Have you ever heard someone say they would rather opt out of completing a personality test because there is nothing scientific about it? People are apprehensive because they feel as though these tests are simply a thumb suck of answers, but what if we told you this is not the case? There are personality tests that are backed by science, and this is what we are after. What if you could understand a little more about yourself with a test that answers what casino games say about you, for example? Or what the food you eat says about you? Our personalities are quite complex; we are different and experience the world differently. However, there are personality tests backed by science, and we’ve looked at the best ones.
123 Test
First things first, 123 Test uses the Big Five personality traits in their test. So, what are the Big Five personality traits? Remember, these are only broad traits: extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Extraversion covers whether you are inclined to be extroverted or introverted. Openness deals with how open or closed off you are to people. Conscientiousness deals with how spontaneous you are. Agreeableness highlights if you are hostile or more go with the flow. And neuroticism explains your level of neuroticism or if you are a more stable person.
Back to the 123 Test. This one is quite popular as it is used by psychologists, career counselors, and any other professionals who conduct personality tests. How does it work? There are a total of 120 statements you need to answer. There is no time limit, but the website says, on average, that people take about 15 minutes to complete it. For each statement you need to select one of the following responses: strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree. Once you’ve completed the assessment, you will receive your report, but it’s not going to say things like you are this kind of person. Instead, you will learn how you score on the big five traits.
FiveThirtyEight
Before we dive into the next test, let’s look at what this company is all about. FiveThirtyEight is an American-based website that conducts opinion polls, analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging. They specifically use statistical analysis to tell stories. All their data and evidence are science or statistically driven. Now let’s look at their personality quiz. Dubbed a quiz that’s NOT junk science, FiveThirtyEight has a 30-question personality test that’s backed by science.
Just like the previous test, FiveThirtyEight uses the Big Five model in their test. They highlight that no single person can just be shoved into one of the five personalities but insist that you are made up of a combination of all five. With some being more prominent than others. So how does their test work? As you answer each question, you will be graded from 0 - 100 for each of the big five traits; this depends on how strongly you associate with each trait. Think of it this way; you will not be told flat out that you are an extrovert or an introvert. Instead, you will be shown your propensity for extraversion.
HEXACO Personality Inventory
This one sounds like it's straight out of a science fiction movie, but it’s a wonderful personality test model. The HEXACO model considered six traits as part of the personality structure. These include honesty and humility (H), emotionality (E), extroversion (E), agreeableness versus anger (A), conscientiousness (C), and openness to experience (O). So why are there six elements? Well, emotionality is a great way to measure one’s emotions. For the HEXACO model to work, a person’s emotions must be evaluated as well. There are 100 questions to answer, and it’s available online for free.
So, how does it work? To complete this test correctly, you will need to say whether you agree or disagree with the statements. The test itself takes 15 minutes to complete, but there is no timekeeper, so you can finish it in 30 minutes or however long you choose. Sometimes additional questions related to specific research will also be asked, including questions about your demographics. Once complete, you will receive your results. These results will be put together with other responses to further research and formulate the different personality types.
