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We have always been interested in knowing what makes us all unique. Understanding someone's personality is like seeing through them, which uncovers how they think, behave, and interact with others. One of the best ways to do it is through objective personality tests.
These tests serve as a mirror to a person’s personality. This blog covers everything you need to know about objective personality questionnaires, popular personality tests, key questions to ask, their various applications, and how TheySaid, the world’s first conversational AI platform, is revolutionizing the way we understand and analyze personality.
What Is An Objective Personality Questionnaire?
An objective personality questionnaire is a standardized tool to assess the traits, patterns, and behaviors of an individual’s personality. These tests consist of questions with limited response options, such as Yes/No, True/False, or rating scales (e.g., 1–5).
The responses analyze various personality traits, such as introversion or extroversion.
Personality tests are used in various fields, including therapy, business, education, health care, and recruitment. They have become invaluable for professional and personal growth.
What is personality?
Personality is a unique set of traits, behaviors, feelings, and thoughts that distinguish a person from another. A person's personality can change throughout life and is influenced by environmental (nurture) and genetic (nature) variables.
Personality influences how a person perceives the world, builds relationships, and makes decisions. It can be assessed through personality tests to understand an individual’s traits and tendencies better.
Some of the benefits of personality tests are:
Personal benefits: Help individuals understand their behavior and emotional responses and improve communication and relationship management.
Professional benefits: Facilitate organizations to understand employee behaviors to enhance teamwork, bonding, and overall company productivity.
Popular Personality Tests
Following are some of the most popular personality tests used to assess and understand human behavior:
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
MBIT is the most common personality test to identify people's strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers invented this personality test. Based on responses, people are categorized as one of the personality types out of 16 types. The main goal is to help you understand yourself better, including likes, dislikes, compatibility, choices, and decision power.
The questionnaire is made u of 4 different scales:
Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I): Extraverts refer to being outgoing and energetic, while introverts prefer solitude and are drained by social interactions.
Sensing (S) – Intuition (N): Sensation focuses on facts, while intuition sees the bigger picture and looks for future possibilities.
Thinking (T) – Feeling (F): Thinking focuses on logical, impersonal decisions, while feelings prioritize emotion-based choices.
Judging (J) – Perceiving (P): Judging means a firm structure, while preceiving is flexible and adaptable.
Each type is further categorized into four-letter codes:
- ISTJ – The Inspector
- ISFJ – The Protector
- INFJ – The Advocate
- INTJ – The Architect
- ISTP – The Crafter
- ISFP – The Composer
- INFP – The Mediator
- INTP – The Thinker
- ESTP – The Dynamo
- ESFP – The Performer
- ENFP – The Campaigner
- ENTP – The Debater
- ESTJ – The Executive
- ESFJ – The Consul
- ENFJ – The Protagonist
- ENTJ – The Commander
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Big Five Personality Test (Five-Factor Model)
The Big Five personality test, also known as the five-factor model, measures the five dimensions of personality:
Extraversion: Highly talkative, social, and expressive
Conscientiousness: Organized and mindful, having goal-directed behaviors
Openness to experience: Curious about the world and learn new things
Agreeableness: Cooperative, kind, and affectionate
Neuroticism: Emotionally unstable and mentally ill
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
The MMPI is a psychological test that checks for mental health conditions and personality traits. This test is beneficial for diagnosing clinical issues and planning treatments. It is used today in both clinical and non-clinical settings.
MMPI test measure:
Scale 0 — Social introversion
Scale 1 — Hypochondriasis
Scale 2 — Depression
Scale 3 — Hysteria
Scale 4 — Psychopathic deviate
Scale 5 — Masculinity/Femininity
Scale 6 — Paranoia
Scale 7 — Psychasthenia
Scale 8 — SchizoPhrenia
Scale 9 — Hypomania
DISC Personality Assessment
DISC personality assessment is a widely used tool in business settings that evaluates an individual's personality traits. At its core, DISC stands for:
D: Dominance
I: Influence
S: Steadiness
C: Compliance
It is essential for evaluating employees' personality traits. Beyond evaluation, the DISC test substantially improves cooperation and communication dynamics in professional settings.
Gallup Clifton Strengths
It focuses on identifying each person's unique strengths rather than categorizing their overall personality. To determine what people are inherently skilled at, this exam primarily evaluates 34 talent themes, such as persuasion, relationship-building, and strategic thinking.
This test is quite popular in organizational settings since it allows leaders and employees to leverage their abilities to improve performance and efficiency. Clifton Strengths fosters a positive, strengths-based company culture by shifting the focus from shortcomings to strengths.
HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised
The HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) measures six essential personality traits: conscientiousness, extraversion, emotionality, honesty-humility, agreeableness, and openness to new experiences.
Enneagram Personality Test
The Enneagram personality test describes people according to their core motivations, desires, and fears. This tool helps people understand themselves and others.
The Nine Types of Enneagram personality test are as follows:
The Reformer: Perfectionistic and disciplined
The Helper: Caring and supportive
The Achiever: Ambitious and goal-oriented
The Individualist: Creative and independent
The Investigator: Analytical and curious
The Loyalist: Loyal and honest
The Enthusiast: Optimistic and adventurous
The Challenger: Assertive and confident.
The Peacemaker: Calm and accommodating
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Top 12 Questions to Ask in Objective Personality Survey
Below are 12 questions that can be included in the objective personality questionnaires that will help you understand the behaviors and preferences of different personalities:
- I like exploring new ideas and concepts. ( Agree/ disagree)
- Do you feel overwhelmed often? (Yes/No)
- Do you like socializing? (Yes/No)
- Do you like helping others even if it requires personal sacrifice? (Yes/No)
- I am very comfortable expressing myself. ( Agree/ disagree)
- I often take risks even if the outcomes are uncertain. (Yes/No)
- I enjoy solving complex issues and puzzles. ( Agree/ disagree)
- Do you often think about life and its meaning? (Yes/No)
- I am quick to forgive people who have hurt me. (True/False)
- I keep my emotions to myself. (True/False)
- I reach out to people easily for help. (True/False)
- I believe in staying optimistic in challenging times. (True/False)
Applications of Objective Personality Tests
Workplace and Recruitment Process: There are different types of personality tests used to identify employees' workplace personalities and for the hiring process. These tests check whether a candidate is a perfect fit for the role by evaluating how candidates think, handle problems, and demonstrate leadership, resulting in building a productive team.
Education and Career Counseling: Objective Personality Tests in Career Assessment reveal skill sets, values, interests, emotional intelligence, motivation, and goals of individuals that help them choose the best career path. It guides teachers to match students with appropriate programs or majors and improves teacher-student relationships by identifying differences.
Forensic and legal settings: Objective personality tests are used for psychological assessment to understand the psychological and mental behavior of individuals who are caught up in the legal process. These tests uncover depression reasons, criminal intent, substance abuse, and other psychological factors.
Business-related applications: Personality tests help organizations with hiring, team building, employee growth, and leadership.
- They identify candidates whose traits match the job and company culture, ensuring the right fit.
- Tests reveal team members' strengths and communication styles, promoting better collaboration.
- By pinpointing strengths and weaknesses, personality tests guide personalized growth plans.
- They offer leaders insights into their management style, helping them adapt to different team needs.
How TheySaid Reinvents Objective Personality Questionnaires
With the rise of AI, personality questionnaires have become even more insightful.
Tools like TheySaid enable businesses to:
- Minimizes human error and subjectivity, providing objective results.
- Deliver real-time insights, allowing you to make decisions quickly.
- Whether analyzing small teams or large customer datasets, AI adapts to your needs.
- AI recognizes patterns and trends that may be overlooked using conventional methods.
AI analyses previous responses to tailor questions for maximum relevance.
- Assessing past data to predict trends, helping businesses stay ahead.
- It ensures surveys are intuitive and engaging, increasing completion rates.
- AI-powered conversations allow you to understand the why behind responses, giving you a deeper understanding of personality traits and motivations.
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Using the power of TheySaid software, businesses can create objective personality questionnaires that drive successful career development, talent acquisition, and team-building activities. Similarly, people can use these questionnaires to become more self-aware, discover their strengths and shortcomings, and pinpoint areas for personal growth.
FAQs
What are the steps to design a good personality survey?
Following are the steps to design a good personality survey:
- Use clear and concise language.
- Avoid jargon or complex terms.
- Use a variety of question types.
- Avoid leading questions.
- Conduct testing on a small group before distribution.
- Tailor the survey to your target audience.
What industries benefit from objective personality questionnaires?
The following industries can benefit from objective personality questionnaires:
- Human resource
- Recruitment
- Education
- Healthcare
- Technology
- Forensics
Can objective personality questionnaires be automated?
Yes, AI tools like TheySaid automate the creation and analysis of personality questionnairs, saving time and providing deeper insights.
How do objective personality questionnaires benefit businesses?
They provide valuable personality insights for hiring, team-building, and personal development, offering data-driven, objective results for more informed decisions.
What are objective personality questionnaires?
Objective personality questionnaires are structured tools designed to measure personality traits through quantifiable data. These tests use structured formats, like multiple-choice, true/false, or rating scales, and are widely used in fields such as recruitment, education, therapy, and personal development.
