How Can I Learn About Myself With A "Who Am I?" Quiz?

Taking the “What kind of person am I?” quiz can benefit your life in many ways. Personality quizzes like this one can potentially help you gain a deeper understanding of your personality, form more authentic relationships, find the career that’s right for you, and even improve your mental health. Taking ‘Who am I’ quizzes is one way to start learning more about who you are and where you stand in relation to the world around you.

What is a "Who am I?" quiz?

If you’re feeling confused or uncertain about your place in the world, a 'Who am I' quiz might help you sort through complex feelings and relate them to your true identity. Gaining a better understanding of who you truly are is a process—a lifelong one, for most people since we’re always growing and changing. There’s no one way to find out what your “true” personality is or who you are, either, because humans are complex and have many facets. The ‘Who am I’ quiz, or personality quiz, can be an interesting first step as you embark on a journey that may provide you with a jumping-off point for learning even more about yourself. The best person to help you learn more about yourself is you. ‘Who am I’ quizzes are simply personality quizzes you can take to learn about your general personality, strengths, and/or weaknesses.

Based on your answer to the quiz questions, they might tell you what you like, what you need, what you’re afraid of, what you’re good at, or describe what type of person you are. Of course, putting people into a fixed group based on a few one-word responses to some basic quiz questions will always oversimplify complex individuals.

Benefits of getting to know yourself better through "Who am I" quizzes

Making good decisions for yourself can be tricky without a strong awareness of who you are, which can be revealed by asking people 'how well do you know me' questions. Self-awareness can help you build your life and be the person you truly want to be because you’ll have a better understanding of many different things about yourself and be able to make choices that align with your authentic self. You’ll also have a better chance of communicating your needs and desires to friends and family so that you can continue to form trusting, lasting relationships.

Knowing yourself can also increase your sense of self-confidence and self-esteem. Research suggests that high self-esteem predicts success and well-being in life domains such as relationships, work, fun, and health. In other words, you may be able to see benefits in many areas of your life through increasing self-knowledge—and "Who am I?" quizzes can be the first, small step on this important journey of self-discovery.

Popular identity quizzes you can take

There are lots of different "Who am I?" quizzes out there of varying quality that can help you discover more about yourself. These quizzes are usually self-reported inventories, which means that you reflect on yourself and your tendencies regarding the quiz questions asked and respond honestly for the best quiz results. Keep in mind that there can be lots of misinformation online; always make sure the page you’re working with is from a reliable source, or at the very least, is a safe website free of bad actors, and take your quiz results with a grain of salt. Here are a few quizzes that are the most popular.

The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)

The history of this quiz dates back to the 1940s when the mother-daughter team Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers first created it. Their idea was to make the basic concepts of Jungian psychology understandable and available to a wider audience. They created the first version of this 'Who am I' quiz to help people understand their temperaments and character so they could feel empowered to make better decisions for themselves and their lives. This quiz page is composed of questions that will ask you to rate where you feel you fall on different spectrums, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. In the end, you’ll receive your MBTI type which is composed of four letters, the combinations of which correspond to 16 different types (INFJ, ENTP, etc.). You will then be guided to a page full of information about your personality type.

Depending on your answers, the first letter will either be I for introvert or E for extrovert, referring to how you interact with others and recharge. The second will be N for intuitive or S for sensing, referring to how you take in information and make decisions. The third letter will be T for thinking or F for feeling, referring to which function tends to be more dominant in your life. The fourth will be J for judging or P for prospecting, referring to how much flexibility you prefer to have in different situations. The information created from this quiz can provide a wide range of interpretations ranging from the type of person you are, how funny you are, the career you’re most likely to pick, to your typical social preferences and how you show your love.

The Enneagram quiz

The Enneagram was devised by Oscar Ichazo. He was influenced by a number of ancient wisdom traditions as well as extensive travels and related cultural experiences, and he eventually created the quiz in the 1970s. The page for this quiz is also composed of questions that will ask you to rate how strongly you agree or disagree with different statements. Your quiz results page will show you one of nine personality types, identified by a number that corresponds to a title (“1: The Reformer”, “2: The Helper”, “3: The Achiever”, etc.) and a personality overview. Some people find the Enneagram quiz useful because it highlights each type's key fears and challenges and offers ideas for ways to grow.

HIGH5 quiz

This quiz is based on positive psychology principles, a field that has experienced significant growth in recent years. Similar to the other quizzes mentioned here, it will ask where you fall on the spectrum of “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” for different quiz questions. Unlike the MBTI and the Enneagram, however, the results of this quiz won’t be a single personality type or category. Instead, it will identify your unique grouping of five top strengths. Examples include “Problem Solver”, “Time Keeper”, “Self Believer”, and “Analyst”. This quiz is used widely in professional development settings because on the page for each strength, you can find out how to develop it further, what to watch out for, what careers you might be best suited for, and more. The HIGH5 quiz can help you receive feedback and gain a deeper understanding of what you can bring to the table in your personal and professional life.

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A therapist can help

Other ways to learn more about yourself

Again, personality quizzes like these usually aren’t scientific; similar to your zodiac sign, they’re simply one small way for many to learn a little more about yourself if you happen to be curious. There are plenty of other ways to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, however. Spending time alone, meditating, and journaling for a page or two are a few common ones. You can also ask your parents, your family, someone you date, or those you’re close to for their feedback and perceptions of you, a word that describes you, try new things, talk about how you were as kids, and surround yourself with different types of people. You might also spend some time thinking about your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, core values, and hopes and dreams for the future. For instance, you might think about your ideal holiday destination and consider what it may say about you or which class you liked the most in school and why that might be. The point is to understand that just because your results don’t say you are the life of the party, this does not mean you do not have unique personality strengths. 

Explore your personality in online therapy

Another smart way to learn more about yourself is through therapy. Quizzes show some insights, but a trained mental health professional can offer you a safe, encouraging, nonjudgmental space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and past experiences and draw conclusions from them. Through therapy, you can also learn strategies for increasing self-confidence, managing your mental load, making decisions, building relationships, communicating, and more. Therapists are trained to provide you with the support and guidance you may need on your journey of getting to know yourself better. If you’re interested in seeking therapy, you can connect with a provider in person or online. Research suggests that the two formats offer similar benefits, so you can choose the one that feels right for you.

Online therapy may be worth considering for those who prefer to connect with a therapist from the comfort of their own home or who are looking for a more affordable option. Online therapy typically costs between $65 to $90 a week, depending on where you live. In comparison, meeting with an independent therapist can cost between $100 to $200 a week. With a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist whom you can meet via phone, video call, or online chat.