Finding your purpose with personality tests

I am currently in the throws of finding my purpose. I’m not sure I ever had one but it’s been a pretty constant theme appearing every month or so for the last year. Perhaps purpose should be my word of the year? But learning more about yourself through personality tests can shed some light and help you find your purpose.

I’ll include my results in each one!

What is a personality test?

A personality test is a psychological assessment tool that is designed to evaluate and measure various traits, characteristics, and patterns of your personality. 

The tests typically consist of a series of questions or statements to provide information about your preferences, behaviours, attitudes, and tendencies.

The purpose of personality tests is to provide insights into your unique personality profile, including your strengths, weaknesses, communication styles, and potential career or relationship preferences. 

What are the benefits of personality tests?

Many companies do personality testing on potential candidates during the interview process to ensure they get the right personality type for the job role. It can also be helpful to know the personality type of a team member. It can boost your job performance by knowing how to navigate individual differences, different situations and gain a better idea of how to handle certain situations.

But the use of personality tests goes beyond being useful for pre-employment assessments. It can be incredibly insightful for both personal and professional development. They can serve as a starting point for a personal development journey. By highlighting areas for improvement and growth, and recognizing areas that may need attention. This knowledge can be used to enhance emotional intelligence, communication skills, leadership skills and other aspects that contribute to personal growth.

Personality tests can boost our understanding of others and improve interpersonal skills and relationships. In understanding different personality types and their tendencies, we can develop empathy, tolerance, and appreciation for diverse perspectives. This can help us promote effective communication, conflict resolution, and collaboration in personal and professional relationships.

The important thing to remember about your personality test results is that they are not definitive or absolute indicators of your entire personality. They should be considered alongside other factors and experiences.

finding your purpose self improvement

Different types of personality tests

There are a number of different types of tests. And they all assess different areas of your life. From introversion and extroversion to how you like to give and receive love or your motivations and fears.

Each test has its own strengths, weaknesses, limitations as well as a specific purpose.  And sometimes professional interpretations are necessary to decipher or provide a better understanding of your results.

And the beauty is there is no wrong answers to any of these tests.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Probably the most well-known personality tests, the Myers-Briggs test uses a combination of letters to determine the kind of person you are. Your results are deduced based on whether you prefer to focus on your inside or outside world, introvert or extrovert. How you handle information, sensing or intuition. How you handle making decisions, thinking or feeling. And finally, dealing with the outside world, judging or perceiving.
My Myers-Briggs type is ISFJ. I am an introvert that senses information, makes decisions based on feelings and judges the outside world. Fun fact: my husband is the exact opposite!

You can find out your Myers-Briggs type by taking the MBTI assessment at 16 Personalities.

The 5 Love Languages

The 5 love languages look at how we like to give and receive love. And with this typing rather than getting one result, they are ranked from first to last. You might be able to guess which is your main love language just by knowing them. They are:

  • Acts of service
  • Receiving gifts
  • Words of affirmation
  • Quality time
  • Physical touch

I like to give and receive love in the form of acts of service. So for me, I show my husband that I love him by making him a coffee in the morning. I show him I love him by washing, drying and putting away his clothes.

Take The 5 Love Languages quiz.

The Four Tendencies

The Four Tendencies was created by Gretchen Rubin after she had a conversation with an old friend that wanted to take up running again, as she enjoyed it in high school. The Four Tendencies have, you guessed it, four types. The types are:

  • Upholder
  • Obliger
  • Questioner
  • Rebel

They all take into account how we deal with inner and outer expectations, so things like work deadlines or getting up early to go to the gym.
I am an obliger. So that means I have no problem doing what I am told but struggle when I need to do something for myself. Which often includes a bit of self-sabotage.

Take The Four Tendencies quiz.

7 personality tests to take to discover your purpose

Enneagram

I think Enneagram is a tricky one. A lot of what I’ve read about Enneagram mentions that there are no accurate tests for it. And your best bet is to read the description of each type to determine which one you relate best with. But what is it? The Enneagram describes the patterns in how you interpret the world and manage your emotions. The types are numbered from one to nine, but sometimes also have characteristics applied to make them easier to understand. The types are:

  • 1 – Reformer, Perfectionist
  • 2 – Helper, Giver
  • 3 – Achiever, Performer
  • 4 – Individualist, Romantic
  • 5 – Investigator, Observer
  • 6 – Loyalist, Loyal Skeptic
  • 7 – Enthusiast, Epicure
  • 8 – Challenger, Protector
  • 9 – Peacemaker, Mediator

I’m still in the process of typing myself and quite a few are strong contenders. I’m using the book The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case.

DISC

DISC personality test is a behaviour assessment tool that centres around four different personality traits that take into account whether you are outgoing or reserved and task or people-oriented. Almost everyone is a combination of two or more types, with one type being more dominant. The different types are:

  • Dominance
  • Influence
  • Steadiness
  • Conscientiousness

My most dominant trait is C. So I am cautious, independent, careful and need the details.

A certified DISC assessment consultant can help you find out more.

The Fear Assessment

The Fear Assessment was created by Ruth Soukup. After struggling with things in her own life she realised there was a bit of a pattern when it came to people’s fear and the way it could be overcome. The seven fear archetypes are:

  • Procrastinator
  • Rule follower
  • People pleaser
  • Outcast
  • Self-doubter
  • Excuse-maker
  • Pessimist

The full (paid) report will rank each of the fear archetypes from one to seven with a percentage.
I’ve only done the free personality assessment and there were no real surprises with my result. I am a procrastinator.

Take The Fear Assessment.

Clifton Strengths

The Clifton Strengths contains 34 different personality strengths spanning four domains; strategic thinking, relationship building, influencing and executing. The strength themes are the foundation of strengths-based development to help you discover your natural talents or talent DNA.
The 34 strengths are:

  • Analytical
  • Context
  • Futuristic
  • Ideation
  • Input
  • Intellection
  • Learner
  • Strategic
  • Adaptability
  • Connectedness
  • Developer
  • Empathy
  • Harmony
  • Includer
  • Individualization
  • Positivity
  • Relator
  • Activator
  • Command
  • Communication
  • Competition
  • Maximizer
  • Self-Assurance
  • Significance
  • Woo
  • Achiever
  • Arranger
  • Belief
  • Consistency
  • Deliberative
  • Discipline
  • Focus
  • Responsibility
  • Restorative

My dominant domain is strategic thinking with my top strength being relator.

Find out your talent DNA with Clifton Strengths.

Finding your purpose

Finding your purpose with personality tests can shed light on different areas of your life. Helping you to find your strengths as well as weaknesses. And most importantly, learning more about working with those strengths and being aware of those weaknesses and how to overcome them.

Other ways to find your strengths

I also feel like I should list a few others here that are not strictly personality typing, but may provide some insight into your strengths and where they shine.

Astrological sign

Star sign, sun sign, zodiac or astrological sign, no matter what you call it, it’s known by the star constellation you are born under. There are 12 signs, each with varying traits. The signs all also fall into one of the four elements of fire, water, air or earth.
Sometimes I don’t identify with what my star sign predicts but it can help to look at your other signs and not just your sun sign. You can also look at your moon sign and rising sign.
Your sun sign is your identity and basic nature, which drives you to be your truest self.
Your moon sign is the subconscious side of yourself and the driving force behind your emotions and mood.
Your rising sign is your social personality and how you dawn on people.

Mind Body Online has a great article breaking it down and providing some explanation depending on which signs you fall under.

I have a sun in Leo, a moon in Cancer and a rising in Aries.

Human Design

Your human design is also determined by when and where you were born. It’s based on psychology to encourage greater life fulfilment.
There are five human design types; manifestos, generators, manifesting generators, projectors and reflectors. But it’s not just about these types. Human design goes a lot deeper. You can also find out specific information about your aura, strategy, authority, profile, definition, not-self, signature and incarnation cross.
I’m not going to lie, my free short report is 19 pages long. There is a lot of information in there. Get yours from International Human DesignSchool

I am a generator.

Chronotype

You may not have heard about Chronotype. But it is the natural inclination of your body to sleep at certain times. And it can help you identify the best time to do your most productive work. There are four types: lion, bear, wolf and dolphin.

I would say I am a bear.

Gene Keys

Gene Keys is new to me. So new, that I don’t know much about it and I’ve found the Gene Keys website doesn’t really explain it very well. But it uses the details from your birth to map the 64 archetypes of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese divination text. The archetypes are numbered qualities that are modified based on your energetic vibration. The low vibration expressed at a lower frequency is known as a shadow, and the higher frequency is known as a gift. Well and Good has a great article about Gene Keys.

My life’s work is Gene Key 56

7 personality tests to help you discover your purpose

So whether you are looking to improve your work environment and career development, boost your social skills, provide a team building exercise or vet candidates for a significant role, there is likely a personality test to suit your needs.