Author Spotlight
Madeline Funkey
I can’t be the only one who has procrastinated their English essay because they got distracted with a personality test they found on social media, right? The internet is overflowing with tests that claim to reveal your ‘true self’ and determine your personality by answering an assortment of questions from how emotional you are to how picky of an eater you are. Whether you think it’s a hoax or full-heartedly believe in these tests, it’s fun to dive in to your results — if you’re an outgoing social butterfly, or a more reserved homebody.
I was curious to measure the accuracy of the test by comparing the results with how I perceive myself to be — a go-with-the-flow, relaxed and upbeat person. I found and compared three tests: the Enneagram, Myers and Briggs and a Buzzfeed personality quiz.
The Enneagram is a system that categorizes people within nine major personality types. The purpose of the Enneagram is not to restrict yourself to a stereotype, but to help you discover and identify your strengths and limitations to guide you toward the best version of yourself.
The 100-question test helps you identify which of the 1-9 numbers you be. You may be a two: the considerate helper, or an eight: the active controller.
The test included six pages of statements where you are prompted to answer whether you think the statement is inaccurate, neutral or accurate, according to your own perception of yourself. Some of the hard-hitting statements were, ‘It is important to me to avoid pain and suffering at all times,’ ‘I am concerned about security more than anything else’ and ‘I take steps to ensure I don’t feel sad or lonely.’I would often read each statement and second guess my answer — trying not to pick the ‘ideal’ answer so I would be as honest with myself as possible.
My results were displayed on a pie chart that broke down how I scored within each of the nine types, the largest sections being three, seven, five and eight. I received a 98% match for a three, which is the competitive achiever type. Enneagram described that number three’s “want to advance in the world and will sacrifice almost anything for success; vigorously pursuing tasks and becoming utterly absorbed in the pursuit of attainment.”
Though my answers obviously correlated with their definition of a three, the over-expressed achiever, I would’ve expected to have matched higher with a five based on their descriptions of five’s being the investigator: seeking understanding and knowledge. If I wanted to get more of an understanding on where I stand, I’d choose to read more about each type and personally pick out a number rather than having a test decide for me.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Myers & Briggs standardized personality test. After scrolling through what felt like 100 questions — some asking about how vivid my imagination was or how I like friendly competition — I was prompted with an extensive page of results. The only downside is you have to pay $19 to unlock your full test results — I decided to stick with the abbreviated list.
Scanning through the personality types that fit me best, my top result was the commander, described as the strategic leaders that are motivated to organize change. Next, I got the teacher: the idealist and organizer. My third result was the champion: people-centered creators with a focus on possibilities and a contagious enthusiasm for new ideas.
I’d say they hit it spot on with some of these. It stated I was 36% introverted and 64% extroverted, as well as saying I make decisions with my heart more than with my head. I liked how they got into the nitty-gritty details when analyzing my scores, rather than vaguely describing me as a ‘kind-hearted’ person.
This test wasn’t too time-consuming and was very comprehensible because of the neatly laid out information. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for a fast and simple past-time that will help you understand your personality more with reasoning to back up the results.
Buzzfeed is known for having a quiz for everything, from what your spirit animal is to which character you are in “Gossip Girl.” I decided to try their personality test titled, ‘The Most Accurate Personality Test You’ll Ever Take.’
Responding to statements about the messiness of my room, my ability to keep secrets and whether I’m the life of the party, I quickly was bored from the dull questions sounding like a broken record from every other personality test. Similarly to the other tests, I was prompted to answer the questions as strongly agree, somewhat agree, neutral, somewhat disagree and strongly disagree.
I didn’t mind answering the mindless questions, but didn’t see how such simple questions could give a deep insight into a subject as complicated as one’s personality.
After the long, extensive 40 questions my results popped up. According to Buzzfeed, I have a high emotional intelligence and will go out of my way to comfort someone if they’re feeling sad.
Reading the results was very entertaining and while the feedback was fairly surface-level and seemed basic, I thought most of it was accurate. If you’re looking for silly entertainment this is the perfect quiz for you.
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