Everything You Need to Know About the Enneagram Personality Test And Its Incredible Accuracy

Personality tests are a dime a dozen. From silly quizzes about which TV character or flavor of ice cream you are to more serious introspective queries, there are many ways to learn more about yourself online. You’ve probably heard of (and possibly taken) the Myers-Briggs personality test, one of the most popular personality tests. It sorts people into 16 different types, and once you take the test, you’ll proudly end up with four defining letters representing your category. (I’m an ENFJ.)

One that may not be as familiar is the Enneagram. The Enneagram is a personality test that, according to its website, “helps us to see ourselves at a deeper, more objective level and can be of invaluable assistance on our path to self-knowledge.”

The assessment combines ancient wisdom and modern analysis to identify nine different personality “types” — and you’re going to want to know your type!

What’s Your Type?

According to Enneagram researchers, every person is born with a dominant type that remains relatively consistent throughout life. This type has to do with how we process feelings of anger and shame, and how we interact with and adapt to our surroundings.

Spiritualist Oscar Ichazo first put the Enneagram system together and created the Arica School to share his ideas in the 1960s and 1970s. It has evolved over the years, but the basic tenets hold true and still offer an accurate personality assessment today.

It takes only five minutes to complete this free survey and learn your top three types. Be spontaneous with your answers and don’t overthink it. Once you submit, you’ll see a detailed description of traits for your type.

For more, you can purchase an assessment from the Enneagram Institute which will more specifically assign you a type from this list:

• The Reformer — The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled and Perfectionistic
• The Helper — The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing and Possessive
• The Achiever — The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven and Image-Conscious
• The Individualist — The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed and Temperamental
• The Investigator — The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive and Isolated
• The Loyalist — The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious and Suspicious
• The Enthusiast — The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible and Scattered
• The Challenger — The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful and Confrontational
• The Peacemaker — The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable and Complacent

Diving Deeper Into Enneagram

If you want to stay up-to-date on your type, you can sign up for EnneaThought for the Day emails. More than just an inbox filler, these provide helpful tips and ideas specific to your type.

You can also go way more in-depth on the Enneagram website, diving into its history, learning about the founder and even signing up for classes. There’s a lot to learn about this complex school of thought.

Will you give this personality test a whirl?