The best free career tests and personality tests

Deciding on a career path can be overwhelming. But taking a free online career test and personality assessment is a quick but insightful way to find out where your interests lie and how they can translate into a fulfilling career. A career test or personality assessment is usually a short questionnaire to help you identify your interests, strengths, and goals. From there, you'll receive professional recommendations tailored to your unique personality and interests. The internet is full of these tests and reviews. To save you time and energy, we've researched dozens to find the most accurate and efficient options.

How we selected the best free career tests and personality tests

To find the best professional tests, we researched dozens of available options, spoke to a longtime college advisor, and administered each of these tests ourselves.

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We interviewed a longtime college advisor.

Dana Marvin, a college counselor who has helped hundreds of students through the college application process, conducts job aptitude tests with her students each year. In his expert opinion, the best types of career tests are those that provide results as clusters of careers or clusters of jobs that involve similar skills and responsibilities.

She adds, "While a student might not like all the jobs in a particular group, they might find a few that stand out. For example, let's say you love music and have a passion for the performing arts, but aren't entirely sure if an acting degree is right for you. By browsing a list of occupations in an occupation group such as "Arts, Audio/Video and Communications" they can explore dozens of occupations in the entertainment and performing arts industries, from disc jockeys to sound engineers and cinematographers. .

We have ensured that all of the tests on our list provide information in broader job categories for maximum learning potential.

we learneda lotabout ourselves

You should expect career tests and personality assessments to provide guidance and direction only, not the definitive answer of your career path. Ms. Marvin agrees: "A job aptitude test is a great tool, but it should only be used as a guide."

As we conduct job aptitude tests and personality tests to get the best out of it, we analyze each platform for its usability, validity of the results, and the way it communicates its results. We also rated the time it took to complete each question and whether the platform offered other career resources such as access to career advisors.

Free is definitely better.

Since the goal of job aptitude tests is to learn more about yourself, we recommend that you don't spend too much time and money on professional tests. In fact, all of our top picks are free. However, some offer additional analysis for a fee.

The best free racing tests

123test – professional aptitude test

123test's free job aptitude test is based on the Holland Codes, a career choice theory developed by psychologist John L. Holland in the 1950s; this is still one of the most popular career guidance models today. In general, there are six personality types in the Dutch model:

Realist:Practical, concrete, practical.
investigator:Analytical, intellectual, scientific.
Artistic:Creative, original, independent.
Social:Cooperative, supportive, loving.
Entrepreneur:Competitive, leading, convincing.
Conventional:Detail-oriented, organized, administrative.

Rather than assigning you one of these personality types, this test ranks how these traits apply to you, from most dominant to least dominant. This highly specific approach means there are 720 possible outcomes, and your particular combination can say a lot about what type of career options would be a good fit. For example, if you have an ISRAEC personality with particularly strong research and social skills, areas such as medicine and education would make sense for you. In fact, discovering your Holland Code can help you find the career direction that best suits your personality type.

This test contains 15 sets of four pictures representing different occupations and work activities. For each set you have to choose which option you like the most and which you like the least.

You will also be asked what level of education 123test should use for its job recommendations; In this way, you can filter out professions that are currently out of the question for you.

When you have answered all the questions, 123test will give you your Dutch code and a list of suggested occupations.

Time to complete:5 to 10 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:This test is particularly suitable for visual thinkers as it is mainly based on images and not text.

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My next step: O*NET Interest Profiler

The My Next Move O*NET Interest Profiler is sponsored by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. The Profiler consists of 60 questions about work-related activities, and your task is to read each question carefully and decide how it would make you feel about this type of work on a scale from "I don't like it" to "I like it a lot".

The results will show you which Holland Code categories best match your interests.

Once you have completed the O*NET interest profile, you will be asked to select one of five job zones, each requiring a different level of education and training. After you select your desired job zone, the site will determine your "best fit" career, as well as several "great fit" careers.

Truth - Professional Personality Profiler

The Truity website offers several free professional tests based on the Holland Code andbig fiveSystems In addition to the Career Personality Profiler, Truity offers a TypeFinder® for the career planning test, a Holland Code career test and a career photo test. The Career Personality Profiler is the most comprehensive of Truity's four tests. As with the My Next Move O*NET Interest Profiler, you read the job postings and choose the level at which you would like to hold this position or not. You will also read statements about personality traits and how they apply to you.

Once the test is over, Truity will generate a variety of results that you can use in planning your race. Unlike most of the assessments covered in this guide, Truity's Career Personality Profiler isn't entirely free: your work style and some of the other results are provided for free, but you'll need to upgrade to the premium version to access additional information can . . . how you motivate yourself and how you interact with others.

Another free feature of this test is that you can review the best career options that match your personality profile and these lists also include the average earnings and projected growth for each career option. However, it should be noted that all free results will be deleted after 14 days.

Time to complete:10 to 15 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?NO

Because it's great:The platform is easy to use, the site offers multiple career tests, and the tests use a mix of methods and models.

Sokanu Career Explorer - Karrieretest

Sokanu's Career Explorer is characterized by its focus on advanced machine learning, psychometrics and job satisfaction data. The test is constantly evolving and improving based on new data, and the company is continually refining its algorithm to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to accuracy.

The test consists of three main sections: Personality Archetype, Career Matches, and Graduation Matches. Your results include a list of the best careers, the best titles, and even the opportunity to connect with like-minded people on Sokanu's free Discord community.

A disadvantage of this test is that it contains many more questions and takes much longer than any of the other options covered in this guide.

Time to complete:30 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:It is an intelligent test that uses advanced machine learning to evolve and improve.

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Vocational setter - Vocational test

Career Fitter's free career test is one of the oldest and most widely used personality tests: it's been around since 1998, and someone in the world takes the test every three seconds. The test assesses four dimensions related to your personality at work: energy, perception, planning style, and decision-making style. Within these dimensions are the traits of your work personality, and these traits help determine what careers you are best suited for. Another unique aspect of this test is that you can see your personality profile taking shape as you continue to answer all of the questions.

Your free personality report includes information such as: B. how much money you can make in careers that fit your personality, your leadership and management style, and any weaknesses in your work personality. Like Truity's Career Personality Profiler, Career Fitter's Career Test offers a premium version of its results with more information; In this case, the paid report contains 10 pages of comments about your work personality, your communication method and even famous people who are similar to you. .

Although not as long as the Career Explorer by Sokanu test, this is still one of the longer options included in this guide; You should expect it to complete in at least 10 minutes.

Time to complete:10 to 20 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:This test has been around for 20 years and has collected data from millions of users. It is used by reputable companies, universities and HR departments around the world.

The Princeton Review - Karriere-Quiz

The Princeton Review Career Quiz consists of 24 pairs of sentences, such as "I'd rather be a clerk" and "I'd rather be a carpenter." Your task is to choose which set of the pair you prefer. The questionnaire is short and only takes a few minutes.

You must sign up for a free account before you can see your results; Most of your other career assessment options do not require this step. Results include color-coded "interests" and "styles," with each color representing one of four meanings: accelerate, plan, communicate, or manage. "Interests" describe the types of activities you are attracted to, while "Styles" describe the strengths you bring to a work environment.

In addition to information about your interests and styles, The Princeton Review provides you with a list of recommended careers for a person of your color. You can click on any of these careers to learn more about them.

Time to complete:5 minutes
Professional trainers available?And
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:This questionnaire is quick and provides detailed information. It has an easy-to-understand color system and an extensive list of professional recommendations.

Career One Stop – Interessenbeurteilung

The Career One Stop Interest Assessment is sponsored by the US Department of Labor and the motto is simple: “Tell us what you enjoy doing. And what you don't like to do. We'll show you jobs that match your interests.” The assessment consists of 30 short questions, similar to the My Next Move O*NET Interest Profiler.

After answering the questions, you select the level of professional readiness you have or want to have and the system will populate a list of careers that match your interests and professional readiness. The Career List contains data on career prospects, average hourly wages, and the level of education required.

If you are particularly interested in one of the listed professions, you can click on it to see more details, e.g. B. the projected employment figures and the activities that you could carry out on an average working day.

Time to complete:5 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:The assessment is short and quick and the list of suitable occupations contains important facts about job prospects, average hourly wage and required education.

Your free career test – Free career test

Your free career test is suitable for both adults and students up to the age of 13. The free flagship race test can be completed in five minutes, and other free tests on the site take even less time.

Once you have completed the test, you will receive a unique result code; This way you can review your results later without having to send your email or create an account.

The results page includes interest values for each of 15 general categories such as arts, business, and communications. After you have taken the core exam, you can opt for a more specialized exam, e.g. B. A health care career exam, art career exam, or technology career exam. Their free career test recommends exploring careers that combine two of your primary interests; For example, if your results indicate that you have a strong interest in art and technology, look for careers that combine the two, such as engineering. B. Graphic design, game design or marketing.

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Time to complete:5 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:This is a student-friendly resource that does not require an email address or account creation and offers specialized follow-up career tests.

Rasmussen University - professional aptitude test

Unlike personality-based assessments like the 123test job aptitude test or the My Next Move O*NET Interest Profiler, this test is based solely on your current skills. It only takes a few minutes to complete as all you have to do is adjust the sliders according to your skills in areas like art, math, and communication.

If you'd like, you can also refine your search by average salary, projected job growth, and required education level.

Once you're done adjusting the sliders and filters, you can dump the results to see which runs work best for you.

The Rasmussen University Career Aptitude Test provides more detailed job data than most of the other tests featured in this guide: by hovering over any of the career options listed, you can review salary information, employment information, and how your current skills match the required job skills.

Time to complete:5 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?NO

Because it's great:This test provides highly detailed job data for careers that match your current skillset.

Minnesota State University - Profession Interest Survey

The Minnesota State University Career Cluster Interest Survey asks you about your preferred activities, your personal qualities, and your favorite school subjects to determine which career paths make the most sense for you.

Once you have completed the test, you can check which industries best suit your interests.

Minnesota State University has a page for each individual career cluster where you can find more information. These pages are particularly useful for students as they describe activities you may be doing now to see if a type of work that makes sense on paper is something you really enjoy doing personally, such as: B. Agriculture, food and natural resources. The career group page recommends activities like joining a 4-H club and volunteering at an animal shelter.

Time to complete:5 to 10 minutes
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?And

Because it's great:This resource offers lots of useful information for industries that match your interests.

The best personality tests for jobs

Keirsey - Keirsey's Temperament Sorter Test

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter Test identifies four basic temperaments in people: artisan, guardian, idealist, and rational. These temperaments exist in a matrix of action and communication, with each temperament located in a different quadrant of the matrix. Keirsey's four temperaments can be broken down into 16 subtypes, often referred to as "character types" or "personality types" depending on their typeModell Myers-Briggs. Available in many languages, the Keirsey assessment consists of paired statements that prompt you to choose the one that is most appropriate for you.

At the end of the evaluation, you must enter your email address to receive your temperament. From there you can purchase more detailed reports or do your own research on this temperament.

Time to complete:10 to 15 minutes

Professional trainers available?And
Additional professional resources?NO

Because it's great:The site contains extensive information on each of the four temperaments and you have the opportunity to purchase detailed and specific information about your temperament.

16 Personalities - NERIS Type Explorer®

The 16 Personality NERIS Type Explorer® uses the four-letter Myers-Briggs typology to classify you into one of 16 personality types: Architect, Logician, Commander, Debator, Lawyer, Mediator, Protagonist, Activist, Logistician, Lawyer , executive, consul, virtuous, adventurer, entrepreneur or entertainer. The test consists of statements that you rate on a scale from “agree” at one end and “disagree” at the other end.

The results are comprehensive and include sections on strengths and weaknesses, romantic relationships, friendships, parenting, career paths, and work habits. You can also upgrade to a premium version to learn more about your personality type and take additional, more specialized assessments. The site contains a variety of free and in-depth resources for you to explore.

Time to complete:10 mins
Professional trainers available?NO
Additional professional resources?NO

Because it's great:The site is easy to use and the evaluation provides a detailed and far-reaching result report.

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Tips from the experts

Dana Marvin, Studienberaterin,LinkedIn

1. What advice would you give to a student who is uncertain about their career path?

While it seems like everyone else your age knows exactly what they want to do with the rest of their life, chances are they're still questioning that too. You probably have some ideas that are already interesting and you should start there.

Also, know that knowing what you don't want to do for a living is just as helpful. Sometimes it's easiest to cut out the things you don't like before focusing on something you might enjoy. Not a fan of blood? Medical careers may not be right for you. Is your father an accountant and does the job description seem boring to you? Again, maybe not a good fit. At some point, you start narrowing down your options.

Finally, don't stress too much about it. Most college students feel like they have to plan their entire lives before they turn 18, but the reality is that many college students change their minds throughout their college careers and beyond. Not having understood everything is not only okay, but completely normal. Spend time exploring different specs and classes, attend events, and ask questions about things that pique your interest.

2. Which professional aptitude test do you recommend?

My go-to place for accurate data and easy-to-use job aptitude tests isOne stop race. This site is sponsored by the United States Department of Labor, so data on each career listed on the site correlates with data that the Department collects each year. Your self-assessments are easy and can be completed in minutes compared to other resources that can be tedious to complete. The best part, I think, is that the site connects students to the relevant data that many students need to evaluate careers: How many jobs do I have available? What training do I need to be prepared for this job? And most importantly, how much money will I make? It's also completely free.

3. Any other advice for students?

The best thing a student can do for themselves is to open up to the career-finding process and try lots of new things; Eventually something will click. I think it's also important to remember that it's not a permanent decision and you can change your mind later.

What is a professional aptitude test?

A job aptitude test is a series of questions designed to help you find out which jobs best suit your personality and skills. They often use models like the Holland Codes and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to assess their strengths, weaknesses, psychological preferences, etc.

These tests can be particularly helpful for students who have not yet decided on a subject to study. Many careers require a degree: When you factor in all post-secondary education expenses, including tuition, fees, books, and possibly room and board if you want to live on campus, the full cost of your degree could bemore than six figures. You must devote countless hours to attending classes and studying for your degree. Taking a job aptitude test is a great way to make sure you're choosing a career you're compatible with before you spend all that time and money on a particular degree.

What can a personality test tell you?

Personality tests can give you insight into how you perceive the world, make decisions, and relate to others. For example, the popular Myers-Briggs personality test determines how you fit into four different personality categories: Introversion/Extroversion, Feeling/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving (this is based on Carl Jung's bookpsychological types).

The value of these tests is that they can help you better understand yourself, which will then help you make more informed decisions about your future. It can take a lot of money, time, and effort to advance your career, especially if your chosen profession requires a college education. You can always change careers at some point, but ideally you make the right decision on the first try. The information that personality tests provide can help you avoid the need to change careers and all the sunk costs that come with it.

Should I pay for a job placement test?

As mentioned above, we generally advise against paying for a job placement test. With all the high quality reviews available online, you don't have to pay for any of these tests; If you're looking to advance your career, you can benefit from any of the free assessments in this guide. But if you want to learn more about your personality just to satisfy your own curiosity, then paid options like the premium versions ofTruity Professional Personality Profile oder Keirsey's Temperament Sorter Testit might be worth the cost.

The best free career tests and personality tests - Smart (48)

And MarvinCollege Counselor

During her six years of experience, Dana Marvin has helped hundreds of students across the country navigate the college and career planning process. His areas of expertise are financial aid, tuition negotiation, scholarships and financial planning for college expenses. Dana's experience has led her to help students win over $10 million in college scholarship offers in the 2021-2022 school year alone. His students have been accepted into top universities such as the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, Penn State University, SUNY Binghamton, Bates College, Tufts University, UConn and many more. He holds a master's degree in Higher Education Leadership and Administration from Purdue University and a graduate certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. He currently resides in New York City but helps local and international students through the college admissions process.

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