Many of my posts here at the Gradifying Blog have (and will keep having) something in common: the need for you to know who you are. Self-awareness feels like it’s a given. After all, who would know someone better than themselves? Well, it’s not that straightforward. Can you confidently answer right now what your personal and professional strengths and weaknesses are, what your lifestyle likes and dislikes are, and what your purpose in life is? Getting there is a never-ending process, so I hope I can enlighten you with today’s post.
A very low-effort resource to kick-start being more intentional about how you see and understand yourself is personality tests. Ranging from quirky Buzzfeed quizzes to actual clinical diagnosis tools, they can be an insightful learning experience into our own behavioural patterns if used correctly. It is not a coincidence that multiple hiring processes will ask you to fill out some version of these tests to evaluate cultural fit to the company. In the following steps, I’m sharing how I approach and use them in my self-knowledge journey.
Step 1: More is More
The more tests you take, the more comfortable you get with the idea of them, the more time you spend reflecting on the topics and yourself, and the more data you will have. Besides discovering your Hogwarts house, I recommend starting with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. You can send it to all your friends; it will become your circle’s new obsession to talk about it. The Big Five assessment and the HEXACO personality inventory are other well-known science-backed ones. I have also benefited from taking the Saboteur Assessment and the Attachment Style survey, although I have never seen any research analysis.
Step 2: Create your Own Repository
I have taken 30+ types of personality tests since starting during high school (yes, I find the whole process of taking them really enjoyable). But how do I know that? Because I keep track! Creating your repository of test results is critical to enabling the next step. I like screenshotting them to have a record of the visual resources like graphs. Save the file with the name of the test and the month and year you took it, e.g., “BigFive_11_2024.”
Step 3: Retake and Revisit
The final step is the hardest: you must keep retaking the tests and revisiting their results to have a database that allows you to compare, gain insights, and draw conclusions. I try to do it every two to three years, but you don’t need to (re)take them simultaneously. Besides, suppose you have taken many different tests that evaluate similar traits. In that case, you can start to trace patterns and find core features in your personality and behaviour that maybe you weren’t aware of before. It is almost like we’re applying the scientific method to ourselves. And that’s the beauty of it! Now, what you do with your conclusions depends on you. Hopefully, you use it to become your best version ever – and that should be a search that never stops.
Disclaimer: many personality assessments mentioned in this post have been developed through years of research and have become trademarks. The provided links will send the reader to free versions that may not wholly reflect the original methodologies’ outcomes.