If you are looking for some career direction, or perhaps just want to learn more about yourself and your personality,
then taking one or more of these assessment tests can give you a better idea of your attitudes
and interests as they relate to discovering more about yourself -- and possible career choices.
Quintessential Ratings -- a guide to free or inexpensive ($30 or under) career assessments on the Web
(ratings are based strictly on our own experiences and those of our clients and students):
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Assessment
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Measures
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Ease of Use
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Detail of Results
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Rating
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Ansir's 3 Sides of You Self Perception Profiling System
This 168-question three-part self-perception test that provides you with insight into your styles of thinking, working, and emoting.
Cost: Free |
Dominant personality Styles in three realms:
Thinking Working and Emoting |
Easy to use, but a bit time consuming (up to about 30 minutes). |
Comprehensive results. More detailed results are available for a fee. |
QQQQ |
|
Big Five Personality Test
Formerly called All About You, this 52-question test measures personality aspects that can be applied to careers.
Cost: Free
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Five fundamental dimensions of personality |
Easy to use; takes 5-10 minutes |
Fairly bare-bones chart assessing Openness to New Experiences, Extraversion, Nervousness, and others. |
Q
(interesting personality assessment, but only marginally applicable to careers) |
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Campbell Interest and Skill Survey
Online version of a well-known and reputable assessment containing
320 multiple-choice items.
Cost: $18.00 |
Interests and Skills
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Easy to use but time-consuming: 25-40 minutes.
|
Very comprehensive results, covering nearly 60 occupations and a
comprehensive career planner to help you interpret your results and
plan for your new career. |
QQQQ |
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Career Assessment Test
Cost: $6.95 for your level of satisfaction at work;
$12.95 for your level of satisfaction at work, personalized assessment report (17 pages),
and list of corresponding professions.
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Your level of satisfaction at work. |
50 questions; approximately 15 minutes. |
20-page personalized report describing
your basic qualities and traits at work, as well as a list of jobs that best suit you. |
Not rated |
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Career Competency Explorer from testingroom.com
This 151-question assessment looks at strengths to see how they
relate to day-to-day work performance.
Cost: Free
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Five career competency domains: Technical, Strategic, Innovation,
Cooperation, and Influence. |
Very easy interface; questions seem somewhat repetitious. Takes about
10-20 mins. Registration required. |
About 4 paragraphs of results covering the test-taker's preferred
work environment, contributions to the organization, and possible
causes of stress. |
QQ |
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CareerDirect Personality ID Survey
Cost: Personality ID Survey is free; full CareerDirect Assessment is $80.
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Personality |
Assessment involves ranking 16 sets of 4 descriptive words as to how well
they describe you. |
Gives reasonably detailed results about personality type. |
QQ |
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Career Focus 2000 Interest Inventory
This assessment's 180 inventory items about work tasks, drawn from 18
occupational fields that make up the U.S. work scene, help you
identify possible career goals that match your strongest personal
interests.
Cost: Free
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Level of interest in 18 occupational fields
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Easy. Takes about 20-30 minutes. |
A bar graph shows your level of interest in 18 occupational fields
and tells how to further explore fields of highest interest. |
QQQ |
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Career Interest Inventory
from Emode.com (Tickle)
This test has you choose what you'd rather do among three choices
for 44 questions.
Cost: Free
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"what you're naturally good at"
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Easy. Takes about 5 minutes.
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Results tell your top career area, with a one-paragraph description.
A more detailed report ($4.95 with trial membership to Tickle.com) describes
the 4 careers best suited to your interests.
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QQ |
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Career Interest Inventory from testingroom.com
This 180-question assessment is a measure of occupational and career interests.
Cost: Free
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Six fundamental categories of interests that capture most
characteristics of people.
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Very easy interface. Takes about 15 minutes.
Registration required. |
Two-paragraph report; more complete results available for $14.95.
Free sample of full results available. |
QQ for free report; QQQQ for paid report |
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CareerLiftoff
This 240-question test uses activity-based questions
to create a report with Holland/RIASEC codes.
Cost: $14.95
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Interests.
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Unknown.
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Detailed profile and narrative reports instantly available in PDF format.
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Not Rated for free report; QQQQ for paid report |
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Careerlink Inventory
A 36-question assessment based on the premise that your
self-estimates are a valid basis for career decision-making.
Cost: Free
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Interests, aptitudes, temperaments, physical capacities, preferred
working conditions, and desired length of time preparing for
employment.
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Easy
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Tells which career clusters fit you and provides details about each cluster.
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QQQ |
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Career Maze
An on-line tool designed for people to find their future by
increasing self-knowledge. Has you choose from among 2 sets of 82 characteristics.
Cost: $19.95
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How you see yourself and how you think others see you in terms of the
82 characteristics.
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Very fast and easy to use.
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Highly detailed, multi-page report tells your approach to goals, how
you interact with the world around you, your natural pace, what you
seek when given responsibility, career implications for these traits,
and jobs that fit your behavior pattern. |
QQQQ |
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Career Personality Test from Emode.com
This 38-question assessment gives results in terms of Myers-Briggs types.
Cost: Free
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Personality type.
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Easy.
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Results, expressed as a Myers-Briggs type, comprise about 3 paragraphs;
a more detailed report ($9.95 with trial membership to Tickle.com) describes
the best work environments for your type, and tells why you interact with
colleagues the way you do -- and more.
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QQ |
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CareerPlanner
This test, based on the RIASEC system developed by Dr. John Holland, has 180 questions
in which you either choose from two interest areas or answer true/false.
Cost: $29.95 for 1-hour processing; $24.95 for 2-day processing; $19.95 for 5-day processing
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The "fundamental nature of the careers that are good for you"
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Easy. Takes 10-15 minutes.
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Results, which are 10-11 pages long, are
available at a Web site between an hour and five days after completing the test. Speed of delivery depends on fee paid.
Results include 30 to 100 careers matched to the test-taker's interests, values, and skill sets.
Requires submission of significant personal information. Test is not an especially good value.
Similar RIASEC-based tests -- which don't require submission
of personal information -- are available free. Site makes overblown claims, such as:
"You can use this knowledge to make career decisions for the rest of your life."
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QQ |
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Career Test by CareerFitter
The 60-question assessment describes itself as a "hybrid." Questions
very similar to those on a Myers-Briggs-type test.
Cost: $9.95
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Work personality, including strengths, weaknesses, styles, optimal
environments, and other in-depth characteristics of the test-taker at
work.
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Easy. Takes 15-25 minutes.
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10-page Career Report includes summary of test-taker, personality
chart, career choices for test-taker, occupational factors, primary
characteristics, the test-taker at work, potential weaknesses,
personality details, business points, communication method, ideal
environment, team-building approach, management practice, and famous
people like test-taker. You can view a
sample report.
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QQQ |
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Career Values Scale from testingroom.com
This 88-question assessment looks at values to see how they relate to
the test-taker's world of work and help to identify areas of career
satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Cost: Free
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Ten work values: service orientation, team orientation, influence,
creativity, independence, excitement, personal development, financial
rewards, security, and prestige.
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Very easy interface; questions seem somewhat repetitious. Takes
about 10-20 mins. Registration required. |
Two-paragraph report; more complete results available for $8.95.
Free sample of full results available. |
QQ for free report; QQQQ for paid report |
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Career Zone
An extremely bare-bones, 3-question assessment.
Cost: Free
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Combinations of six broad interest areas known as RIASEC codes.
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Ultra fast and easy
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Very bare bones, but gives lists of occupations for each type.
Test-takers will need to do more research on the RIASEC types.
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QQ |
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Carolyn
Kalil's Personality Assessment (True Colors)
True Colors is a personality system that has been around since 1979 and is modeled as a
graphical presentation of both Keirsey's Temperament and the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator.
The assessment asks you to choose one of two ways to finish 36 statements. The results can
help you define your skills and talents -- and possibly direct you to various career paths.
Cost: Free |
Personality
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Easy. Takes just a few minutes.
|
Gives Web-based results in terms of one of four colors,
explained with a one-paragraph description of your type.
(You can also read about your second color.)
More detailed results are e-mailed to the test-taker, and
there are publications for sale that can offer even more insight.
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QQ1/2 |
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CoachCompass® Assessment
Cost: Free
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Defines an appropriate starting point for
career services and coaching delivery, thereby allowing
for the targeted development of effective client strategies
to ensure career success.
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Easy. Choose 1 appropriate statement among 6 for 16 sets of statements.
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A short report appears on-screen, and a very detailed report with graphs attached is e-mailed.
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QQQ1/2
The ability to explore occupations in great depth is a major plus.
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FOCUS
A comprehensive tool for career planning that used in more than 1,000+
schools and career counseling centers nationwide.
Cost: $18.95
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Interests, skills, values, personality, educational preferences, and
leisure activities.
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Has 9 phases that take up to 20 minutes each. More time can be spent
by those who would like to explore several careers. At the beginning of
FOCUS, you must choose which Web browser you're using and make a
slight change in your preferences. The interface is easy.
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Creates a profile of your interests, skills, values, personality,
educational preferences and leisure activities and enables you to
investigate matching occupations and their related duties, education,
skills needed, specific working conditions, required training, job
outlook, current and expected earnings. You can view a
sample report.
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QQQ1/2
The ability to explore occupations in great depth is a major plus.
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Future Proof Your Career
This 84-question assessment helps the test-taker find fulfilling work and creates
a personalized career strategy that works with the latest employment trends of the
knowledge age.
Cost: Free
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Temperament type, dominant intelligences, dominant abilities, preferred learning style,
test-taker's status as a knowledge worker, and knowledge-age skills.
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Easy. Registration required. Average completion time is around 10-12 minutes.
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Comprehensive report covers test-taker's temperament type, three dominant intelligences,
six dominant abilities, knowledge worker status, proficiency in the six key Knowledge
Age Skills, and preferred learning style. Interpretive book available for $27.
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QQQ1/2 |
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Hollands Self-Directed Search
Online version of widely used and highly respected career assessment.
Cost: $9.95
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Interests, Values, and Skills
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Takes 15-20 minutes.
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8-10 page personalized report. You can view a
sample report.
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Not rated |
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Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS)
Developed to assist high school and college students, and adults with educational and career planning, this test contains 289 pairs of job-related activities.
Cost: $19.95
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Vocational Interests
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Though quite long (takes 45 mins.), the JVIS
provides encouraging screens that tell your
progress and give you a little pep talk. |
Highly detailed report. A particular strength is the
results' comparison of your similarity to college students
in specific majors, thus suggesting possible majors for young people to consider.
Detailed results. JVIS graphs your scores on 34 work roles and workstyles.
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QQQQ
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JASPER (Job Asset and Strengths Profiler)
This 70-question assessment is related to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Cost: Free for basic results; $59.95 for full report.
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8 different job-related dimensions, including Work Values, Environment and Work Personality.
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Entertaining graphical interface. Time-consuming (about 30 minutes),
but test tells you percentage you've completed, and you can also save what
you've done so far and go back to it. |
Categorizes test-takers as one of the following: Thinker, Dynamo,
Visionary, Motivator, Advocate, Organizer, Mentor, Achiever, and Individualist.
About a paragraph of detail , along with interesting graphics, on each of the 8 dimensions.
Full report is available for $59.95. |
QQQQ
|
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Keirsey Temperament Sorter
This 70-question assessment is related to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Cost: Free |
Personality
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Easy to use, but a little time consuming. Registration required. |
Results, in the form of partial Myers-Briggs Types, give
descriptions of the types. More detailed report available for $14.95. |
QQQQ
|
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LiveCareer
This 100-question assessment identifies your career interests and then tells you what jobs are out
there for you.
Free for basic results.
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Basic interests
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Easy. Takes 25 minutes. You can stop and go back to the test later.
You also have the opportunity to review your answers before submitting them. |
Gives basic interest scores based on RIASEC scales, along with matching
job clusters and links to Monster's job search. |
QQQ
|
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MAPP (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential) Career Analysis
This test has 71 triads of three statements. You must select the
statement you MOST agree with and the statement you LEAST agree with,
leaving one blank.
Cost: Free for very minimal report; detailed reports start at $19.95
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Interest in Job Contents, Temperament for the Job, Aptitude for the
Job, People, Things, Data, Reasoning, Mathematical Capacity, Language
Capacity.
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Registration required; fairly easy to use, but requires some thought. |
Free results are essentially a teaser to encourage purchase of paid
results; however, free MAPP Match features that compares your results
with 5 chosen jobs is helpful.
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QQQ
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Mazemaster
This 6-part assessment is geared to high-school and college students.
Cost: Free |
Interests, Skills, and Values.
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Fairly easy; takes about 30 minutes. Registration required.
Registration is set up for Canadians, but others can use it.
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Rather than interpretive results, the report is a compilation of the
Interests, Skills, and Values, the test-taker has chosen, along with
Goals, Next Steps, and Action Plan. Links provide additional
information on careers suggested by the Interest results.
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QQQ
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Obik Explorer (high-school and younger college students)
Obik Pathfinder (older college students and recent grads)
Obik Discovery for Career Transitioners
Offers 505 short questions, 202 of which relate to what interests
you, 72 of which relate to what you are good at, and 231 of which
relate to who you are.
Cost: $25 for Explorer; $30 for Pathfinder
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Interests, skills, and personality traits, as well as suitability of
college majors and careers.
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n/a
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n/a
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Not rated
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Personality Index from testingroom.com
This 90-question assessment examines key personality features that
influence your approach to tasks, interaction with people, and the
activities you enjoy.
Cost: Free
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17 traits: ambition, initiative, flexibility, energy,
leadership, concern for others, teamwork, outgoing, democratic,
innovation, analytic thinking, persistence, dependability, attention
to detail, rule-following, self-control, and stress tolerance.
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Very easy interface; questions seem somewhat repetitious. Takes
about 10-20 mins. Registration required.
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Two-paragraph report describes two key features of
your personal style; full report with an additional 20 traits
available for $14.95. Free sample of full results available.
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QQ for free report; QQQQ for paid report |
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Princeton Review Career Quiz
This 24-question quiz is a summary version of Birkman Method,
designed to give you a taste of the full tool.
Cost: Free
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Interests and work style |
Very fast and easy
|
Gives results in terms of colors, one for interests and one for work
style. About a paragraph of detail for each. If you register, you can also
get a list of careers -- with detailed information -- that match your "colors."
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QQQ |
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Right Job, Wrong Job from Emode.com
This 41-question assessment helps you determine your "career
personality" and if you're in the right job.
Cost: Free
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Career personality.
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Easy.
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Results are about 3 paragraphs; more detailed report ($14.95 with trial
membership to Tickle.com) lists the right job that is a statistical match for your personality
and the wrong job that is a statistical disaster for your personality.
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QQ
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Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI) SAMPLE
This 38-question assessment, a sample of the full RHETI which has 144
questions, looks at personality types.
Cost: Free |
Personality |
Easy to use. Takes 5-10 minutes.
|
Fairly good description of 1 of 9 types |
Q
(interesting personality assessment, but only marginally applicable to careers) |
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StrengthsFinder Profile
This well-researched instrument asks you to choose to what degree
either of a set of paired statements applies to you.
Cost: "Free" with the purchase of $27 book, Now, Discover Your Strengths,
which provides an access code.
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Areas in which you have the greatest potential for strength.
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Easy. Takes about 25 minutes.
Warning! There's a 20-second limit for answering each question before it vanishes from the screen.
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Online results consist of a good sized paragraph describing your five most
dominant themes of talent, your signature themes. Accompanying book provides
more detail on each theme.
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QQQ1/2 |
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The Career Key
66-question test, providing another variation on Holland codes.
Cost: $7.95
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Interests, skills, values, self-image
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Easy to use. Takes 10 minutes.
|
Results are in the form of Holland Codes w/lists of jobs that fit each code provided;
links to Occupational Outlook Handbook for more info about each career.
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QQ
|
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TypeFocus Personality Type Profile
Quick and easy 66-question assessment that tells your Myers-Briggs type and offers a bit of career direction.
Cost: Free
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Personality
|
Easy to use.
A little faster than the Kiersey/about 8 minutes
|
Results are in the form of Myers-Briggs Personality types; somewhat detailed, but not a large amount of career info;
more detailed results (7 reports) available for $14.95
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QQQ
|
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What's the Right Job for You?
Cost: $6.95
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Identifies the jobs that best match your temperament,
ifestyle and attitude toward others.
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50 questions and requires around 12 to 15 minutes.
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20-page personalized report describing
your basic qualities and traits at work, as well as a list of jobs that best suit you.
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Not rated
|
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Work Preference Inventory
This 24-question forced-choice assessment that tells your work style. Based on the premise that the process of values clarification is very important in career planning.
Cost: Free
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Values
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Quick and easy; interactivity depends on having a Java-enabled browser
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Results are in a chart with very brief descriptions of work style;
tests with more detailed results available for a fee.
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QQ
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