This document provides a summary and ratings of various online career assessment tools for job seekers. It describes the types of measures assessed by each tool such as interests, skills, personality and values. For each assessment, it briefly outlines what is measured, ease of use, detail of results and provides a rating. The ratings are based on the author's experience with the tools and range from Q (marginally useful) to QQQQ (extremely useful). The document encourages readers to report any discrepancies between the descriptions and their own experiences with the assessments.

1. I am a... Student Job-Seeker Career-Changer Coach-Counselor Other Visitor
Job-Hunting Tools: Online Career Assessment Tools Review for Job-Seekers,
Search for Jobs
Post Your Resume Career-Seekers
Career Tools: Read our reviews of the major online career assessment tools for job-seekers -- listed
Career Resources alphabetically. (Go here to see the review in rank order.)
Career Articles
Career Tutorials This tool is part of our Career Assessments
College Planning Pre-Employment Testing
Free Career Newsletter section. If you have not been to our main
Job/Career Bookstore assessment page, please follow the link for Hiring a New Employee? Test before
Job-Search Samples more useful information and links. Deciding. Sample Test Online
Search this Site www.eSk ill.com /PreEm ploym entTesting
We invite visitors and readers to e-mail us to
Other Navigation: report any discrepancies between our Top 2010 Lists of Careers
QuintCareers.com Home descriptions below and your own experience Find Schools that Train You For the
About QuintCareers.com with these assessments. Highest Paying Careers!
The Career Doctor ClassesUSA.com /Best-Paying-Careers
Employer Resources If you are looking for some career direction, or
Advertising Opportunities 6 Zones of Leadership
perhaps just want to learn more about
yourself and your personality, then taking one Learn the 6 Zones of Effective
or more of these assessment tests can give Leadership. From AchieveGlobal®
you a better idea of your attitudes and AchieveGlobal.com /whitepaper
interests as they relate to discovering more
about yourself -- and possible career choices.
Given that a number of assessments in this review base their tests on common foundations, it's
useful to know how these are defined:
Birkman Method: A 298-question personality assessment and a series of related
report sets that facilitate team building, executive coaching leadership development,
career counseling and interpersonal conflict resolution. The Birkman Method¨
combines motivational, behavioral and interest evaluation into one single assessment,
which provides a multi-dimensional and comprehensive analysis, thus reducing the
need for multiple assessments.
Holland Codes: Personality types developed by psychologist John L. Holland as part
of his theory of career choice. Holland mapped these types into a hexagon which he
then broke down into the RIASEC job environments (see RIASEC).
Myers-Briggs: Based on typological theories originated by Carl Jung, the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed
to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make
decisions. The original developers of the personality inventory were Katharine Cook
Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. The 16 different types are usually
referred to by an abbreviation of four letters. One of each of the following pairs
constitutes one's four-letter type: Extraversion or Introversion, Sensing or iNtuition,
Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving.
RIASEC: Acronym for the career-related personality types developed by psychologist
John L. Holland. The letters in RIASEC stand for:
Realistic - practical, physical, hands-on, tool-oriented
Investigative - analytical, intellectual, scientific, explorative
Artistic - creative, original, independent, chaotic
Social - cooperative, supporting, helping, healing/nurturing
Enterprising - competitive environments, leadership, persuading
Conventional - detail-oriented, organizing, clerical
Quintessential Ratings -- a guide to free or inexpensive ($40 or under) career assessments on the
Web (ratings are based strictly on our own experiences and those of our clients and students):
Q = marginally useful
QQ = somewhat useful
QQQ = very useful
QQQQ = extremely useful
All listed assessments are interactive.
Assessment Measures Ease of Use Detail of Results Rating
Big Five Personality
Test Q
Formerly called All (interesting
Five Fairly bare-bones chart assessing personality
About You, this 48-
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

2. About You, this 48- personality
fundamental Easy to use; takes Openness to New Experiences, assessment,
question test measures dimensions of 5-10 minutes Extraversion, Nervousness, and
personality aspects but only
personality others. marginally
that can be applied to
careers. applicable to
careers)
Cost: Free
Campbell Interest and
Skill Survey
Very comprehensive results, covering
Online version of a Easy to use but nearly 60 occupations and a
well-known and Interests and time-consuming: comprehensive career planner to
reputable assessment Skills QQQQ
25-40 minutes. help you interpret your results and
containing 320 plan for your new career.
multiple-choice items.
Cost: $18.00
8-page PDF report that clarifies
values in areas of status, social
Career Compass from interests, financial interests, and
Hogan Assessments decision-making style. Provides
career drivers, a very broad overview
This 200-item Motives, Values, of possible careers, and a description
assessment is said to Preferences of the user's preferred working
be best suited to (recognition, environment. A bar graph shows
career changers, power, Reasonably easy. preferences regarding recognition,
people assessing their hedonism, Users choose power, hedonism, altruism, affiliation,
fit with their current altruism, agree, disagree, tradition, security, commerce,
QQQ
job, and for coaches affiliation, or no-opinion. aesthetics, and science.
and counselors to use tradition, Takes about 20
with their clients. It is security, mins. "Mr./Ms," "he/she," and "his/her"
validated for adults commerce, phrases in report hurt readability.
and is not intended for aesthetics, and Solid information, and although
high school or early science) users receive a 23-page interpretive
college students. guide, we'd like to see additional
personalized career information in
Cost: $39.00 the actual results given that the
interpretive guide is lengthy and
time-consuming to work through.
CareerDirect Assessment
Personality ID Survey involves ranking
16 sets of 4 Gives reasonably detailed results
Cost: Personality ID Personality descriptive words about personality type. QQ
Survey is free; full as to how well
CareerDirect they describe
Assessment is $80. you.
Very easy; takes
10-15 mins. Users 3-(Web) page report that tells
Career Fit Test choose between characteristics of the types of work the
Pattern of two pictures of user would likely enjoy, offers a
This 72-item well- workplaces in people in "carefully researched job career list
researched forced- which people occupations. representing successful persons who
choice assessment has would probably Occupations are have also chosen those same job
users view successful occasionally QQ1/2
make the same photos when completing this career
workers in their ideal picture choices difficult to test," and suggests further resources.
work settings. as the user. determine from Even at only $6, the brevity of the
photo, but black report detracts from its value. Works
Cost: $6.00 scoring fee and white as a quick and very basic assessment.
graphic images
further elucidate.
Career Interest Profiler
from testingroom.com Six
fundamental Very easy
This 180-question categories of interface. Takes Three-paragraph report; more QQ for free
assessment is a interests that about 15 complete results available for report; QQQQ
measure of capture most minutes. $14.95. Free sample of full results for paid report
occupational and characteristics Registration available.
career interests. of people. required.
Cost: Free
Career Interest Test
from LiveCareer
Free 28-page overview report shows
This 100-question Easy. Takes 25 27 matching Job Categories ranked
assessment identifies minutes. You can highest to lowest and Educational
your career interests Interests,
personality, stop and go back Profile for 100+ academic areas.
and then tells you to the test later. Includes links to job postings for
what jobs are out there values,
knowledge, You also have matching jobs, but some postings are QQQ
for you. the opportunity inaccurate (e.g., you click on
skills, and
Free for basic results. abilities. to review your "Multimedia artist" and see job
answers before postings for bank tellers).
Site also offers Career submitting them.
Satisfaction Test, Deluxe Report available for $15.
Resume Test, and
Start a Business Test.
Career Liftoff Interest
Inventory (CLII)
This 240-question test
uses activity-based Takes 20-30 Detailed profile and narrative reports QQQQ for paid
questions to create a Interests. minutes to instantly available in PDF format. report
report with complete.
Holland/RIASEC
codes.
Cost: $19.95
Interests,
Careerlink Inventory aptitudes,
temperaments,
A 36-question physical
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

3. assessment based on capacities,
the premise that your preferred Easy Tells which career clusters fit you and
self-estimates are a working provides details about each cluster. QQQ
valid basis for career conditions, and
decision-making. desired length
of time
Cost: Free preparing for
employment.
Career Maze
An on-line tool How you see Highly detailed, multi-page report
designed for people to yourself and tells your approach to goals, how you
find their future by how you think interact with the world around you,
increasing self- others see you Very fast and your natural pace, what you seek
knowledge. Has you easy to use. QQQQ
in terms of the when given responsibility, career
choose from among 2 82 implications for these traits, and jobs
sets of 82 characteristics. that fit your behavior pattern.
characteristics.
Cost: $19.95
CareerPlanner
This test, based on the A 15-page PDF report is available
RIASEC system between an hour and five days after
developed by Dr. John completing the test. Speed of
Holland, has 180 delivery depends on fee paid. Results
questions in which you include dominant RIASEC codes and
either choose likes and The numerous careers matched to the
dislikes or answer "fundamental test-taker's interests, values, and skill
true/false. Easy. Takes 10-
nature of the 15 minutes. sets. Users should note that QQ
Cost: $29.95 for 1-hour careers that are submission of most personal
processing; $24.95 for good for you" information is optional. Similar
2-day processing; RIASEC-based tests are available
$19.95 for 5-day free or are less expensive.
processing Recommended in every edition of
Richard Bolles' What Color Is Your
Site also offers a Parachute since 2002.
version of the Myers-
Briggs assessment.
Work 10-page Career Report includes
Career Test by personality, summary of test-taker, personality
CareerFitter including chart, career choices for test-taker,
The 60-question strengths, occupational factors, primary
assessment describes weaknesses, characteristics, the test-taker at work,
itself as a "hybrid." styles, optimal Easy. Takes 15- potential weaknesses, personality
environments, 25 minutes. details, business points, QQQ
Questions very similar
to those on a Myers- and other in- communication method, ideal
Briggs-type test. depth environment, team-building
characteristics approach, management practice,
Cost: $9.95 of the test-taker and famous people like test-taker.
at work. You can view a sample report.
Ten work
Career Values Scale values: service
from testingroom.com orientation,
team Very easy
This 88-question orientation, interface;
assessment looks at influence, questions seem
values to see how they creativity, somewhat Two-paragraph report; more QQ for free
relate to the test-taker's independence, repetitious. Takes complete results available for $8.95. report; QQQQ
world of work and help excitement, about 10-20 Free sample of full results available. for paid report
to identify areas of personal mins.
career satisfaction and development, Registration
dissatisfaction. financial required.
rewards,
Cost: Free security, and
prestige.
Career Zone
Combinations Very bare bones, but gives lists of
An extremely bare- of six broad Ultra fast and occupations for each type. Test-takers
bones, 3-question interest areas easy will need to do more research on the QQ
assessment. known as RIASEC types.
RIASEC codes.
Cost: Free
Carolyn Kalil's
Personality Assessment
(True Colors)
True Colors is a
personality system that
has been around since
1979 and is modeled Gives Web-based results in terms of
as a graphical one of four colors, explained with a
presentation of both one-paragraph description of your
Keirsey's type. (You can also read about your
Temperament and the Easy. Takes just a other colors.) More detailed results
Myers-Briggs Type Personality few minutes. are supplied on the next Web page QQ1/2
Indicator. The after entering your email address,
assessment asks you to and ebooks ($4.95) and other
choose one of two publications are available for sale to
ways to finish 36 offer even more insight.
statements. The results
can help you define
your skills and talents -
- and possibly direct
you to various career
paths.
Cost: Free
Defines an
appropriate
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

4. starting point for
career services
and coaching Easy. Choose 1
CoachCompass® delivery, appropriate A short report appears on-screen, and
Assessment thereby statement among a very detailed report with graphs QQQ1/2
allowing for the 6 for 16 sets of attached is e-mailed.
Cost: Free targeted statements.
development of
effective client
strategies to
ensure career
success.
FOCUS 2 Online
Career Planning Has 9 phases that
take up to 20
A comprehensive tool minutes each.
for career planning More time can
that used in more than be spent by those Creates a profile of your interests,
1,500+ schools and Interests, skills, who would like to skills, values, personality, educational
explore several preferences and leisure activities and QQQ1/2
career counseling values,
centers nationwide. personality, careers. At the enables you to investigate matching The ability to
educational beginning of occupations and their related duties, explore
Cost: Cost: $39.00 preferences, FOCUS, you education, skills needed, specific occupations in
and leisure must choose working conditions, required training, great depth is
Site also offers: which Web job outlook, current and expected
activities. a major plus.
browser you're earnings. You can view a sample
MCP Online Career using and make report.
Planning for High a slight change
School Students in your
My Golden Career preferences. The
for Persons in Career interface is easy.
Transition
Future Proof Your
Career Temperament
type, dominant Easy. Comprehensive 7-page report, e-
This 84-question intelligences, Registration mailed to you, covers your
assessment helps the dominant required. temperament type (expressed in 4
test-taker find fulfilling abilities, Average letters), three dominant intelligences,
work and creates a preferred completion time six dominant abilities, knowledge QQQ1/2
personalized career learning style, for the 7 pages of worker status, proficiency in the six
strategy that works with test-taker's status questions is key Knowledge-Age Skills, and
the latest employment as a knowledge around 10-12 preferred learning style. Interpretive
trends of the worker, and minutes. book available for $29.90.
knowledge age. knowledge-age
skills.
Cost: Free
An 8-16 page personalized report
appears on screen after payment and
Hollands Self-Directed provides a description of each of the
Search 6 RIASEC types, your 3-letter
RIASEC code (a combination of the
Online version of Interests, Contains 5 3 RIASEC types that most closely
widely used and Values, and section and takes match your interests), an explanation Not rated
highly respected Skills 20-30 minutes. of how to use your code in career
career assessment. planning, a list of occupations, fields
of study, and leisure activities
Cost: $9.95 consistent with your 3-letter code,
and next steps for career exploration
and decision-making.
Results include the iMapMyCareer
Personal Report and the
iMapMyCareer iMapMyCareer JobFit Report.
Easy but time- Personal Report shows Energizers,
This 298-question consuming; takes Strengths, Ideal Environment, Stress
assessment based on Interests, 30-40 minutes. Triggers, and a composite report of
the Birkman Method, a personality, You can stop and all areas. The JobFit Report
behavioral assessment values, go back to the compares your results to a database
instrument, identifies knowledge, test later (though of people who have been successful QQQ1/2
your career interests skills, and the test in various occupational arenas. Each
and then tells you abilities. administrators aspect of the reports offer interpretive
what jobs are out there recommend video, an overview, "Your Info" (with
for you. completing it in your specific results) and a Worksheet.
one sitting). Results seem a bit skimpy for the
Cost: $39.95 price and are time-consuming to
review, but the Worksheets are a
helpful, value-added feature.
Jackson Vocational
Interest Survey (JVIS)
Though quite Highly detailed report. A particular
Developed to assist long (takes 45
high school and strength is the results' comparison of
mins.), the JVIS your similarity to college students in
college students, and provides
adults with Vocational specific majors, thus suggesting
encouraging possible majors for young people to QQQQ
educational and Interests screens that tell
career planning, this consider. Detailed results. JVIS
your progress and graphs your scores on 34 work roles
test contains 289 pairs give you a little
of job-related and workstyles.
pep talk.
activities.
Cost: $19.95
Keirsey Temperament Results, in the form of partial Myers-
Sorter Briggs Types, give descriptions of the
Easy to use, but types. Several levels of more
This 70-question a little time detailed report available: Career
assessment is related Personality consuming. Temperament Report, $19.95;
QQQQ
to the Myers-Briggs Registration Classic Temperament Report,
Type Indicator. required. $14.95; Learning Styles
Temperament Report, $14.95;
Cost: Free for mini- Temperament Discovery Report,
report $4.95.
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

5. MAPP (Motivational
Appraisal of Personal
Potential) Career
Analysis Interest in Job
Contents,
This test has 71 triads Temperament
of three statements. for the Job, Registration Free results are essentially a teaser to
You must select the Aptitude for the required; fairly encourage purchase of paid results;
statement you MOST Job, People, easy to use, but however, free MAPP Match features
agree with and the Things, Data, QQQ
requires some that compares your results with 5
statement you LEAST Reasoning, thought. chosen jobs is helpful.
agree with, leaving Mathematical
one blank. Capacity,
Language
Cost: Free for very Capacity.
minimal report;
detailed reports start at
$29.95
Fairly easy; takes Rather than interpretive results, the
Mazemaster about 30 report is a compilation of the
This 6-part assessment minutes. Interests, Skills, and Values, the test-
is geared to high- Interests, Skills, Registration taker has chosen, along with Goals,
school and college and Values. required. Next Steps, and Action Plan. Links QQQ
students. Registration is set provide additional information on
up for careers suggested by the Interest
Cost: Free Canadians, but results.
others can use it.
17 traits:
ambition,
initiative,
flexibility,
Personality Index from energy,
testingroom.com leadership,
concern for Very easy
This 90-question others, interface;
assessment examines teamwork, questions seem Two-paragraph report describes two
key personality outgoing, somewhat key features of your personal style; QQ for free
features that influence democratic, repetitious. Takes full report with an additional 20 traits report; QQQQ
your approach to tasks, innovation, about 10-20 available for $14.95. Free sample of for paid report
interaction with analytic mins. full results available.
people, and the thinking, Registration
activities you enjoy. persistence, required.
dependability,
Cost: Free attention to
detail, rule-
following, self-
control, and
stress tolerance.
Riso-Hudson
Enneagram Type
Indicator (RHETI)
SAMPLE
Q
This 38-question
assessment, a sample (interesting
of the full RHETI Easy to use. personality
which has 144 Personality Takes 5-10 Fairly good description of 1 of 9 types assessment,
questions, looks at minutes. but only
personality types. marginally
applicable to
Cost: Free careers)
Site also offers the 44-
question "The New
Enneagram Test."
StrengthsFinder
Profile
This well-researched
instrument asks you to Easy. Takes
choose to what degree about 25
either of a set of Areas in which minutes. Online results consist of a good sized
paired statements you have the Warning! There's paragraph describing your five most
applies to you. greatest a 20-second limit dominant themes of talent, your
QQQ1/2
potential for for answering signature themes. Accompanying
Cost: "Free" with the book provides more detail on each
purchase of book, strength. each question
before it vanishes theme.
Strengths Finder 2.0,
which provides an from the screen.
access code and costs
$13 to $22,
depending on
bookseller.
The Career Key Results are in the form of Holland
Codes w/lists of jobs that match users'
25-question test, personality types organized into "work
providing another Holland's 6
personality groups" based on the original Guide
variation on Holland's Easy to use. to Occupational Exploration. This
6 personality types. types (how
similar you are Takes 15 feature enables users to find similar QQQ
Cost: $9.95 to six basic minutes. matching jobs in context to their
types of people) personality match. See this
Organization also classification of jobs in the article
offers The Self- "Match Your Personality with
Employment Key. Careers."
About one page about your Myers-
Very easy, fast, Briggs type. More in-depth career
The Insight Game and fun, with the information and extensive loving QQ
ability to flip and relationship profiles are available for
Quick, fun visual take Myers-Briggs place "cards" that only $6.95, or $12.95 for the (fun, but basic
on the Myers-Briggs. Type result in Comprehensive Personality Profile. results are not
revealing one's comprehensive
Free for basic report. about career)
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

6. Free for basic report. type. Takes less Not useful for those who already know about career)
than 10 mins. their Myers-Briggs type since letter
codes are revealed on the "cards."
TypeFocus Personality
Type Profile
Quick and easy 66- Easy to use. A Results are in the form of an
question assessment little faster than introversion/extraversion report; 3
that tells your Myers- Personality the Kiersey/about levels of more detailed results QQQ
Briggs type and offers 8 minutes available for $19.95, $34.95, $44.95.
a bit of career
direction.
Cost: Free
Work Preference
Inventory
This 24-question
forced-choice Quick and easy;
assessment that tells interactivity Results are in a chart with very brief
your work style. Based Values depends on descriptions of work style; tests with
QQ
on the premise that having a more detailed results available for a
the process of values JavaScript- fee.
clarification is very enabled browser
important in career
planning.
Cost: Free
See also Career Development Manual from the University of Waterloo, a free, noninteractive and
self-scoring site that enables you to explore your personality, attitudes, skills, achievements,
knowledge, learning, style, values, entrepreneurism - and develop your own Personal Career Profile.
Skills Identification T a noninteractive tool from AARP that helps identify transferable skills.
ool,
especially for those with little paid work experience or who are returning to the workforce.
See also these collections of personality, interests, and career tests:
All the Tests -- 57 career-related tests
Coaching for Success collection of tests
Queendom/T Junkie Career T
est ests
Personality and IQ T ests
Home | About QuintCareers | A-Z Index | Career Resources | Job Sites | Job/Career Bookstore | Employer Resources
Ads by Google Career Test Assessment
Quintessential Careers, a subsidiary of
EmpoweringSites.com -- Kettle Falls, WA 99141
Home Page: http://www.quintcareers.com/
Email: randall(at)quintcareers.com
Copyright © Quintessential Careers. All Rights Reserved
Pre-Employment Testing Hiring a New Employee? Test before Deciding. Sample Test Online www.eSkill.com/PreEmploymentTesting
NEPA Compliance Services Your single source for NEPA studies assessments and compliance services DynamicEnvironmental.com
converted by Web2PDFConvert.com