The Myers Briggs Type Indicator, or simply the MBTI, is one of the most common and widely accepted personality tests on the market.

I’ve done the official test 3 times and various free versions of the test 2-3 times. I’ll share my four letter profile further down.

The objective of the MBTI is to indicate preferred behavior (as opposed to actual behavior). So, what is your natural inclination. In a room full of people you’ve never met before, would you (a) introduce yourself, or (b) wait to be introduced?

You may have a professional role where you’re expected to take the lead and be extrovert so you have conditioned yourself to meet that expectation but is it truly you?

It’s important to remember that the MBTI is, as the name states, an indicator. I would recommend using as a starting point for reflection and conversations around personal development and team building. Don’t treat it as science and don’t make hiring decisions based on the MBTI.

Read about MBTI from the source, the Myers & Briggs Foundation.

The best free online test I’ve come across on the web is from SharedPaths.

So, back to my MBTI type… The first couple of times I did the MBTI I came out as ENTP or INTP with very weak E/I. Now, almost 10 years later I am still pretty neutral on E/I and I still have a strong T: I come out as an ISTJ. How can it be so different? In my early twenties I was probably more answering from what I would like to be whereas I am more true to my natural inclination answering the questions nowadays. Guess that’s what’s called “growing up”.