By: Steve Boulden
Career testing has become a very popular way of "discovering ourselves" and our abilities. However, many people tend to accept their test results as the absolute gospel truth about themselves and their occupations.
This in a way can be a very dangerous assumption and especially for individuals who are desperately seeking some direction in life.
My advice to this is that, even though it may be what you want to hear, you need to be somewhat cautious of your test results.
The truth is, that no matter how glorified and 99.99 percent certified, these tests can be somewhat abstract and generalized. It doesn't matter how good a test is or how good the developer says it is, career tests, career quizzes, and personality tests are not always the absolute gospel truth.
So here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when taking a career or personality test.
1) No test is 100% accurate. Independent studies have proven that even the most glorified tests can be as much as 25 percent inaccurate.
2) Test results can vary. Yes, even the results from the same test taken by the same person at different times can change. Your mood and frame of mind can influence your test results from day to day and even just one different answer can mean completely different results. It's so important to give questions a lot of thought and be totally honest with your answers.
3) Take more than one test. Since no test is completely accurate and results can vary, it is so important to take more than one test. In this way you can compare results to get an accurate assessment of matching results. You'll be able to eliminate mistakes by averaging matching results.
4) Not the end result. Always remember that career testing is only the beginning of your career planning process. It's not the end result. You simply now have something to work with.
5) Be true to yourself. Give your results some serious thought. Do some deep soul searching and trust your intuition. You'll know if the results are totally wrong for you. If you're reading one thing and it doesn't feel right, don't go running off in the wrong direction just because the test results "said so". If you still don't get it, you may need to seek additional advice from a career coach or career counselor. There's nothing wrong with asking for help. And I honestly recommend that you do so.
I hope this helps.
