Three Free Career Aptitude Tests

Being a teacher means meeting lots of other teachers, and hearing their stories about how they became teachers. I recall it was a popular ice-breaker activity for professional development meetings, to talk about why you became a teacher. And I don’t think anyone ever said, “Well, I took a personality test and it said I should become a teacher.” Teaching seems to be one of those fields people are drawn to.

But if you’re planning to leave teaching, don’t overlook the value of free career aptitude tests, especially if you’re unsure of your next step. As with most things, you get what you pay for. But I do feel there are some good-quality free career aptitude tests online, and it’s possible that a free test might give you enough information to begin making some decisions. Here are a couple I found and tried.

• HumanMetrics Jung Typology Test: This test combines Carl Jung’s criteria for categorizing people and Isabel Myers-Briggs’ additional criterion. The test features 70 yes/no questions, and at the end, you’re given your four letter formula. My results were pretty accurate, I thought. I have done another version of this type of test in the book Do What You Are and got the same result. Here’s what my summarized report looked like, with offers of free resources and free trials. (FYI- this is not an official Myers-Briggs test. If you want to invest some money, you may want to check out an official version, which you can find here.

My results

• Truity.com offers a free career interest inventory based on Holland Codes, another system of coordinating personal interests and potential occupations. You’re presented with a list of activities, which you rank based on interest. When you’re done, you submit your test and get your results. It’s obviously scored by a computer, but if it was scored by a person, I picture that person looking at my test and saying, “Wow, this woman REALLY does not like math!” Unfortunately, my computer was glitch and I wasn’t able to get my results, but when I have time I plan to go take it again. Years ago I did a paper-and-pencil Holland Code test, and it was pretty accurate. This site also has tests for sale for reasonable prices. If you’re really at a loss after taking some free tests, but know you want to leave teaching, a $20 or $30 investment might be worth it.
• iSeekCareers has a test similar to Truity’s. You check off activities you know or think you’ll enjoy. Then you’re presented with a list of personality traits to select from. The last list features academic subjects, and you check off the ones you like. At the end, you get a list of career clusters, or groups of similar jobs. Again, mine was pretty accurate. Though not specific to career changers, this site is full of great free resources for job hunters.
  

If you need some guidance, these tests can be useful. Having a career field or two in mind can bring you a sense of confidence as you begin your transition. And even though I enjoy my work now, it’s still fun to get other ideas and learn about additional possibilities.