How to Take a Career Test

If you are an individual with multiple interests and talents, narrowing down your career path may become a challenge. One way to help focus your energies is to take a career test. These tests are designed to compare your skills, leadership style and other data with information gathered from the population at large. These comparisons may identify which career would best suit you.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Administration fee
• Pencil

Find Your Career Path

1. Select a career test that has hard science to back it up. Your career test should be able to draw on a large body of information in order to come to statistical conclusions about your job proficiencies.

2. Avoid paying large fees for career tests by contacting your college or university's career advisement or counseling center. Many of these facilities offer students the chance to take career tests for free as part of their career placement services.

3. Answer the questions truthfully. Remember that in order for this test to really assess which career suits you best, your answers must truly reflect your feelings.

4. Find that your career test is very similar to a standard personality test. This means that part of the career assessment is geared towards placing you within a job category that suits your overall personality.

5. Expect to be asked basic questions, such as "Which do you like better: working alone or in a group?" These generalized questions will help determine whether your behavioral preferences are suited to specific fields within your areas of interest.

6. Follow up your career test with an appointment with a career adviser. A good way to make the most of this tool is have a professional evaluate your answers and provide you with specific examples of career paths.

7. Ask your career adviser to provide you with specific coursework to help you achieve your career goals. This may include enrolling in an internship program or identifying courses that will provide you with the most up-to-date training in the kind of technology needed in your field.

8. Take time to carefully consider the careers presented to you as a result of this test. Even the most scientifically designed and operated career test may result in a match that really doesn't suit your passions in life.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many career assessment tests available on the Internet. Before you consider taking one, be aware that you may be required to give personal information. With identity theft on the rise, it is important to think carefully before sharing personal information, such as your social security number, address and phone number.