The Importance Of Regularly Taking Personality Tests

I have always struggled with describing my personality to others. If you feel the same way then let’s talk about the importance of personality tests.

The biggest reason I regularly take personality tests is that the results put words to feelings I have trouble understanding or describing.

If you are frustrated with a particular aspect of your life, whether it be work, finding love, or your physical appearance you have to realize your personality has a lot to do with your perception.

The better you understand your personality the better you can use it to derive the desired outcome.

But don’t stop with one test.

There is NO single personality test that is all-encompassing. The study of human psychology and what makes us unique is so complex that it will take multiple tests for you to understand the depths of what makes you tick.

On top of that, you are constantly changing.

Your view of the world and yourself changes over time. Life is dynamic and not linear.

Taking a test when you are 18 will yield different results than a test you take after getting married and having kids.

When should you take another personality test?

I try and take a personality test at LEAST once a year.

I typically start looking for a test to take when I feel depressed or uncertainty in my life. These tests help give me clarity and recharge me so I can tackle the next phase of my life.

I can’t tell you the perfect time to take a personality test but I know that once a year has worked well for me.

How do I take a personality test and not skew the results?

Whenever I talk with my friends and family about personality tests I often hear them say “I can see how the test wants me to answer so I over think things and probably skew the data because I don’t agree with the results it gives me”

This is funny to me.

Trying to game a personality test to get the desired result actually tells you something about your personality.

But it can seem to defeat the purpose when you don’t agree with the results.

Try and take the test with an open mind. Answer the questions as they first come into your mind.

If you disagree with the results, really think about what the test is telling you and take the time to think back to specific times in your life when the personality test results might be true.

You might surprise yourself if you are not introspective and devote a lot of time to thinking about why you do what you do.

What should I do with my personality test results?

Most people will take a personality test and keep the information to themselves.

This is bummer.

I would encourage you to share your results with friends and family and tell them what you have learned about yourself. It can open lines of communication that would otherwise not be presented.

Don’t let your personality test results be something you look at once and forget about.

Most of these tests take 15-30 minutes to complete.

Take the results and save them so you can review them later. It is interesting to look back in time and see how your personality has grown, changed, or devolved.

You don’t have to overcomplicate how you save the results, you can put them in a file on your computer or a service like Google Drive.

Which personality tests should I take?

There are hundreds of different personality tests out there.

Some are free and some require a payment.

I would suggest you start with the FREE ones.

From there consider asking your employer to pay for a paid personality test and share the results with them. If they are willing to invest in you it could help them understand what work would be most interesting to you and how you can collaborate on big ideas.