Through trial-and-error, I’ve been solidly improving on my personality test, hoping to one day hit a test with 100% accuracy in predicting your personality test. Now for autumn 2019, I’m here again, with another big update and a completely new testing algorithm that I believe is going to be twice as accurate as the old one.
I’ve been developing personality tests for more than five years. That is why I can say with high confidence that I have one of the most statistically secure and reliable personality tests you can find online. But what is it I’ve done to create this test, what is it that makes it so accurate?
1. Goodbye to the dichotomies
The dichotomy approach is the most popular approach to personality types. Everyone is put on either the high or the low end of a singular scale or dichotomy with two clear opposites. Introverts against Extroverts, Feelers against Thinkers, and so on and so forth. I did away with this approach to personality testing years ago. Why?
Jung said it best himself. No person is truly Introverted or Extroverted. Such a person would belong in the lunatic asylum. Very few people have a clear position on these scales. The only right answer to most questions is: “It depends.”
2. Hello to the Cognitive Function Approach
Following in the steps of Carl Jung’s Cognitive Function model, I designed a test that measures your use of different cognitive functions. I give a personality type result by then weighing up the answers.
3. The Double-Cognitive Function Approach
What is new and unique to the autumn personality test is the double-cognitive function approach. Rather than just answer for one cognitive function a time, I factor in two functions at the same time.
Question one in the personality test is a classic Ni/Fi question. Pure philosophical activity, reflecting on different existential problems, rather than purely scientific ones.
4. Triangulating test format
I approach personality testing the same way I approach typing. I triangulate a persons type by studying them as an intersection between three types, with the right answer in the middle. That means, either this person is somewhere in between an INFP, INTJ, or ENTP, and then, the right answer will turn out as INTP. This graph explains it:
The INFX personality type is somewhere in the intersection of an ENFX, INTX or ISFX. That means, these three groups of types are “bordering” types. They may somewhat agree or half agree with things that the INFX should strongly agree with. The INFX is someone who tests strongly on INFX statements and somewhat strongly on INTX, ISFX, and ENFX statements.
5. Polar Opposite Types
Polar opposite types occupy opposite ends of the scale. If you test highly for Te/Se you test negatively for Ni/Fi. I call this the “kill two flies with one stone-approach”. A strong negative on a statement can be as telling to figuring out your personality as a strong positive.
6. The Dynamic Dichotomies Approach
Rather than have one singular definition of introversion, I treat Introversion as an umbrella term, meaning it is a combination of multiple traits, such as sensitivity, how private you are, how much you prefer solitude, how reserved or shy you are, and how independent or individualistic you are.
That means introversion can be one or many things and it can be something different to different people. So when I weigh up the Introverted scale, I factor in which ways a person is introverted, as opposed to which ways they are Extroverted, giving a more nuanced explanation to type.
