How to choose a career test

Career aptitude test

What career best fits your personality? This free career aptitude test can give you insight into your job personality. Based on a characterization of your personality in terms of Holland Code personality types, you will learn what kind of work environments and occupations suit you best. The results of this career assessment test provide you with a list of professions and occupations that fit your career personality and will guide you on your career path.

Choose a career that matches your preferences and you will increase your chances of being successful! Take this career quiz and get your results right now!

(We also offer practice aptitude tests for assessment training if that’s what you are looking for.)

Career test instructions

It takes five to ten minutes to complete this free career test. You will see fifteen sets of four pictures that show specific work activities. You must choose only one work activity that appeals to you the most and one that appeals to you the least.

Do not choose a work activity based on the status or money associated with it. Do not make your choice based on gender or race. Just imagine yourself performing the task shown and decide if you would like to doing it or not.

If you like doing the activity, click the on the picture. If you do not like doing the activity, click the on the picture. You must choose a like and dislike for each set.

Free Career Aptitude and Career Assessment Tests

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When you are not sure about what type of job you want or what you would like to do next with your career, a career aptitude test can help you narrow down your job choices and choose a career path that is compatible with your interests, skills, values, and personality.

Taking a career test is a little like playing «What do you want to be when you grow up?» but with a twist. The twist is that career tests don’t just give you a chance to dream about what you want to do; they can give you concrete ideas about what you may be best suited to do. They can help you understand the type of environment and work that will help you thrive as a person.

Review information on how career assessments can help guide your career choices and what the assessments will evaluate, and try free career tests that you can use to learn about jobs that may be a perfect fit.

Key Takeaways

What Is a Career Assessment?

A career assessment is a way to learn about career options that may be a match for your skills, interests, and values. There are different types of assessments that can help you determine which types of careers may interest you—and which don’t.

Most assessment tools ask questions about what you like, what you don’t like, the type of work environment you’re comfortable in, and how your personality meshes with different jobs, and then suggest careers that are a match.

Career aptitude tests won’t give you a definitive answer on what the best job for you is, but they will give you options to explore and can help you narrow down your career interests.

How a Career Test Can Help

When you’re looking for your first job or considering switching careers, it’s much easier when you have some ideas about what you’d like to do.

There are a variety of free career tests and quizzes available that address interests, values, and skills, but it is not essential to find a test that captures all of the elements.

Do keep in mind that some tests aren’t scientifically validated. However, they are quick and easy to take and can provide insight into what types of jobs you might want to research.

Spend some time taking a few tests and quizzes and see what results you get. Afterward, compare the job options you’re given to decide which of them are worth exploring further.

Free Career Aptitude Tests

The following tests are available free online and can be a good start to identifying your next career.

123 Career Aptitude Test

This popular aptitude test can help you gain insight into the careers that best fit your personality. You can take the test in minutes by viewing sets of pictures that show specific work activities. You’ll choose the activities that appeal to you the most and those you aren’t interested in to learn about the type of work environments and occupations that suit you best. Plan on spending five to 10 minutes to complete the test.

CareerExplorer

CareerExplorer is a free platform for users to assess their interests, personality types, abilities, career values, and preferred work and social environments in order to find matches that will lead to satisfying careers. The assessment suggests careers after you respond to a series of questions, and it will take about 30 minutes to complete.

There’s detailed information available on each of the suggested career options. In addition, users can browse occupations by clusters such as health and nutrition, law, arts and entertainment, animals, food and drink, politics and law, sports, travel, music, engineering, and science.

CareerOneStop Interest Assessment

CareerOneStop’s Interest Assessment is a quick and easy way to get a list of careers that might be a good fit for your interests. It will take about five minutes to answer 30 questions about what you like to do—and what you don’t like.

After you complete the assessment, you’ll get a list of careers that are a match, with information on salary, educational requirements, and job outlook. For the careers that interest you the most, you’ll be able to review more information about the job and how to get a career started.

CareerOneStop Values Matcher

Work values are what a person believes is most important about their work. It could be finding a high-paying position, working as part of a team, working independently, or working in a job helping others.

Use CareerOneStop’s Work Values Matcher tool to find careers and employers that match your personal values. The test asks questions about different aspects of a job or workplace to help you find your ideal work environment. It only takes a few minutes to complete by sorting cards in order of what’s most important to you.

CareerOneStop Skills Matcher

CareerOneStop’s Skills Matcher enables users to assess the skills they want to incorporate into their careers. You will rate basic skills such as reading, writing, speaking, scientific reasoning, and critical thinking, as well as more specialized social, technical, analytical, computer, problem-solving, and resource management skills, to find careers that are a good match.

Keirsey Temperament Sorter

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter assessment helps you understand your personality type and discover what type of temperament you have. Test results suggest a predominant personality type, including Artisan, Guardian, Rational, or Idealist. Your temperament influences career satisfaction, job search strategies, and job performance.

It will take 15-20 minutes to complete the assessment. A free description of your profile will be provided with an option to purchase the full report.

O*NET Interests Profiler

My Next Move’s O*NET Interest Profiler is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Users take a 60-question interest inventory that yields a profile of interest tendencies, including six areas: Realistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising, Conventional, and Artistic.

You will see a list of careers related to each cluster and will then be able to sort those careers into five job zones representing different levels of preparation, ranging from little job preparation to extensive preparation. The site also has extensive career information related to a variety of careers.

Red Bull Wingfinder

Take a free 35-minute online personality assessment to identify and leverage your strengths in four different areas of your personality, including connections, creativity, thinking, and drive.

Wingfinder test-takers immediately receive a free feedback report containing an analysis of their strengths, career advice, and coaching from Red Bull athletes who have the same strengths.

TestColor

With the TestColor test, a team of clinical psychologists, psychoanalysts, and mathematicians leads you through a two-part color selection process to determine your personality and aptitude. It only takes a few minutes to complete by first clicking the colors you like the best, then those you like the least. While the initial results are free and comprehensive, you can pay for a more in-depth analysis.

Truity Career Personality Profiler

Truity’s Career Personality Profiler evaluates your interests and your personality traits to help you find the best career options. You’ll learn about college majors, careers, and industries that match your results. The test also reports on activities, projects, and tasks that you would enjoy working on.

The test has 94 questions and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. A summary of your results and career suggestions is free, but there is a fee to receive a comprehensive report.

Truity Photo Career Quiz

This quiz only takes a few minutes, and it’s fun and easy to take. Simply click on which picture you like best in a series of photographs to take the free Photo Career Quiz. You’ll receive a profile of your career interests, and then you can search for careers and review more information based on your interest profile.

How To Explore Career Options

Once you’ve generated a list of potential career options, you can take a closer look at what each job entails to learn whether it would be right for you. Enter a job title in CareerOneStop’s Occupation Profile tool to get details on the occupation, including a job description, required experience, education or training, earnings potential, and job outlook.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook is a career guide with information on occupation groups and individual jobs. It provides details on what workers do on the job, the work environment, training, education, and certification needed to get started in the occupation, median pay, and expected job prospects.

Where To Get Career Advice

Even though career quizzes and aptitude tests are helpful, getting professional assistance is one of the best ways to get help planning your career. A career counselor or coach can help you explore options, plan your career, and achieve your employment goals.

Many colleges and universities offer free career counseling for both students and alumni. If you’re a college graduate, check to see what services are available.

You may also be able to find free or low-cost career coaching services to help you with the career planning process.

13 Best Career Tests, Assessments, and Quizzes for 2022

If you’ve seen a TV series set in a high school, you’ve likely seen an episode where the characters take a career aptitude test, get their results, and then hilarity and/or drama ensue.

Whether you’re just beginning to figure out your future profession or you’re looking to make a career change, the idea that you can just answer a few questions and have a test spit out the perfect answer to “What should I be when I grow up?” is enticing.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. But you also don’t have to just drift along in a sea of choices: There are plenty of resources out there to help you narrow down your options and find a job where you’ll thrive.

We’ve researched the best career assessments and job personality tests to help you identify which occupational fields and career paths might help you live your best professional life.

Let’s get this out of the way: No test can guarantee it’ll tell you your “dream job” or your forever career.

These quizzes will ask you about your values, interests, skills, and goals and give you some ideas for careers or types of careers to explore further—in other words, they’re a “jumping off point,” says Muse career coach Lynn Berger, who’s used these tests for over 20 years to help clients gain focus and direction in their careers.

Some will also help you learn more about your working style or what type of environment you thrive in. Your results might even provide a little help for you in your current position—setting you up for success, no matter where you are in your career journey.

Free career aptitude tests

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, this free job quiz will help you identify where your career interests lie, then point you toward career paths that might feed those interests.

The results section has a “Current Job Zone” where you can explore opportunities based on the experience you currently have as well as a “Future Job Zone” that showcases how much education and experience you’ll need to secure the job you want.

Rather than answer questions on a sliding scale of agree or disagree, this free career test shows four photos (each picture depicts work associated with a specific type of personality) and you choose both your favorite and least favorite illustrated activity. After 15 questions, you get a “Holland Code” result, based on John Holland’s theory of personality types and careers, along with a list of suggested occupations that match your specific type.

What’s unique about this test’s approach is that you’re asked to rank your skill set, interests, work style, and values, plus say how much money you’d like to make, what education requirements you’re looking to meet, and how much potential growth you’d like to see in your career field. The results are no-nonsense—with links to job descriptions as well as job openings.

With this free career personality test, you’ll discover more about how you relate to others in less than 10 minutes. The results detail how open to new experiences you are, how much self-discipline you may have, how much of an extrovert you are, and how you handle stressful situations—not just how you imagine yourself to be. This intel is especially useful to understand when it comes to how you handle your job and coworkers and what kind of work environment would be best for you.

Note: While the basic results are free, you’ll have to pay to see your full report.

MyPlan.com offers four different assessment options—a career personality test, a career interest inventory, a career skills profiler, and a career values assessment—that together will measure your career personality and help you find your ideal career.

You can still learn things from each test individually, though. For example, the “career values test” will give you a sense of what to look for in a position in order to find meaning, while the “careers personality test” includes 739 careers ranked according to how well they align with your personality.

This comprehensive career test measures your interests, history and goals, and workplace and personality traits. Then it matches you along several dimensions so you can make an informed decision regarding your career. You also get personalized top career matches and insights.

Note: While the basic results are free, you’ll have to pay to see your full report.

This 60-question quiz not only helps to identify your personality strengths, but also applies the results to how to find the right career. While you can check out the free career test version for your core strengths and management style, in our opinion, it’s worth the upgrade for the premium 10-page report that includes the best career choices for your personality type, details about potential weaknesses, and info about your ideal business environments.

Note: While the basic results are free, you’ll have to pay to see your full report.

The Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential (MAPP) test focuses on your likes and dislikes and is designed to be taken quickly so that your answers are based on your instincts rather than letting you overthink things. There are various packages to choose from for more in-depth information, but the free results offer ample insights about career motivations and suggest 10 possible vocational areas for you to check out.

Note: While the basic results are free, you’ll have to pay to see your full report.

Other career aptitude tests

The Self-Directed Search (SDS) is a career assessment test that matches people with jobs based on aspirations, competencies, activities, and interests. The result is a personalized report ranking and detailing how realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, or conventional you may be—a version of the Holland theory called RIASEC. Along with your personalized summary code, you’ll receive a list of careers with salary data as well as educational opportunities that best fit you and your results. The SDS also has specialized reports for veterans and students.

This test tells you which of the nine Enneagram types you are most like: the reformer, the helper, the achiever, the individualist, the investigator, the loyalist, the enthusiast, the challenger, or the peacemaker.

Understanding more about your type can help you get along better with your coworkers and clue you in about which characteristics you need to look for in a career in order for it to be fulfilling.

Formally known as the Clifton StrengthsFinder, this assessment tells you your top five out of a pool of 34 possible strengths. Muse career coach Elena Pastore often uses it with clients to “help them synthesize and understand what they are actually good at, what they thoroughly enjoy, and how to identify a job that is aligned.” It’s worth noting that “CliftonStrengths is not a personality assessment, and therefore cannot and should not be used to push people to a specific career path,” Pastore says. “This tool is best used to help individuals identify their talents and then determine what they need to thrive and what they bring to teams rather than predicting a specific career.”

After taking the quiz, you’ll get a customized report that lists your top five dominant talents, along with videos and supporting materials to help you achieve academic, career, and personal success.

Applicable across all areas of your life, the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is probably one of the most-used assessments by career centers and managers alike. “Many companies use the MB test to evaluate counseling, leadership training, and work-team development qualities,” says Muse career coach Steven Davis, a technical recruiter and owner of Renaissance Solutions Inc. So not only can your results point you toward possible jobs, but they can also “be a powerful tool for advancement, receiving recognition, and promotions.”

The MBTI gives you your personality preferences: where you get your energy, how you like to take in information, how you make decisions, and what kind of structure you like in the world around you. While these preferences can certainly point to careers that might suit you well, they can also give you a lot of valuable information about what kind of workplaces might be best for you, what your working preferences are, and how you can best relate to others at the office. When taking the test, Davis suggests that you “approach the test to discover more about who you are as a person,” as well as how you might communicate best and how others may perceive you.

If you don’t want to pay to take the official test, you can take a pretty good (and free) online version here.

This nonprofit research foundation has been studying innate human abilities and aptitudes since 1922. Its goal is to help people make informed decisions about their career paths based on the idea that the career someone finds most rewarding is the one that uses their natural aptitudes and strengths. By identifying those aptitudes, they help you home in on the fields that are most likely to bring you career satisfaction. Unlike most tests that can be taken online, these tests are only available at 11 testing centers across the country.

Here’s a bit more about career assessments and quizzes, with some insight from a few of our Muse career coaches.

What is the best career test?

There is no one best career test. And of course, nothing is stopping you from trying more than one…

Different tools with resonate with different people, Pastore says. “Use that tool that works for you that you feel you can understand and identify with. If you don’t identify with any you’ve taken—that’s OK too!”

Are career tests accurate?

Career tests are helpful “to gain focus and clarity,” in your search for the right job, Berger says. Pastore stresses that “taking the assessment and receiving your results is just the first step.”

If the results include specific jobs or paths, make sure you still do your research about what they entail before jumping in. Consider doing some initial reading online, and if the career sparks your interest, try setting up informational interviews with those already in the job to find out more. Or you could use your results to start a conversation with a career coach or counselor.

You might even think of a career test as just part of the first step—you should definitely explore careers that don’t line up with your results if they interest you, and take all these tests with a grain of salt. You’re the only one who can truly decide what you want.

How will a career test help me?

“The purpose of [a career test] is to build self-awareness about what we are good at, how others view us, and what we bring to the table,” Pastore says. This insight may help you find new careers to explore or it may help you thrive in your current job.

Regina Borsellino contributed writing, reporting, and/or advice to this article.

The Muse is a values-based careers site that helps people navigate every aspect of their careers and search for jobs at companies whose people, benefits, and values align with their unique professional needs. The Muse offers expert advice, job opportunities, a peek behind the scenes at companies hiring now, and career coaching services. The current team of writers and editors behind The Muse’s advice section includes Regina Borsellino, Brooke Katz, Rebeca Piccardo, Devin Tomb, and Stav Ziv—and over the years has included many other talented staffers! You can also find The Muse on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Flipboard.

See exactly how to find a career you’ll love by matching your personality, talents, and interests to real-life jobs. Our free, in-depth career tests use the powerful Holland Code and Big Five systems to accurately measure your career aptitude and show you the specific jobs that make the most of your strengths.

Find a career that suits your interests

Your ideal career is one that you enjoy every day. Measuring your interests lets you accurately match your preferences with careers that let you do what you love. Get a full inventory of your career interests plus a bonus personality assessment for personalized career advice.

Career Personality Profiler

The Career Personality Profiler is a comprehensive, scientifically validated career test that measures both your interests and your personality traits so you can find the right career for you. Based on the robust Holland Code and Big Five theories, your results help you discover:

Find out which careers will maximize your potential and take advantage of your natural talents, and understand your core values so you can choose a career that will keep you motivated and satisfied.

Match your personality type to the right career

Measure your personality traits and interests to find the perfect career for your natural strengths

The TypeFinder® for Career Planning

Find the best career for you with Myers and Briggs‘ theory of 16 personality types. Understand your motivations and values, identify your strengths, and match your interests to specific careers that suit you. You learn:

Discover how to work from your strengths and find a career that makes the most of your natural talents.

Discover your Holland Codes

This quick assessment measures your interests in the 6 key career areas developed by John Holland.

Holland Code Career Test

Discover the best jobs for you with the powerful system of Holland career codes. This free test will identify your strongest career interest among six occupational themes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (a.k.a. RIASEC).

You’ll discover your top interest area and what that means for you. You’ll also learn how you scored in the other 5 interest areas. Finally, you’ll see a list of suggested careers based on your interest profile.

Get a quick snapshot of your career personality

This photo-based career quiz gives you a quick way to find your interests

Photo Career Quiz

Looking for a new career path? This super-quick quiz doesn’t require any reading at all—just choose the images that appeal to you most and discover how your choices can point you toward your ideal career. Based on the well-respected Holland Code system, this quiz provides a brief yet complete assessment of your career interest areas.

Career Personality Profiler

Find the Best Career for Your Personality and Interests

1,145,586 TESTS TAKEN IN THE LAST 30 DAYS

Find a job you’ll love by matching your personality and interests to real-world careers. This free 15-minute career test measures key personality factors to show you the exact careers that suit your strengths. Based on the powerful Holland Code and Big Five systems, for accurate results to get you started on the right career path today.

To take the career test, mark your interest in each activity shown. Do not worry about whether you have the skills or training to do an activity, or how much money you might make. Simply think about whether you would enjoy doing it or not.

Q. How long does the career test take to complete?

A. The career assessment consists of 94 questions. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.

Q. What information will I get in my results?

A. When you complete the career test, you will first be shown a brief, free summary of your results and career recommendations. Then, you may choose to unlock your full report for a small fee. To see what you can expect from your full report, check out this career test sample report.

Q. Is this career test really free?

A. You do not need to purchase or register to take this career test and view an overview of your results. If you would like, you can purchase a more comprehensive full report for a small fee.

Q. Is this test accurate?

A. No career test can tell you exactly which job is right for you, but some tests are more helpful than others. This career test has been researched extensively to ensure it is valid and reliable, using a variety of statistical methods. It is based on two established theories which have conclusively been shown to impact job fit and satisfaction: psychologist John Holland’s theory of career interest assessment, and the Big Five personality model.