14 Best Personality Tests for Workplace in 2024

The best personality tests for workplace can help managers, HR professionals, and employees build effective teams, improve communication, increase employee engagement, and match talent with projects and positions.

In this guide, I completed and reviewed the best workplace personality tests for teams. I aimed to assemble a highly actionable guide.

For illustration and to immerse myself deeply in the realm of personality assessments, I revealed my own test results.

Let’s get right into it.

What are the best personality tests for workplace?

Here are my top picks for the best personality tests for workplace:

• Kolbe Index
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
• The Big Five personality test
• Hogan Personality Inventory
• CliftonStrengths
• Emotional Intelligence Test
• DISC personality test
• Eysenck Personality Test
• Enneagram personality test
• Keirsey Temperament Sorter
• Fingerprint for Success (F4S) assessment
• Career Aptitude test
• TypeFinder for the workplace
• Holland Code Career Quiz

1. Kolbe Index

Best for getting actionable advice on team performance and productivity

The Kolbe System is the only assessment measuring how people take action. Results can be immediately translated into actionable advice on team performance, productivity, and hiring.

The Kolbe Index measures the conative mind, the one that is associated with doing things.

The Kolbe System explains conation with four action modes. Each person can get low, medium, or high scores in every four areas leading to 12 different methods of problem-solving.

Dimensions:

• Fact finder: how you gather and share information
• Follow thru: how you arrange and design
• Quick start: how you deal with risk and uncertainty
• Implementor: how you handle space and tangibles

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 36

Cost: $55.00 (no free version available)

Scientific evidence: Seems solid, but I couldn’t find an exhaustive scientific review on the topic.

Take your Kolbe assessment here.

2. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Best for better understanding other people and team members

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been among the most widely used workplace personality tests recently despite moderate scientific evidence of its reliability. The MBTI indicator takes inspiration from the Jungian school and was constructed by mother and daughter Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers.

The MBTI assessment puts people into 16 different personality types along four dimensions.

Dimensions:

• Extraversion vs. introversion: how you focus
• Sensing vs. intuition: how you take in information
• Thinking vs. feeling: how you make decisions
• Judging vs. perceiving: how you deal with the outside world

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 60

Cost: taking the Myers-Briggs test is completely free, but having access to the full report costs $49.95. Take the official MBTI assessment here.

You can also take this test on Mypersonality.net. MyPersonality is developed with the latest psychometric research with advanced testing techniques to maximize its accuracy. It provides feedback and reports based on the specific assessments users took, which could include personality traits, intelligence, and even personal training or coaching (Premium profile).

Scientific evidence: moderate

The validity and reliability of the MBTI have been severely criticized.

My test results: I took the test twice and it resulted in slightly different yet head-nodding results. Last year, I was an Advocate Personality, and now I’m joining Elon Musk and Christopher Nolan to be an Architect Personality (INTJ-T). As an Architect, I’m an intuitive introvert with thinking and judging personality traits.

Architects can be both the boldest of dreamers and the bitterest of pessimists.

Also, it has been reported that MBTI assessments often result in different outcomes. Even the Myers-Briggs Foundation warns against using it solely for hiring decisions. Despite the potential shortcomings, however, I was shocked by how accurate the test results were.

3. The Big Five personality test (Big Five Model)

Best for figuring out essential personality traits

The five-factor model of personality, often cited as the “Big Five” or “Five Factor Model”, has been one of the most influential personality assessments.

The Big 5 Model doesn’t put people into pre-defined personality buckets. Rather, it aims to compare test takers with the average across the big 5 personality traits.

Dimensions:

• Openness
• Conscientiousness
• Extraversion
• Agreeableness
• Neuroticism

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 120

Cost: Free

Scientific evidence: Strong

The Big 5 Model has been one of the most widely used and scientifically backed-up personality models.

My test results:

I scored high on Conscientiousness (112/120) and Neuroticism (90/120) indicating that I have high self-discipline and focus. I’d rather make a plan (or two) than leave everything up to chance or spontaneity.

You can take your Big 5 test for free here or test your team here.

4. Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI)

Best for measuring job fit and leadership potential

The Hogan Personality Inventory is based on the Big Five Model and was developed to measure job fit and predict overall career success.

The Hogan Personality Inventory measures the test-takers across 7 primary scales and 42 sub-scales.

Dimensions:

• Adjustment: what’s your degree of emotional stability
• Ambition: how much you’re inclined to show leadership qualities
• Sociability: what’s your sociality
• Interpersonal Sensitivity: how friendly you’re in a society
• Prudence: what’s your level of self-control
• Inquisitive: how curious you are
• Learning Approach: what’s your attitude to learning

Time to take: 15 minutes

Number of questions: 288

Cost: Free

Scientific evidence: Seems pretty solid as HPI is based on the Big 5 Model.

My test results:

I scaled very low on Adjustment (1/10) and Sociability (2/10) suggesting that I’m emotionally tensed and prefer to work alone.

I scaled high on Prudence (8/10), Inquisitive (10/10), and Learning Approach (7/10) indicating that I have a high level of self-control, have a strong desire for new experiences and enjoy studying.

You can take your HPI test for free here.

5. CliftonStrengths (Formerly: StrengthsFinder)

Best for discovering the strengths of team members and leaders

CliftonStrengths has been one of the most powerful personality tests for workplace.

CliftonStrengths assessment was developed by Don Clifton who strongly believed in the strength-based approach—i.e. we should study what people are good at and don’t focus on their weaknesses.

A strengths-based approach to management is the single best solution to employee engagement, argues Gallup, the company behind CliftonStrengths.

The CliftonStrengths assessment identifies 34 CliftonStrengths themes and plots the test taker against those themes. All CliftonStrengths themes are assigned to four domains.

Dimensions:

• Executing: how do you accomplish your goals and implement solutions?
• Influencing: how do you influence your peers?
• Relationship Building: how do you build relationships?
• Strategic Thinking: how do you absorb and analyze information?

Time to take: 30 minutes

Number of questions: 177

Cost: $59.99 (no free version available)

Scientific evidence: Seems solid; it has been reported that the CliftonStrengths assessment produces consistent outcomes.

Take your CliftonStrengths assessment here.

6. Emotional Intelligence Test

Best for figuring out how good team members are at reading other people

Emotional intelligence has been a major buzzword in the business world recently. It’s one’s ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions.

Understanding your own emotions and those of others can be used for conflict management and effective team building.

The emotional intelligence test takes many forms. The one I took showed facial expressions, simple questions, as well as complex situations to rate how I perceive, recognize, and deal with emotions.

Dimensions:

• Perceiving emotions
• Using emotions
• Understanding emotions
• Managing emotions

Time to take: 35 minutes

Number of questions: 146

Cost: free

Scientific evidence: Solid

Although there’re more than 30 different measures of emotional intelligence, the scientific evidence looks pretty solid.

My test results:

My test revealed that there’s much room for improvement here. 🙂

You can take the emotional intelligence test here or test your team here.

7. DISC personality test

Best for understanding leadership styles and boosting teamwork

The basics of the DISC model were published by psychologist William Moulton Marston in 1928, while the first DISC assessment was introduced in the middle of the 20th century.

The DISC personality profile identifies four personal traits, which together make up the DISC acronym.

Dimensions:

• Dominance: D personalities strive for control and are result-oriented
• Influence: I personalities strive for establishing relationships and influencing or persuading others
• Steadiness: S personalities strive for cooperation and sincerity
• Compliance or Conscientiousness: C personalities strive for accuracy and expertise

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 28

Cost: free

Scientific evidence: moderate

Although the DISC personality test is reliable (i.e. produces the same results over time with high probability), its validity has been considered rather low.

My test results: I’m a strong C Personality (Compliance personality) meaning that I pay attention to detail and adhere to high standards. Hundred percent true. 🙂

You are a natural choice for work that requires attention to detail and accuracy.

You can take the DISC assessment for free here or test your team here.

8. Eysenck Personality Test

Best for figuring out the main personality differences between employees

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) measures the three major dimensions of personality that explains the majority of variation in personality. The theory was developed as a 2-dimensional model by Hans Eysenck and it was later supplemented with a third dimension, psychoticism.

Eysenck approached the topic from a biological standpoint arguing that those personalities can be traced back to a different biological cause and can be measured with physiological methods.

Dimensions:

• Extraversion-Introversion: how outgoing and sociable you are
• Neuroticism-Stability: how reactive and stable you are
• Psychoticism-Socialization: how impulsive you are

Time to take: 5 minutes

Number of questions: 36

Cost: free

Scientific evidence:

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) gathered abundant scientific evidence, yet its third component (psychoticism) has been questioned. The EPQ model has been recently revised in response to the criticism.

My test results:

I scaled high on neuroticism, which suggests that I’m worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious. Oops!

I scaled low on psychoticism indicating that I’m kind-natured and helpful often at the expense of my individual development. Well, it’s kinda true!

You can take the Eysenck Personality Test here.

9. Enneagram personality test

Best for understanding defense mechanisms, core fears, and desires

The Enneagram personality typology model identifies 9 types of personalities, with each type having a variety of characteristics.

The Enneagram test draws on your core desires & fears, passion, and characteristics to recognize and understand your internal motivations.

One Enneagram personality isn’t better than another and there’s no wrong answer either.

Dimensions:

• Characteristics
• Core desires
• Core fears
• Passion (defense mechanisms)

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 105

Cost: free; full report available for a fee

Scientific evidence: Mixed

Research and validation of the Enneagram are in their infancy, and researchers highlight some areas of caution. There’s mixed evidence for reliability and validity.

My test results:

I’m a type one personality; the Perfectionist. I follow the rules instead of breaking them and I fear being imperfect.

Take your Enneagram test here or test your team here.

10. Keirsey Temperament Sorter

Best for improving team communication and building effective relationships

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter was first published in 1978 by David Keirsey. Since then, it has been used for team building, employee development, conflict resolution, and more.

The Keirsey Temperament model distinguishes four temperaments: the Artisan, the Guardian, the Idealist, and the Rational.

The Keirsey temperament matrix plots the four temperaments against how we act and communicate to identify the four temperaments. Those temperaments can then be sorted into 16 personality types, which follow the MBTI model.

Dimensions:

• Action
• Communication

Time to take: 15 minutes

Number of questions: 70

Cost: free; full report available from $34.95.

Scientific evidence: Seems solid.

My test results:

I’m a Guardian. On the Keirsey temperament matrix, I fell on the concrete and cooperative side: I talk about reality, facts, and figures, and I do what’s right, observing rules and conventions.

Guardians are the cornerstone of society, for they are the temperament given to serving and preserving our most important social institutions

Take your free Keirsey assessment here.

11. F4S assessment

Best for assessing your motivations and soft skills at work

Fingerprint for Success is a professional and personal development platform. The F4S assessment measures individual motivations, soft skills, and biases at work.

Although F4S is not a personality test per se, it nicely complements your existing test results.

By completing the F4S test, you’ll get useful insights into your key motivation traits. You’ll get 48 bubbles, each representing a unique variable where you can compare yourself with the average people.

Motivational traits are interests, attitudes, and preferences that tell you about what you like and dislike at work.

After completing the personality test, you get AI-recommended coaching based on your test results, as well as a lot of data about your traits. You can also take human coaching programs.

Dimensions:

• 48 different personal motivational traits (motivational fingerprint)

Time to take: 15 minutes

Number of questions: 40

Cost: Free

Scientific evidence:

The company states that the F4S assessment is based on 20+ years of scientific research, although they didn’t provide the references (at least I couldn’t find them on the company website).

My test results:

My test results showed that I prefer working alone and have a high need for variety and a strong desire to start things and projects. F4S also pointed out that I find it hard to stick with goals over time and I prefer things to stay the same or radically change. (That’s an interesting one.) Overall, I find the results very accurate and useful.

Take your F4S test here.

12. Career Aptitude test

Best for matching job positions with strengths and motivations

The Career Aptitude test is based on the previously mentioned Big Five model.

This personality test consists of a lot of questions about your working style and your career interests. These are basic questions about your interests; what you like doing, hate doing, and how you communicate with others.

It took me some 10 minutes to answer those basic questions, but it helped me a lot in discovering my strengths and working style.

Dimensions:

• 6 Work Styles
• 6 Interest Areas

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 90

Cost: free; full report available from $29.00.

Take your free Career Aptitude Test here.

Scientific evidence: Solid. (The Career Aptitude test is based on the powerful Holland Code and Big Five systems, the latter being one of the most scientifically backed-up personality models.)

My test results:

My top interest is in the Thinking domain, which I’m happy with as a scientist by degree. The career Aptitude test perfectly predicted my current job as a natural science manager.

I hate doing construction work (and other manual work), but it surprised me that my main job as an organizer doesn’t fit to my interests. Also interesting that leading and influencing others is a good fit for me.

Take your Career Aptitude test here or test your team here.

13. TypeFinder for the workplace

Best for finding out work styles in the workplace

The TypeFinder personality test takes inspiration from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. You will answer 50 single-paired questions about your work style, including what work setting you prefer, whether or not you are a team player, how you process information, how you focus, and so on.

In the end, you get a comprehensive understanding of your work style, your four-letter personality type, your strengths, motivations, values, and more.

Dimensions:

• It applies the MBTI dimensions (see earlier)

Time to take: 10 minutes

Number of questions: 50

Cost: free; full report available from $29.00.

Scientific evidence: The TypeFinder is based on the Myers & Briggs model that has moderate scientific evidence (see earlier).

My test results:

I consider my results properly reflecting my personality and work style. My test reads as I like stability and consistency, I value hard work and responsibility, and I always keep my promises. The test also emphasizes that I like structure and to-do lists. I guess that’s exactly why I run this productivity blog. 🙂

Take your TypeFinder Test here.

14. Holland Code Career Quiz

Best for pinpointing career interests and work environments

The Holland theory was developed by an academic psychologist, named John Holland. He believed that the environment is equally important as personality to understand human behavior. His model predicts the outcome of person-environment interactions and he identifies 6 personality types.

This quiz consists of 60 questions to learn more about your interests, personality, and work environments that suit you best.

Dimensions:

• Realistic
• Investigative
• Artistic
• Social
• Enterprising
• Conventional

Time to take: 5 minutes

Number of questions: 60

Cost: free

Scientific evidence: This personality test is based on the Holland theory, which has a solid scientific foundation.

My test results:

My primary interest area is Thinking, my secondary area is Persuading. This second finding is a little surprising, but the Holland test confirmed my top career match as a Natural sciences manager.

Take your Holland Code Career Quiz here.

What are the benefits of personality tests?

In a work culture of high employee turnover rates, hybrid work culture, increased workload, and attention stealers, it’s now more important than ever to recognize, nurture, and retain talent in organizations. There’re different ways to achieve that, but workplace personality tests can yield many benefits:

• Improved communication: personality assessments easily surface employees’ strengths, communication styles, core desires, and fears, which helps to understand each other.
• Thriving work culture: in a company culture where each individual knows themselves as well as their fellow employees, communication is easier, needs are more transparent, and happy people are more productive.
• More effective teams: building an effective and productive team begins with the selection process. Personality testing can help put together matching team members who can complement each other and work together effectively.
• Higher employee engagement: if you take the effort to get to know your current employees (and encourage them to get to know themselves and each other better), there are chances that you’ll find common ground. Mutual understanding can then facilitate communication and collaboration.
• Productive remote work: since the pandemic, remote work has expanded beyond our wild expectations. Getting to know each other or even having a physical meeting is often neglected. Taking personality assessments and sharing the results with your team can help boost team communication and effectiveness.
• Finding the right career path: personality tests can guide job seekers, potential employees, and managers to find a job role or career path that is in line with applicants’ needs, desires, motivations, and work styles.

What are the drawbacks of personality tests for workplace?

It’s important to mention that online personality tests are not the only tools for making important hiring decisions or offering promotions. And they shouldn’t be. But they can be a great option to support the hiring process, find potential candidates who are a good fit for the company or find a specific role for new hires.

There’re two types of bias personality assessments inherently carry: validity and reliability.

• Validity refers to how accurate the results are. Low validity means that the test doesn’t accurately measure one’s personality traits.
• Reliability refers to how probable is that those tests will produce the same outcomes over time. Low reliability means that a test often produces different results on the same individual.

Wherever possible, I’ve provided scientific evidence for the selected personality assessments. Please note, however, that this post isn’t a scientific review nor it’s intended to be one.

Another issue with those personality tests can be that managers can easily fall into the trap of stereotyping employees. None of those tests are a hundred percent accurate, people can (and should) change, and re-taking employment personality tests often produce mixed results.

Also, you may often hear that personality tests say nothing new; they only tell you what you already know. This may be true, but still, both new employees and established team members can learn a lot from taking these assessments.

Finally, it’s important to have a conversation with team members about their questions, test results, and aha moments just to clarify things. Having these conversations before testing is the best way to prevent employees from producing false results. It’s important that they take personality tests without distractions and choose the answers that best describe them, not to appeal to false premises.

What is the best personality test for workplace, anyway?

I’d suggest that you and your team pick up three personality tests for your workplace. Select three assessments that best fit your needs and ask for feedback from team members and employees.

You can test your team on various personality tests on the Truity platform. If you’re a coach, you can also test your clients in a package.

I’ve provided the essential details, metadata, and scientific evidence for each of my recommended personality tests for workplace.

Later, you can decide if you want to opt out of the one that doesn’t fit.

Best personality tests for workplace: FAQ

1. How reliable and valid are these personality tests?

Each test has its own reliability and validity. Reliability measures how probable it is that the test will produce the same outcomes over time. Validity means how accurately the test measures your personality traits. Whenever possible, I indicated the scientific evidence as well as how reliable and valid those tests are.

2. What are the costs of those personality tests?

Most of those personality tests are free, at least they provide you with a free basic report. If you want to test your team across the workplace, you can purchase packages. I indicated the price for each test.

3. How often should we re-take these tests?

I think you and your team will benefit from re-administering those personality tests every two or three years. Whether or not you have young employees, people change over time as they learn new skills, experience new environments, and embrace changes.

4. How can we turn test results into practical action plans for individuals and our teams?

You can re-administer these tests every now and then and share test profiles to gamify work. For example, you can put your Holland Code or DISC color into your email signature or come up with funny statements about how you work, etc. Teams and individuals can review tasks and projects and assign them to the appropriate person based on their personality test results. You can iterate this process to fine-tune your team and ensure everybody is working on things they enjoy and excel at.

5. How can personality tests help promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace?

Personality tests are particularly well-suited for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. They can help to understand that no one is in a single box and everybody has a unique blend of traits and skills. Leaders can facilitate the sharing of individual test results (profiles) to get to know each other, embrace diversity, and understand different working styles.

Cover photo by LYCS Architecture on Unsplash