I am a fiend for quizzes.
When I was a mere tween, I would go nuts over magazines like Quizfest, M, and POPSTAR and I would rip out every single quiz. What perfume will make your crush like you? What haircut is best for you? What’s your flirting style?
I was obsessed. And, once I had earned the ~elusive~ access to the “family computer,” I would spend my allotted computer time taking a load of quizzes on the internet. Yes, tell me who my celebrity crush should be. Tell me what kind of friend I am!
There’s something comforting about being able to shove a label or category to yourself, even if it’s that if you were a fragrance you’d be Curious by Britney Spears.
My love for quizzes never stopped, it just evolved. And I’ve realized that some quizzes help you better understand yourself or give you a sense that you’re not alone — someone understands you, finally.
When it comes to quizzes, I’ve taken a whole lot of them. Here are all of the most useful personality quizzes I recommend. because I truly believe these quizzes can make your life better and will help you feel a little bit more understood.
1. MBTI (Meyers-Briggs)
This quiz is excellent for helping you to understand how you function and why you function the way you do. I’ve applied this to my life on a daily basis and I have even applied this to doing well in college.
Why it’s useful: This can apply to so many aspects of your life! Friendships, careers, school, daily life and even parenting. I truly believe it can give you a better understanding of yourself and other people. It measures introversion vs extraversion, thinking versus feeling…and it shows it in percentages so you can see how much of each side of the coin you are.
What I got: ESTJ! The executive. A lot of it had me going “Ok, yes. This is me.”…Embracing the values of honesty, dedication, and dignity, people with the ESTJ personality type are valued for their clear advice and guidance, and they happily lead the way on difficult paths.”
2. Enneagram Personality Types (New)
I did an entire blog post about these back in the day. Basically, Enneagram 9 measures how you deal with certain roles and identities.
The types include roles, like: reformer, leader, helper, peacemaker, and artist. The great thing about this is that it gives you points for each title. You aren’t simply just one. You can be tied and you can even have negative scores, meaning you are far from the title.
Why it’s useful: It can help you see which facets of your life you’re really strongly active in and which you aren’t. It’s definitely helped me to see which roles I thrive in and which I need to work on.
What I got: By a landslide, I got the highest score in Type 8: The Leader and very low negative scores for Type 2: The Helper and Type 9: The Peacemaker. I’m also a bit of the Motivator and the Artist, which I totally agree with.
3. The 5 Love Languages
I find this quiz to be particularly useful in relationships, romantic and platonic.
There are five languages— quality time, words of affirmation, gift giving, physical touch and acts of service. I think these can definitely change in time. Plus, they’re ranked out of twelve points.
Why it’s useful: It helps you to better understand how you best receive love and how your partners/friends like to receive love. It helps you to see what you and others find to be most meaningful. This is helpful to know for yourself, too, because if you’re feeling underappreciated in a relationship or don’t feel like you’re getting the most out of it, this quiz could help you figure out why that may be.
What I got: Mine is tied for quality time and words of affirmation, meaning I value spending time with my partner and hearing supportive, appreciative words. Totally accurate.
4. The Four Tendencies
This is definitely the newest one on the list. Gretchen Rubin, an author whose books I love reading, generated a way to categorize how people deal with their tendencies. It’s more or less, what gets you to do things? What motivates you? How do you create and stick with habits?
Why it’s useful: Knowing this about myself has been the key to getting myself to stay on task and stick to habits. I’m more aware of what actually gets me to do things and why I do them. If you’re setting goals or trying to make changes in your life, this one is absolutely a useful quiz to take. For further reading, I also love and recommend her book, “The Four Tendencies.” It can help you figure out how to improve yourself and how to work well with those around you (once you get them to take the quiz, too.)
What I got: Obliger! I’m most likely to stick to things and to get them done when someone (or something) is relying on me. It’s a bit tougher to be self-motivated if no one is counting on me. This is why accountability has really helped me to stick to goals!
And here we are…
Of course, these are just quizzes. They’re not meant to define you or entirely impact the way you live. But, they can certainly foster self-awareness and motivate self-improvement. I can definitively say that each of these quizzes has impacted me for the better… plus, they’re fun to take.
What’d you get on these personality quizzes?
