Temperament Types Mini Test

This is a short and simple personality test meant to give you a general idea of your style. One of the pitfalls to personality tests is the tendency to want an absolutely clear, complete picture of ourselves. This is not possible nor necessarily desirable. Who we are at work and how we respond to situations may be very different from how we act at home. We need and want this ability to be flexible. We are gifted with the ability to adapt and change as the circumstances warrant. Locking ourselves in to one rigidly defined type can work against us if we begin to believe we are stuck with our weaknesses. It can be an excuse for our failings when we say “I can’t do any better, it’s just how I was made.”

This test is designed to give you a general idea of where you fall on the personality grid. See this article for a brief description of the four personalities and how they are arranged on a grid. Use the information as a starting point to appreciate your strengths and recognize your weaknesses.

You’ll need a piece of lined paper, down the left side write the 4 letters a, b, c, and d, in order, 13 times and number the sets, 1 – 13. From each set of four words or phrases below choose the one that best describes you and write a 4 next to that letter on your paper. Choose the word that is the second best match for you and write a 3 next to that letter on your paper. Now choose the word that is least like you, give that letter a score of 1 on your paper. The remaining letter gets a 2. Do this for all 13 sets of words. Directions for scoring are at the end.

1.

• a-party
• b-lead
• c-organize
• d-relax

2.

• a-make work into fun
• b-tell others what to do
• c-do it myself
• d-help others

3.

• a-fuschia/pink
• b-red
• c-black and white
• d-beige

4.

• a-bubbly
• b-controlled
• c-sensible
• d-calm

5.

• a-let’s go
• b-let’s do
• c-let’s think about this first
• d-let’s wait

6.

• a-laugh
• b-change
• c-research
• d-empathize

7.

• a-actress
• b-director
• c-stage manager
• d-chorus

8.

• a-optimistic
• b-decisive
• c-details
• d-consistent

9.

• a-expressive
• b-collected
• c-private
• d-gentle

10.

• a-distractible
• b-bossy
• c-perfectionist
• d-lazy

11.

• a-creative
• b-projects
• c-planner
• d-serve

12.

• a-selfish
• b-tactless
• c-unemotional
• d-stubborn

13.

• a-see the people
• b-see the big picture
• c-see the details
• d-see the needs

Don’t worry if you weren’t able to choose one word over another easily. Most of us are blends of two personalities and are able to operate in the behaviors of three types. There will be one type that is most definitely NOT you. Usually your dominate type is the one opposite the one you are definitely not. Once again, see THIS post with the personalities laid out in a grid to see what I mean about opposite personalities. To score your test add up all of the numbers next to your A entries, all the numbers next to the B’s, and so on for C and D as well. You’ll likely have two fairly close scores, one very low, and one somewhere in- between. If your highest score is A, you are predominately a Sanguine. If you score highest as a B you are mostly Choleric. If your highest score is in the C’s you are a Melancholy, and a high D score indicates you are mostly Phlegmatic. One note on Phlegmatics, they are the most flexible of all personalities and will sometimes score very close in all four areas. Either you are fooling yourself about your true strengths and weaknesses or you may be a flexible Phlegmatic. I would suggest you ask a friend to fill the test out for you and find out how others see you.

Now that you know what your basic personality type is, stay tuned as I discuss the various types in detail and suggest strategies for making the most of who you are!