Determining which career path to take can be stressful and perplexing. Career tests have gained popularity in recent years to help individuals find the right career. While numerous free career tests are available online, only some are worth your time. The results of free career tests may not be accurate or valid, leaving you more confused about your career path than before. The best free career tests can provide beneficial information for your career decision-making. In this article, we describe all you need to know about free career tests, including what we feel are the best to consider.
What is a Career Test?
The best career tests are valuable in helping individuals determine which career path to pursue. These tests measure an individual’s strengths, interests, skills, and values to match them with careers that align with their unique profile. Nowadays, numerous career tests, career quizzes, and career aptitude tests are available, ranging from brief online assessments to more comprehensive evaluations administered by career professionals. The results of a well-designed career test can provide valuable insight and guidance for individuals seeking to make informed decisions about their future careers. Individuals can take steps toward achieving long-term career satisfaction by identifying careers that closely match their skills and interests.
Other Names for Career Tests
Some of the names you will find for career tests online include Career Aptitude Tests, Career Assessments, Career Personality Tests, Vocational Assessments, Occupational Interest Inventories, Career Interest Tests, Career Interest Inventories, Career Planning Assessments, Skills and Abilities Assessments, Career Guidance Tests and others.
The Appeal of Free Career Tests
Free career tests attract individuals with their accessibility, simplicity, and the promise of quick results. They offer a convenient way to gather initial insights about yourself and explore potential career directions without spending money. Many of these tests can be completed online within minutes, providing a sense of instant gratification and a starting point for further exploration.
The Limitations of Free Career Tests
Taking a free career test might seem like a no-brainer when seeking the right career path. However, before taking those tests, it’s essential to understand the cons of relying too heavily on them.
Firstly, free career tests are often generic and may not consider your passions, interests, and skills. They also may not accurately match your personality and abilities with the right careers. Most free career tests do not list jobs that match your skills, interests, and personality traits.
Additionally, many free career tests boast about how quickly they can be completed. One career assessment describes how it can be completed in three minutes. While it may seem tempting to discover what career path to choose with just a few clicks, it is crucial to recognize that such a test is not necessarily beneficial. These career tests are often too general and do not account for individual strengths, weaknesses, and interests. In addition, free career tests provide little help for the user as they do not include assistance with career steps such as exploration, decision-making, planning, and job search mastery. Choosing a career based solely on the results of a three-minute test can lead to disappointment and unhappiness down the line.
Making the Best Career Choices
While free career tests may offer an initial glimpse into potential career paths, it’s important to approach them cautiously and supplement them with additional resources. Ultimately, you want to use the best tools for making wise career decisions that result in obtaining work that is rewarding and fulfilling – work that is a calling and not just a job.
Consider the following as you use career tests to maximize finding your best career:
Utilize Comprehensive Assessments
While you might begin with a free career test or two, it is wise to invest in more robust and comprehensive career assessment tools that provide a deeper understanding of your skills, interests, and values. These assessments often employ various methodologies and offer more accurate and personalized insights. The best career tests will also provide careers to explore that fit your interests and strengths. As National Certified Career Counselors, we recommend three paid assessments – CareerFitTest.com, Strong Interest Inventory, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. CareerFitTest.com is available anytime. The Strong Interest Inventory and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator must be completed through a college career center or a certified career counselor.
Seek Expert Advice
Consult with career counselors or professionals who provide personalized guidance based on your circumstances. Their expertise and job market knowledge can help you navigate uncertainties and make informed decisions.
Conduct In-depth Research
Go beyond the limitations of free career tests by conducting thorough research on industries, job roles, educational requirements, and growth prospects. Explore online resources, read industry-specific publications, and connect with professionals in your desired fields. Some strategies for doing this include informational interviews (talking to people in jobs of interest) and shadowing people in careers of interest.
Consider Practical Experience
Moving beyond informational interviews and shadowing, you can further reality test careers through hands-on experience through internships, volunteering, or part-time jobs. Practical exposure can provide valuable insights into different career paths and help you validate or refine your choices.
Free and Fee-Based Career Reports
Of the many free career assessments, a few provide the option of upgrading to a premium report. If the career assessment is valid, reliable, reasonably priced, and guaranteed, this can be a great option to consider. These career tests, such as CareerFitTest.com, will allow you to take the career test for free and then purchase a premium report. The premium report
Fee-based career reports are typically created by reputable professionals and offer in-depth analysis that can provide a clearer picture of your strengths, weaknesses, and ideal career choices. The CareerFitTest.com, for example, was developed by National Certified Career Counselors.
Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself by purchasing a premium report – a small investment that can guide you in finding fulfilling, meaningful, and rewarding work.
The 10 Best Free Career Tests
Here are some of the best free career tests to consider. Full disclosure, the first career assessment listed, CareerFitTest.com, is a tool we have used for over 30 years with clients. CareerFitTest.com is also used by career coaches, career counselors, university career center directors, and individuals.
1. Career Fit Test
The Career Fit Test is a one-of-a-kind online platform that offers a comprehensive career assessment designed to help individuals identify suitable career paths based on their skills (transferable, personal, and content skills), interests, and personality traits. The website provides a user-friendly interface where individuals can take the assessment and receive career recommendations.
The Career Fit Test assessment begins by gathering information about an individual’s skills, interests, and personality.
Once a person completes the assessment, the Career Fit Test generates a Holland theory-based code and careers related to that code. You can also upgrade to a premium report that generates your complete Holland theory-based three-letter type, including recommended careers. The report also provides detailed information about each suggested occupation, including job descriptions, required skills and qualifications, average salaries, and potential career paths. This allows the user to explore and gain insights into various career options and make informed decisions.
While many career tests provide suggested careers, the Career Fit Test takes the user through all critical aspects of career planning:
-Assessing transferable, personal, and content skills.
-Gaining knowledge of careers that fit a person’s design.
-Expanding “tunnel vision” to learn about jobs of interest.
-And reality testing, making wise career decisions, developing a mission statement, and planning for career success.
The Career Fit Test also includes a CFT Skills Map that organizes your transferable, personal, and content skills. The CFT Skills Map is helpful in career exploration, decision making, and writing the big six job search marketing tools, including a targeted resume, cover letters for the advertised and “hidden” job market, LinkedIn, and a Strength Summary. A user’s CFT Skills Map is also helpful in answering interview questions that showcase the user’s strengths.
Overall, the Career Fit Test aims to empower individuals by providing valuable insights and recommendations to make informed decisions about their career paths. Also, CareerFitTest.com goes further to use the results in the critical steps of planning and job search.
Take the Career Fit Test with the option to purchase the expanded premium upgrade ($19.95).
2. VIA Character Strengths (VIA)
The VIA Character Strengths test identifies an individual’s character strengths and virtues. It assesses creativity, perseverance, kindness, leadership, and fairness. Understanding one’s character strengths can guide the user on how to apply these strengths in a career, leading to greater fulfillment and satisfaction. The VIA Character Strengths test homepage states it is “the only free, scientific survey of character strengths in the world.”
3. Big Five Personality Test
The Big Five Personality Test evaluates an individual’s personality across five dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. This test provides insights into an individual’s personality traits and suggests career paths likely to suit their disposition. The Big Five Personality Test is a free assessment. Learn more.
4. Career Values Assessment
The Career Values Assessment helps individuals identify their core values and align them with potential career choices. By understanding their values, such as autonomy, creativity, stability, or helping others, individuals can seek careers that resonate with what is important to them, leading to greater job satisfaction. The Career Value Assessment is a free career assessment that will help you to see occupations that use your top values. Also, the assessment describes how to use your top values in answering interview questions.
5. Skills Matcher
CareerOneStop.org also provides a skills career assessment that matches an individual’s skills with various occupations. By evaluating their abilities in areas such as communication, problem-solving, technical skills, and more, this test provides a list of professions that align with their skill set, helping them explore compatible career options. You can take this free assessment here.
6. HumanMetrics Personality Quiz
Many people are curious about their personalities and how they affect their relationships and career choices. By taking this career assessment based on the Myers-Briggs quiz, individuals gain insight into their tendencies, preferences, and strengths. This quiz is based on the works of psychologists Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers and categorizes people into one of 16 personality types. Each type consists of four letters that describe a person’s traits, such as being introverted or extroverted, logical or emotional, and organized or spontaneous. The quiz results can help individuals better understand themselves, communicate with others more effectively, and make informed decisions about personal and professional opportunities. This free career personality test uses Carl Jung’s and Isabel Briggs Myers’ typological approach to personality.
7. Open Psychometrics
Open Psychometrics features a collection of various career tests, including numerical reasoning, inductive reasoning, critical reasoning, and others. This website describes the site as a “collaborative project created by psychology postgraduates from universities across the UK.” All of the assessments are free to complete.
8. O*NET Interest Profiler
The O*NET Interest Profiler helps users identify their interests and then links to occupations that fit them. While it is free to use this career assessment, the results do not necessarily help make career decisions or conduct a job search.
9. 123 Career Test
This short 15-item interest assessment uses pictures of people on the job and asks the users to choose their preferred work activities. The answers go into identifying a Holland personality code along with suggested occupations. The 123 Career Test is a free career assessment.
10. Truity Career Personality Profiler
This free career assessment focuses on personality factors and careers related to a user’s personality preferences. The Career Personality Profiler uses Holland’s personality theory and the Big Five personality system.
Conclusion
While free career tests can be a great starting point, it’s essential to recognize their limitations and approach them with a critical mindset. In addition to free career tests, we suggest taking more comprehensive career assessments, obtaining expert guidance, and conducting in-depth research. Remember that a successful career exploration journey requires a multi-faceted approach, combining self-reflection, professional advice, and real-world experiences. By investing time, resources, and effort into a well-rounded approach, you can make more informed decisions and find a career path that aligns with your unique strengths and aspirations.