you taking a personality test to figure out your love life a little more? Are you trying to understand your partner a little more? Do you want to learn how to navigate different communication styles?

Lastly, if you’re taking a comprehensive personality test, ask yourself how your learnings can help you become a better communicator, listener, empath and ultimately, a better person.

Don’t Set it and Forget it

You’re excited to dig a little deeper into figuring out why you act the way you do. You carefully answer each question, eager for the big reveal. You finish up, gather your results, and go on your merry way.

Personality tests are extremely insightful… when you want them to be. Don’t forget to take notes and indicate which parts reveal the questions you had going into it. Study the results, digest the information, and analyze how you can apply your strengths and improve your weaknesses in your daily life.

Write them on a piece of paper to carry with you as a daily reminder or keep a note in your phone to look back on.

Be Situational

After taking the test, when you find yourself in a social, work, or personal scenario, apply your results to the next steps in your situation. Did the test acknowledge your harsh communication style? Try writing that email with a little more compassion. Did you discover you’re a bit of a people pleaser? Make sure you vocalize what’s best for you.

Don’t Use Your Results as an Excuse

“Sorry I was so rude, but I can’t help that I’m a Sagittarius!”

We all know that person. DON’T BE THAT PERSON.

Again, the ultimate goal when taking personality tests is to become a better person. Just because your type may be more outspoken than others, does not give you an excuse to treat people (including yourself!) badly.

For example, my Enneagram is Type 3. One downfall of Type Threes is they are susceptible to narcissistic traits. Rather than moving forward with a selfish act and blaming my Enneagram type, I can use this knowledge and when given the choice, apply a different approach to my next move.

Learn About Other Types

Now that you’ve learned a little more about yourself, take some time to understand those around you. Have them take the same test so you can compare results and interpret your differences, where you might clash, and how to effectively communicate.

Top 5 Personality Tests

I hope your next self-discovery phase provides clarity, helps you gain a strong understanding for those around you, and enhances your self-improvement journey.

That being said, here are my 5 Favorite Personality Tests to explore:

Enneagram Types

The Enneagram Personality Test helps you find your specific personality by assigning your highest ranking number (1-9) as your “basic personality” type. I recently revisited this one and thought it to be extremely insightful when it comes to improving relationships and overall outlook on life.

I also found the “Tips for Relating to” section here to be enlightening when learning how to understand someone close to you with a different number.

My Enneagram Type: 3

Love Languages

If you don’t know your Love Language, please do yourself a huge-ass favor and take the test. Especially helpful for those in relationships, the Love Language test helps determine what makes you feel loved. Because – shocker – not everyone experiences love the same!

Your primary love language can be one of: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, or Physical Touch. Learning your own language as well as your partner’s, is a game-changer because you’ll discover the root of your conflicts and how to fill each of your love tanks.

My Primary Love Language: Words of Affirmation

Attachment Styles

A few months ago, I was very intentional about my therapy sessions. I wrote exactly what I wanted to get out of therapy, questions I had, and self-observations I wanted to get to the root of.

I rambled off the list to my therapist as she nodded and quietly took notes. When I was finished, she tasked me with a Relationship Attachment Style test and to bring my results to our next session.

After taking the test, I was honestly dying of laughter because 99% of the list I approached her with all came back to my attachment style. Needless to say, my mind was blown – or in therapy jargon, I had a “breakthrough.”

This is another great test for improving your relationships, but it’s also great for identifying your underlying mechanisms that have impacted your life more than you thought possible.

My Relationship Attachment Style: Dismissive-Avoidant

16 Personalities (Myers-Briggs)

The 16 Personalities test is basically a simplified version of the well-know Myers-Briggs personality test. Learn what drives, inspires, and worries different personality types while learning how to grow and navigate the world around you. This is a great one for work environments!

My Personality: Consul ESFJ

Erotic Blueprint

Much like Love Languages, everyone has their own “sex language.” I mean, it makes sense right? What turns me on, may not turn you on. The Erotic Blueprint test helps you understand your pathways to arousal (and your partner’s) so you can achieve sexual fulfillment- and let’s be real, who doesn’t want that?