I love to take tests… personality, color, clothing-style tests — whatever is offered. What I don’t like is that the questions asked often require more than scaled-answer responses offered. You know, the on-a-scale-of kind of answers with no provision for actually answering. Or multiple choice answers — and none of the choices fits you exactly.
So of course, the results aren’t really accurate. They just hint at… Oh well. They’re still fun to take and share with your friends.
We’re ALL valid!
What I do like about such tests is how many colors and styles and sounds of validity there are. We’re all valid. All the personality types, expressed in so many wonderful ways, have value and place in our communities — online and off.
What’s my clothing style? Does it match my hair style and makeup and jewelry? My personality?
I’ve been professionally color-coded as sunlight, vibrant summer, winter 2, maybe spring, soft summer, hmmm…
I’ve been told (also professionally) I’m a Natural in clothing (I like denim), a Classic (I like clothes that are fairly timeless), a Gamin. (Really???)
I’ve been assessed as being a C (conscientious) or an S (steady) personality types. C’s are task oriented. S’s are people-oriented. Both are introverted. Hmmm…
Even though the results of such tests are always ambivalent because the topics are subjective, they serve a purpose:
They make us ask more questions and think more and grow and change — all to see what works and what doesn’t. And they add to our conversations.
I’m me. And you’re you. Genuinely, authentically. And as long as we accept our own validity and everyone else’s, we’ll all fit.
What do you think? Have you taken any tests that give validity to you and help you see how you fit? How we all fit?
Water’s cold; coffee’s hot. Help yourself.
Barb
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I took the VIA Strengths Inventory (Authentic Happiness) and found that humor was one of my top strengths. After this, I paid to this and realized how much I do use and need humor in my life. It eases my way through good and bad times. It was a major consideration when my marriage ended and I started to date. I wanted someone who made me laugh and who like to laugh. Lucky me…I found him.
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I am still enjoying the little music personality test I took on face book – Dissonant Chord V… it was fairly accurate – I like that it is fun and makes one think a bit in a new way.
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Hi Barb,
I like to take tests, but do wonder how accurate the results are when the choices are limited.
I took one on Hunter’s blog and found out I’m an introvert, but then again, I already knew that.
But like you said, they are fun and make us think.
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I took a Myers-Briggs a few years ago and found that I was an INFJ–the description made me feel so much better about myself. I think at age 48 when I took that test, I realized for the first time that it was OK to be who I was and not always try to be what other people thought I should be. It gave me permission to be quiet and introspective.
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I’ve taken a few of these types of tests and am usually surprised to see how accurate they are. I often wonder how they come up with these tests.
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Funny, Barb. I would have thought you were an extravert. Still, with all the reflection and painting you do, I suppose you must be an introvert too.
Yes, i’ve done personality tests. I remember I did a career advisory test when I wanted a change from copywriting. Two days I spent filling in forms and puzzling over diagrams. At the end I was told I was best suited to the career of – yes, that’s it. Copywriting!
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I usually take the tests I bump into in magazines and other odd places, but honestly, I regard them as pure entertainment. If they affirm my suspicions about myself, I guess I might consider that validating them, but if they don’t, am I to change me? In any case, they all seem to be written so that there’s no worse case scenario…just different tacks, and don’t we already know that?
I’d think it more interesting to have others take the test for me so that I’d have a picture of how they see me. It would then be disconcerting if it were a great deal different from the way I see myself.
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Good stuff.
There’s so many lenses to know thyself (and others).
I like the Meta-programs in NLP, the Strengths in Strengths Finder, the Lens of Human Understanding in Dealing with People You Can’t Stand, the Big 5 Personality Types, the learning styles (concrete, abstract, random, linear), the six styles under stress, Enneagram, color energies, Myer’s Brigg, audio/visual/kinesthetic, 5 Satire Categories, 5 thinking styles, 6 thinking hats, 10 types of difficult people.
The Golden Circle was great because it helped me see my personal success patterns. It’s like a one-liner for “why do you do what you do.” You can live your “why” right now and be true to you.
I also like knowing my values. It helps look for matches and mismatches.
I think the key to lenses is using the right tool for the job or scenario.
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Hi Barbara. I’ve taken a few test — the Myers-Briggs and had my colours done. I’m what they call a spring person — pastel colours. Makes sense I guess with me being born in the spring and liking pastel colours. The Myers-Briggs was pretty accurate too as I am an introvert. But for me personally, doing these tests is just plain fun.
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