Finding Yourself: Top Personality and Career Tests on the Web

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Jane Smith

Any business that fails to take a regular inventory of its assets and deficiencies is doomed to failure. The same can be said for individuals who are committed to using their innate strengths in choosing a career path and improving their lives. Americans are often stuck in the pursuit of “finding themselves”. As a result, they’re suffering from a paralysis of analysis. Fortunately, there are personal assessment tools developed by psychologists to place you in wide categories of human traits, strengths, and weaknesses. Some of the best of these cost-free assessments are available online.

Before taking any of these online assessments, it’s prudent to consider the results you’ll receive as a best-case snapshot of how you fit pre-established categories. Plus, results are based on your intellectual and emotional reactions to the questions and how honest you are in your responses. You’ll profit most by heeding any results with a grain of salt and using your assessment as broad guidelines in career and skill planning.

Clickable Tests that Measure How You Tick

Online tests fall into several broad categories. There are skills assessments that evaluate your capabilities in the workplace, asking such questions as, “are you a finisher or do you procrastinate?”. Some tests measure your tendencies and preferences, with such questions as, “Would you rather work a drill press or be a financial planner?”. Still other tests measure your personality tics asking things like, “Do slow drivers bother you?”.

Here are the top-ten tests you’ll find online and their features:

• Big Five Personality Test

• Career Focus 2000 Interest Inventory

• OneNet school-to-work transition assessment instruments

• The 3 Sides of You Self Perception Profiler

• Career Interest Inventory

• Keirsey Temperament Sorter

• Career Zone Assessment Test

• AdvisorTeam Temperament Sorter

• Monster.com Assessment

• Career Link Inventory

Big Five Personality Test

The Big Five Personality Test is based on a 1970 measurement test created by researchers from The National Institutes of Health, the University of Oregon, and the University of Michigan. The test asks you to evaluate your own preferences in categories called Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. There is no cost for taking the test.

Career Focus 2000 Interest Inventory

In this cost-free test you’ll take stock of your interests in 18 career fields by responding to 180 questions. This is a measurement of interest, rather than aptitude. Would you like to test blood in a laboratory or create a musical score for an orchestra? The test is well-suited for high school and college students, and for adults looking at new career options.

OneNet school-to-work

Easily the most comprehensive assessment tool online, OneNet is free to the user. A bank of tests will measure your skill sets, occupational likes and dislikes, and potential career fields that suit your type. The site is sponsored by The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

The 3 Sides of You Self Perception Profiler

This cost-free test delivers a three-part profile of how you rank in thinking, working, and emoting. Each of the three category tests contain 56 statements that users rank in order of importance or self-identification. For example: “You often feel when something’s wrong, yet seldom speak up about it.” Or, “For you, there’s one best way of doing everything.” At the end, you’ll receive an overview of your personality style.

Career Interest Inventory

This free online inventory reveals to the user the career fields that best match their personal interests. The 45 questions ask, “Would you rather be an undercover agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency or a plastic surgeon?” Or, “Would you rather be an eye doctor, a poet, or a firefighter?”

Keirsey Temperament Sorter

This free, online assessment tool is popular among counseling professionals, Fortune 500 companies, and major universities for measuring career and personality development. The test follows the standardized 16 Myers-Briggs personality assessment categories in accordance with psychological types first described by C. G. Jung. A more-detailed assessment is available for a fee.

Career Zone Assessment Test

This free, online measurement tool evaluates your career by work environments and personal preferences. It uses a model based on life themes in six categories: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. By combining your positive choices, the test delivers a range of professions.

AdvisorTeam Temperament Sorter

AdvisorTeam’s free test also uses the Keirsey model, helping you to understand your “strengths, motivations, and temperaments.” You’ll answer questions about your behavior, attitudes, and preferences. Do you chat with strangers while waiting on line at the supermarket or do you pace anxiously? What’s more important, your thoughts or your feelings?

Monster.com Assessments

One of the Web’s largest job sites offers a free career test based on your personality type. Four questions detail two sets of personality characteristics. You’re asked to honestly describe which set best fits you. You decide if you’re an extrovert or introvert; a thinker or a feeler; judger or perceiver. Questions: Where is your energy naturally directed? What kind of information do you naturally notice and remember? How do you decide or come to conclusions? What kind of environment makes you the most comfortable?

Career Link Inventory

This free, online assessment tool helps you take your own inventory in aptitudes, interests, temperaments, physical capacities, working conditions, and career preparation. Do you prefer to work inside or outdoors? Are you stronger in spatial or verbal skills? Would you rather have on-the-job prestige or prefer producing a visible, tangible product?

I See Myself Better, Now What?

It’s easy to fall into a pit of extreme emotional reactions or set your goals in stone as a result of your test results. Remember that any results are just guidelines and another tool to give you an additional glimpse of yourself. The tests can be useful if, based on your findings, you establish some career options and objectives with flexibility.

You might consider conducting additional research into what it will take to get into fields that excite you. You could make a pluses and minuses list of the jobs you’re considering. If you’re motivated, develop an action plan and timetable for reaching your goals.

Edu411.org is a career education directory for finding colleges and universities, training schools, and technical institutes. For more information about careers, online education and campus based career programs, please visit us at www.Edu411.org.

Article from articlesbase.com

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What is a Career Test?

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Jane Smith

A career test, also referred to as a career assessment or a career aptitude test, is a helpful tool if you are considering switching jobs. A career test is not only useful if you are looking to change jobs — it can also help you decide what you might want to major in while you are in college. If you are thinking about taking a career assessment test, here are some things to consider.

Many career tests can be found online for free, simply by searching for “career test” or a variation thereof. The tests usually take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, after which time they will generally display your strengths, weaknesses, and a list of careers that might be well suited to your personality and style of working. These tests will ask questions about your skills, personality, level of education, working style, goals and interests. For a small fee, you may be able to receive a more detailed report.

The questionnaire will also consider important factors such as how you interact with others and how you solve problems, among other issues. It is important to answer these questions honestly. Remember, in general, you are the only person who will see these results — not potential employers. Being honest in the career assessment will make it more likely that you will be directed to a career path that is the right one for you. Not everyone has the same skills and talents, and that is why it is helpful to use a career test to narrow down your job search.

Even though it is usually free to take a career test, if you are also interested in personalized career counseling, you might be able to pay an extra fee for personalized help. If you are still in high school or college, check with your guidance counselor or student adviser, as they will probably be able to provide you with a career test along with more personalized help for free when making such an important decision.

It is important to be satisfied with your career. When you are satisfied at work, you are more likely to be productive while you are there, earn more money and feel more satisfied with your life in general. Taking a career assessment test can be a great first step if you are looking to change jobs, decide on a career or even narrow down the field of possibilities.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-career-test.htm

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Choose the career that suits you using online career assessment tests

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Jane Smith

At times we all feel that the work we are doing, is not up to our standards. We feel a need to change our field of work. However, very few of us actually know where to look for this change. So, for those who don’t know where to go, online career assessment tests will prove to be extremely helpful. These career assessment tests make us understand our aptitudes, interests and capabilities required for any type of work area.

Career assessment tests are always useful to the ones who are starting their careers. These online tests are open to anyone with determination in life to refurbish their career.

These career tests contain statements to be filled up by the user that will clear his or her confusions regarding his or her career. The tests will, rather than asking questions to be answered in yes or no, ask statements like extremely true, not true, neutral etc. Once you fill them up, sophisticated software developed by career guidance workers will evaluate and make conclusions based on your answers. The test results will also let you know your doable aspirations that will help you achieve your aim in life, thereby reducing the chances of wasting your time and energy in the wrong direction.

Generally, many institutions these days have started taking these tests with the help of websites offering online tests. These tests help candidates to identify their career fields according to their aptitudes and interests. This way, people are able to move onto the right path and perform best in their respective career fields of choice.

Today people have ideal dreams about what they want to become. They are pretty aware of all their career opportunities. As there are so many options available to them, choosing a career which bests suits them can be a difficult task. Because a career is so important for every individual, taking online career assessment tests will help you to determine the career of your choice.

Well, who should take an online career assessment test? Graduates are maybe the first answer that pops up in your mind. But it is noticeable that not only graduates, but also young adults can take these tests. By taking these types of tests, people will assess their abilities and take an appropriate decision thereafter. Not only can young people but anyone who is planning to build a career take this test. The best part about career tests nowadays is that they are open to anyone and everyone who wishes to revamp their professional life. In other words, a career assessment test can give you a fresh take on your career.

The result of this career assessment test will cover everything from your field of interest to your doable aspirations. You can not only identify with this, but also find the ideal job and the perfect career path. Psychological tests in general will help you determine your educational level, skills you possess, your psychological behavior and attitude towards particular situations, personal involvement and even hobbies related to a particular domain.

Accordingly, once you know what road to take up, it will be easier to stay focused and not to get confused like so many others.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/choose-the-career-that-suits-you-using-online-career-assessment-tests-3584313.html

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Should I Take a Career Assessment Test?

Posted on January 1, 2011 by admin

The short answer to the question “Should I take a career assessment test?” is yes. Taking a career assessment test can help you determine how changing your employment or position within your company could help you feel more satisfied in life. Such a test could also help you better prepare for the future. It is important to be satisfied with your work, because then you are more likely to be productive and content in not only your job, but in other aspects of your life, including your family and relationships.

Career assessment tests are sometimes called career aptitude tests. You might also see them referred to as career discovery or business personality tests. Though the results are sometimes similar, each type of assessment test might measure a different aspect of your skills, goals, interests or personality. Most only take between 15 and 20 minutes to complete.

It is often possible to take a career assessment test online for free; simply search for “career assessment tests” to find these options. If you are in high school or college, checking with your guidance counselor or student advisor is a good idea, as they will be able to direct you to any resources provided by the school. You will also be able to find books in a store or library that provide options to take a career assessment test, along with ideas for finding a satisfying career.

Frequently, these tests will offer career planning or educational advice once you have completed the test. It is a good idea to take a career assessment test even while you are still in school; this can provide some insight into which type of career will fit best. If you have completed school and feel dissatisfied with your job, however, it is still not too late to take a career assessment test. Many are tailored for your specific goals in life, and if your goal is to change your career, you will certainly be able to find a test to help.

The questions on a career aptitude test often focus on your working style. For instance, do you enjoy coming up with ideas or do you enjoy more hands-on work? Do you excel at public speaking, or do you prefer to listen and learn? Each of these questions can help identify your unique talents and motivations, and give you some helpful insight and practical ways to apply your talents to your day-to-day work.

It seems obvious, but you should remember that some personality types will fit well into careers that others would not. An outgoing person who loves being around others and being challenged at work might fit well into a business environment, whereas a more introverted person might excel in the arts. When you choose to take a career assessment test, be honest! Usually, no one will see the results but you, and you are only hurting yourself if you lie in the test.

Another important point to remember is to not limit yourself. If you take a career assessment test and do not like the results, do not feel as if that is the path you must follow. If you are still in high school or college, your interests and personality are certainly going to change, so keep your options open.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/should-i-take-a-career-assessment-test.htm

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Where to Find Online Career Tests

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Jane Smith

By Jessica Bosari

A good place to start is by making a list of the parts of your job you love and other skills that you have and like to apply. Then make a list of those skills you want to keep out of your future job. Perhaps you dislike answering the phone. Maybe you would rather watch paint dry that continue standing in front of a register all day. Once you have a good idea of the career duties you want and those you do not want, you are ready to take some online career tests.

Career Test OnlineCareer testing is not just for teenagers looking for direction. The economy is evolving as it begins to recover. Mortgage brokers, real estate agents and even hedge fund advisors are seeking new careers. These tests are perfect for finding the occupations best suited to your personality and working style.

Choosing a Test

Free job placement test are available all over the web. Choose one at a website you trust, like AOL. It is also a good idea to visit some web forums to see what others are saying about career tests that they took and their level of satisfaction with them. In some cases, these tests are used as nothing more than a marketing gimmick, so it is important to investigate the tests available and choose one that is dependable and truly free. You will often find a test that offers only basic and general information, and then requires you to pay a fee for the complete results.

Career tests will make some general career suggested based on your answers. Then it will take you through a personality test to help you choose the careers that are best suited to you. Once you have some career suggestions, lookup the job descriptions to be sure this is something you might want to try.

Testing Basics

Online career tests are based on five time-proven tests to help measure your personality and aptitudes. They include the Myers Briggs Personality test, The Six Factor Personality Questionnaire, the Hogan Personality Inventory, The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey and  16 Personality Factors

The Myers Briggs Personality Test has been around for years and is the basis of most of the personality tests that are found online. The test will determine your personality type combination based on how you answer the questions. The personality assessment evaluates how you cope, the way you process information, your decision-making style and your way of organizing life.

The Six Factor Personality Questionnaire measures six aspects of your personality and breaks each one down in to categories to express how much you agree or disagree with a statement. The aspects the test quantifies are Agreeableness, Introversion or Extraversion, Dependence or Independence, Openness to Experiences, Methodology, and Industry. This tests helps you better understand how you will respond in certain work environments.

The Hogan-type tests measure personality with respect to job performance and personal attitude. There are several Hogan tests, including a development survey, motivational, values, preferences and of course, the personality test.  The test will measure your personality and emotional traits as they relate to particular occupations.

The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey evaluates personality alone, measuring your potential for learning, any learning disabilities that may be present and your temperament. These assessments will determine how you relate in the workplace to conflict and personal relationships.

The 16 Personality Factors test is geared to measure the 16 primary factors that predict your behavioral tendencies with respect to reasoning and emotions, such as extroversion, sensitivity, attention span and openness to change. 
Remember that no career test will give you a precise description of the exact career for you. They are simply tools that will guide you in the right direction. It is up to you to decide the best career choice and implement the decision to take the steps needed to have your new career. See these tests as the start of your new career search, not the final say in your decision. You will still need to invest your time and energy in making your career change.

Recommended Online Career Tests

If you are seeking truly reliable and trustworthy sites, the U.S. Department of Labor runs a website with some career tests that can help you.

They offer a Skills Profiler, Ability Profiler, Interest Profiler, Work Importance Locator and Employability Checkup. The profiler is a very useful tool for identifying your skills and matching them to jobs. The Ability Profiler matches your strengths with particular occupations. The Interest Profiler will give you more general results, helping you to uncover your general interests. The Work Importance Locator helps you to identify the job skills that are important to you and the Employability Checkup gives you a quick picture of your employability. All of these tests can be enormously helpful in directing your career path.

One surprisingly accurate test is the Color Career Counselor by CareerPath.com. You simply click on colors you prefer in comparison with other colors and the test produces careers that are good for you. The results are uncannily accurate for such a simple test.

You can also try the Job Diagnosis Test, which is quick and provides you with results in the top fields that would be best for you.  The Live Careers test provides you with a detailed report to help you find your strengths and weaknesses. You can then get job search results matching your profile; however, you will have to pay a fee.

Online career tests give you insight into your talents, personality and characteristics. They are useful for determining which skills you need to acquire to find the right career. They will also show you which careers may be best avoided altogether. There are many tests available to help you and it is best to try a few and compare results before deciding the right career for you.

Source: www.askdeb.com

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Will a Career Selection Test Help Me?

Posted on December 12, 2010 by admin

While once the domain of career counsellors only, nowadays, with the advent of an ever expanding internet career selection tests are commonplace and easily available.

Career advice tests can be a very useful starting point for people to find careers that are suited to their interests and personality. While there are many free career tests available on the web these are generally unreliable and although perhaps fun to take, they are of very little value from a career counselling perspective.

In order to get the full benefit out of a career selection test it’s recommended that people take one of a number of the more high quality tests available. These tests are generally backed by a great deal of research, are more valid and reliable, and should all provide you with a more detailed and useful career report which you would not gain with the free or cheaper career selection tests.

People should do their research in order to find the right career selection test for them. Talk to a career counsellor at your school or university, or search for one locally on the internet. A couple of career selection tests commonly used by career counsellors are the Strong Interest Inventory or the Myers Briggs (MBTI) Career Report. Both these career tests are available online and are backed by research and the test developers have made their reliability and validity data available to support the efficacy of their assessments. In layman’s terms, if any psychological test on the internet today is not prepared to show you or make available to people it’s reliability and validity data then it should not be worth taking and can probably be more harm than good.

So do your research and find a quality career selection test such as those listed above and you’ll be setting a solid foundation for your path of career exploration, satisfaction and success.

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Employment Testing – Verbal Reasoning Tests

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Jane Smith

Employment and psychometric testing is now common place for both employers and job seekers. One test frequently used is known as verbal reasoning tests. Employers test your verbal skills of reasoning to determine your level of competence in language, spelling and grammar. To pass this test you need to relax, take your time and read the entire question before you proceed to the answer.

Many of us briefly skin our books or the newspaper as we read, subconscious actually getting most of the sentence rather than read the words in its entirety. It is a practice that we’ve all been involved in since childhood without even realizing it until now. You can not do this in the testing process because it will impair your ability to respond correctly.

To successfully answer questions in these tests you must meet the following key:

1. Concentrate on the test, pay attention and read every sentence in its entirety before providing your answer.

2. Reread each sentence if it be ambiguous, do not assume that you have the correct meaning. It is the most common mistake made in these trials, control, and then double check before you answer. The testers are aware of our tendency to believe and can build in ambiguity to test our levels of concentration.

3. Check the meaning of each word, the testers often use similar words to try to confuse. If you do not understand a word or the context in which it is written, break the sentence and eliminate the wrong answers.

4. Answer each question sequentially and do not jump. It is far too easy to misinterpret a question if you move from one side of the page to another, because your concentration does not remain true to the test.

5. Take time to check over your answers before the end, even if it means not answering the final questions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Henry_Smith

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Career Planning: Psychological Tests And Your College Major

Posted on November 7, 2010 by admin

What is the importance of college major? In fact, it does not only determine the subjects you are going to study during your college years, it constituents the important part of your future professional life, it can even be called a core of your professional skills. Though there are such examples when a person who studied quantum physics becomes an outstanding poet or a painter, in the majority of cases, college major plays great role in career planning. This is why you should be very attentive when choosing college major. This article will give you basic guidelines for the choice of your future major.
Psychological tests
There are two types of tests that can help you make a choice of your future major: career interest test and personality type test.
Career interest tests will show you the professions that you are interested in even if you are not sure about them. Usually career interest tests consist of special questions according to a certain scheme developed by professional psychologists. This is why they can become your good helpers, though you should not think that their results are the only correct ones.

Personality type tests will define the type of your personality, it is evident. Personal traits of characters are extremely important when you are choosing a college major and your future job. Basically, psychologists single out four personality types: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, and sanguine. It is known that each type of personality suits some certain professions. If you define your personality type, your choice of major can become easier.
Where can I get professionally oriented psychological tests?
First, you can consult your college career counselor as it is his/her primary duty to help you with this important choice. He/she will provide you with the career oriented tests and he/she will explain you the main results and answer all your questions.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Career-Planning–Psychological-Tests-And-Your-College-Major/1087334

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