How To Pass a Personality Test for Jobs: 10 Proven Tips

This is an expert guest post written by Mariana Gomes from Personality-Quizzes.

Getting ready for a job application that includes a personality assessment? Approximately 80% of Fortune 500 companies now use personality tests to evaluate candidates during their hiring process. As a jobseeker, knowing how to approach these assessments can remarkably affect your success rate in landing your dream job. 

Personality tests are now a common part of the modern hiring process. As many companies continue to strive to find the perfect fit for both their open positions and company culture, these assessments help employers to better understand a candidate's character traits, working style, and how they may be compatible with existing teams. 

Whether you're facing a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Enneagram, DiSC assessment, or a company-specific questionnaire online, this guide will help you take personality tests successfully while keeping true to your genuine self. 

How do personality tests work? 

Personality tests used in employment settings are designed to measure behavioral patterns and specific traits that relate to workplace performance. Most pre-employment personality assessments use psychometric testing methods to evaluate how a candidate might behave in particular work situations or how well they might fit within a company's culture. 

These tests typically present a series of questions or statements where you're asked to indicate your level of agreement (strongly agree to strongly disagree), choose between forced-choice options, or select responses that best describe your typical behavior. The results are then analyzed against their set standards for successful job performance in similar roles. 

Importantly, recruiters don't just look at individual traits in isolation. They analyze different dimensions for patterns to create a profile that helps predict job performance and cultural alignment. 

How to pass a personality test for employment 

1. Read the questions carefully

This one may seem obvious, but nerves can easily creep in, especially when you're undergoing personality testing for your dream job. It's vital to read each question carefully to ensure you provide accurate answers that truly reflect your professional approach in given scenarios. 

Pay equal attention to the instructions. Since there are many different types of personality tests, take note of any timing restrictions. Taking too long to complete a test or rushing through it could raise red flags for the recruiter who might question your thoroughness or attention to detail. 

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2. Be honest

While you can try to manipulate the results to "pass" the test and get hired, keep in mind that personality testing is a two-way assessment. If you misrepresent yourself, you may find yourself in a role or a company that’s not a good fit for you. If you game the test, you're only setting yourself up for future dissatisfaction or failure. 

For example, if you're an introvert who thrives working independently, don't indicate that you love networking and team collaboration just because you think that's what the employer wants to hear. This discrepancy will likely lead to frustration for both parties if you're hired. 

Remember that modern personality tests often use advanced mechanisms to detect inconsistencies or dishonesty in your responses. Authenticity is your best approach—after all, don't you want to find a job and work environment where you can truly thrive? 

 

 

3. Know that there are no right or wrong answers

If there are no right or wrong answers, then why do some people pass the test and get hired, while others don't make the cut? Simply put, employers are looking for candidates that match their company culture and the requirements of the position. 

While some testing methods may yield results that seem like a pass or fail, most provide recruiters with impartial information to help them make educated decisions about potential candidates. Different jobs require different personality traits and strengths. A personality profile that might be perfect for a sales role could be completely unsuitable for an accounting position. 

This reinforces the previous point about honesty—by answering truthfully, the results will reveal whether you're a natural fit for the role. There's no universal "right" personality; it's about finding the right match between your authentic self and the position's requirements.

4. Take practice tests

Job interviews and screenings can be quite stressful, especially those that include assessments. However, practicing with simulated tests beforehand offers several advantages: 

• You'll become familiar with common question formats and types
• You'll learn to recognize what traits are being measured
• You'll be able to reflect on your responses before the high-pressure situation of an actual job application
• It'll help reduce your anxiety towards the test and help you perform more authentically

Many career websites offer free practice personality tests that mimic those used by employers. Taking a Strengths Test can also reveal useful insights into your natural abilities and how they can match with different career paths. Understanding your own strengths before facing an employer's assessment gives you greater self-awareness and confidence. 

Coming to a test prepared naturally reduces stress. Even if you believe preparation will have little impact, nerves can significantly affect how you respond. By going in prepared, you demonstrate that you're cool-headed, focused, and able to perform under pressure—key traits desired by most employers. 

5. Be professional

As an individual, you likely have several personas, depending on where you are and who you're with. When taking a pre-employment personality test, focus on your professional self. Consider how you typically behave in workplace settings: Are you detail-oriented? Creative? Determined? 

Keep this professional context in mind when answering questions. While there are no universally right or wrong answers, you certainly want to avoid selecting responses that don't reflect your professional persona or that might seem unethical. 

6. Understand the role

Each position has its own set of requirements, so you must understand the desired personality traits for the role you're applying for. This insight will help you frame your responses appropriately and highlight relevant aspects of your work personality. 

For example, a sales executive would likely need to demonstrate resilience and charisma. On the other hand, an accountant would need to show analytical skills and attention to detail. Being assessed for the latter role, you might encounter statements such as: 

• I pay attention to details
• I work best under pressure
• I like working with puzzles
• I enjoy figuring out riddles
• I like to plan and offer strategies

Your responses to these statements help recruiters evaluate your suitability for detail-oriented roles. If these preferences don't match your natural tendencies, it may indicate that you're not well-suited for the position. Wouldn’t it be good to discover this mismatch before accepting a job that would ultimately frustrate you?

7. Look out for impression control questions

Since many job applicants intentionally try to portray a different, more ideal version of themselves, most professional personality tests include impression control questions. These are designed to identify candidates who are trying to create an unrealistically perfect self-portrait. 

These questions often contain absolute terms like “always” or “never” and are relatively easy to spot once you know what to look for. Examples include: 

• I always complete assignments on time
• I have never shown up late to an appointment
• I have never told a white lie 

When responding to such statements, remember that claiming you "always" or "never" do something is usually unrealistic. Most human beings have occasionally missed a deadline, been late to an appointment, or told a harmless white lie. Answering with extreme certainty on these items may flag your results as suspicious or indicate a lack of self-awareness. 

Focus instead on portraying yourself as an honest, trustworthy professional who acknowledges normal human imperfections while striving for excellence. 

 

 

8. Be mindful of contradictions

Similar to impression control questions, many tests include pairs of statements designed to detect inconsistencies in your responses. To ensure you don't inadvertently contradict yourself, be alert to questions that assess the same trait from different angles. 

For example, you might strongly agree that you "never show up late to appointments" but then neutrally respond to a statement about "occasionally missing deadlines." These contradictory responses would raise questions about your reliability or the authenticity of your answers. 

Modern personality assessments often present the same concept multiple times with different phrasing throughout the test. Maintaining consistency requires both self-awareness and attention to detail. Before submitting your answers, take a moment to review for any potential contradictions if the test format allows. 

9. Be persistent

Today's job market is quite competitive, which makes it hard to find the right employment opportunity, and navigating the screening process just creates another layer of complexity. 

Personality tests can be lengthy, sometimes featuring over 100 questions, and require sustained motivation, attention, and self-reflection. To perform well, maintain your concentration throughout the assessment, even when fatigue sets in toward the end. 

Remember why you're taking the test in the first place—to find a role that allows you to thrive professionally. This can help you maintain the persistence needed to complete lengthy assessments with consistent focus and engagement. 

10. Don't overthink it

Now that you understand the mechanics of personality tests, the final and perhaps most important tip is to relax. You've prepared appropriately, so avoid overthinking each question. Overanalyzing statements often leads to inconsistent responses or answers that don't truly reflect your natural tendencies. 

Trust your instincts and go with your first reaction to each question. Research shows that initial responses typically represent your true personality more accurately than heavily deliberated answers. The goal is to present your authentic professional self, not a calculated persona that might be difficult to maintain in an actual work setting.  

 

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Key takeaways 

Approaching personality tests with honesty and self-awareness is your best strategy for long-term career success. Keep these key points in mind: 

• Be authentic and don’t try to game the system
• Practice beforehand to reduce anxiety and get familiar with the usual formats
• Understand the specific traits relevant to your target position
• Be consistent in your responses
• Focus on your professional persona
• Trust your instincts instead of overthinking each question 

With these guidelines, you'll not only perform better on pre-employment personality assessments but also increase your chances of finding a position where your natural talents and working style can truly shine. 

Have you ever had to take personality tests for a job? Share your tips with us in the comment section below!

This article is an updated version of an earlier article originally published in 2015.