How to hack the Myers-Briggs?
November 17, 2011 5:14 PM   Subscribe

How can I hack the Myers-Briggs personality test?

At work they're making us do the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test as part of a team-building exercise or something. This is in about 3 weeks. I absolutely don't want to answer it honestly. How do I give the responses that they want to see? We will receive the test ahead of the event and are supposed to complete it beforehand.
posted by neuron to Society & Culture (30 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
well, what answers do they want to see?
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:20 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


It's not a very subtle test in a lot of ways - read the descriptions of the different categories and it should be pretty obvious which answers will, say, indicate introversion vs. extroversion, or thinking vs. feeling. You should totally be able to pick a target and hit it.

It's not at all obvious to me what answers they'd want to see - usually the advantage to knowing someone's "type" is being able to better anticipate how they'll react in different situations. If you get a fake "type" it just won't work at all. (Now, whether your bosses believe this is actually helpful in a business sense, or if this is just an elaborate "getting to know you" game, I couldn't say. Could be either.)

(The one thing I'd suggest is not faking the introversion/extroversion one unless you want to be caught out. That's a pretty obvious trait that has gotten a lot of pop culture attention and people will be confused if you claim the opposite of what you display.)
posted by restless_nomad at 5:22 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


And this will help you how?

I suspect you could google it, I would be surprised if there wasn't somebody offering something along those lines.

If it is important to your workplace/organisation, they may not take kindly to someone 'cheating' the test, and there may be consequences if the tester catches on.

If you get placed somewhere on the basis of an inaccurate result, you may not be happy there and/or not perform as well as you might elsewhere (ie somewhere that might be more 'suitable' for your real characteristics).
posted by GeeEmm at 5:30 PM on November 17, 2011


One thing to know about the MBTI is that any given type is inherently better than another type.

You can't make a better score, because there is no such thing as a better score.
posted by maurreen at 5:31 PM on November 17, 2011


Oops, I meant to say that any given type is NOT inherently better than any other type.
posted by maurreen at 5:32 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


Oops, I meant to say that any given type is NOT inherently better than any other type.

Neuron's boss may or may not agree with this.
posted by andoatnp at 5:34 PM on November 17, 2011 [17 favorites]


It's possible, if your workplace has a specific culture, to read Myers-Briggs type descriptions, pick the one that most fits the culture and aim for it. Actually hitting it should be no problem at all once you have the questions in front of you -- they're pretty much no brainers.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:39 PM on November 17, 2011 [4 favorites]


Yeah, no type is better than another. I did this as a team-building thing at a past workplace of mine and the whole exercise was very benign. After testing, the trainer divided us into groups based on our types and had us do a problem-solving exercise together. Then, we had a discussion in which we compared the results of the two groups, who did indeed approach problems differently. If this is the setup, if you don't answer honestly, you may end up in a group whose problem-solving approach is very different from yours, and you will seem more of an anomaly than if you just played along. In any case, if you want to hack the test, know that it's a multiple choice test. Just don't look at the answers and choose randomly.
posted by Wordwoman at 5:39 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


I am totally, totally confused about why you'd be hesitant to answer it honestly. It's typology, not a pass/fail exam or attempt to track down psychopathic traits or something. You will absolutely get stuck with a label (out of a possible 16) and I can't think of a source that considers one significantly better or worse than any other.

Having said that, it is ridiculously easy to game it. These are questions like "at a party, do you get worn out talking to people, or does it give you lots of energy." Each question only attempts to plug you into one of two holes (in that case, extravert or introvert.) You get about 9 or 10 questions for each of the 4 categories, and I doubt you'll be confused by more than 1 or 2 questions in any category, in terms of which characteristic they're attempting to measure.

I speak as someone generally assigned to one of the types (INTJ) that's arguably less popular/easy going. It hasn't harmed my career at all that lots of people know my type, and I'm (partially) in a field that would tend to be seen as against my type (HR.)

Oh, and if you're really paranoid, and primarily want to focus on not standing out, you probably want to be ESTP or ESFP. To be super stereotypical pick T if you're male and F if you're female.

(I got really good at taking the test in such a way to get whatever result I wanted after seeing it for the third time, but reading type profiles also helped.)
posted by SMPA at 5:39 PM on November 17, 2011


Honestly, the type that you should shoot for depends on your job description, and what you want your bosses to think of you. There are tons of websites that say, for example, "INTJs are best suited to be engineers or scientists. ENTJs should be lawyers or doctors." You can absolutely work backward to get the classification you want.

If your work takes this seriously, they will know if your results are waaaay off from reality. If you just want to game the system, answer each category in equal numbers, so you'll be right down the middle.
posted by supercres at 5:40 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


And I should add that in doing the problems differently, nobody did the problem better -- it's just that the groups approached them from different angles. It was actually rather interesting.
posted by Wordwoman at 5:40 PM on November 17, 2011


This isn't one of those tests where any one answer over another makes you seem somehow awful or incompetent. You don't explain why you're trying to "hack" the test, but I suppose if you wanted to be perceived as a certain type of personality you could just answer whatever it is you want them to think you are.

It's a test that helps people understand the way others approach different situations and problems. People knowing that I'm an INTJ helps them understand the way I am, just as knowing that someone is, say, an ENFP helps me understand them better too, but doesn't make me respect them any more or less.

If this is really just a team-building exercise, is it possible they're trying to create a sense of understanding among everyone and not that they're trying to pick out the weakest links? Are you concerned they're trying to weed out people who aren't social or something? There are online versions of this test that you could take honestly if you're worried that you'll come up with a terrible result.
posted by wondermouse at 5:45 PM on November 17, 2011


What's your goal? Do you want to disguise or conceal your real characteristics; or subvert the exercise by presenting a "type" that's not consistent; or be a suck-up and answer in a way that will be most apt to ingratiate you to others and enhance your position in the group?

How about reading a memoir written by the type of person you want to to be perceived as (someone admired in your filed? or someone in a mental institution?). This will give you insight into how that sort of person thinks, and, as you answer the questions, you can imagine how they would answer.
posted by Corvid at 5:46 PM on November 17, 2011 [1 favorite]


There's not enough information to answer this question... if you tell us a bit more about you, why you think your "real" personality is unsuitable for this job, what job this is and what it entails, and what you think they're looking for, then we might be able to help...

The Myer Briggs test is not a social IQ test you can flunk out. The 4 or 16 categories it sorts you into are mostly neutral - we all have our strengths and weaknesses. It isn't even a predictor of ability - while Guardians quite often end up in supervisory positions, it's more because they aspire to those positions to begin with, not because Artisans / Idealists / Rationals are automatically going to be inferior at those tasks.

If it's a cut-throat corporate type environment you may want to type as Rational, so you'll fit in nicely with all the sociopaths there. They may fear that without those skills and traits you may be unable to compete, becoming deadweight in the long run.

If it's a less cut-throat organization, you may want to type as Guardian, you'll fit in with everyone else there like one big happy family.

Artisan are pretty safe to hire for pretty much any role, they're unobstrusive and generally happy if the work is challenging, and never cause dramas, but they almost never enter leadership, for a combination of reasons, their worldview is mostly short term, they never cared for power anyway, and they simply have no vision.

And even knowing what types are most suitable / dominant in various areas and disciplines it's still worth hiring opposing types. As has been said earlier in the thread, different types approach problems and find solutions differently, if you have an entire room of Guardians they're going to miss some solution that an Artisan might have found, well if only you had hired just that 1 Artisan for the team even though that personality type isn't the best fit, right?
posted by xdvesper at 5:48 PM on November 17, 2011


We've had to take the test, and frankly the results change with one's mood. I've been both an extrovert and an introvert, sensing and feeling. So, just answer differently.

Try this version, it's less onerous and it's easy to see where the questions are leading.
posted by the noob at 5:50 PM on November 17, 2011


Don't answer honestly. If you are not a people-person-go-getter-top-of-sales person, never answer a work personality test honestly - it is the equivalent of going to HR to complain about your boss, or telling your manager that you are in therapy. They want to see what you'll say so that they can weed out the weirdos - that's not how they frame it, but that's how it will work.

I have actually been in a situation where people hassled me for my type - I wasn't intuitive enough because I liked to read directions before starting projects.

But you can hack personality tests - people have been doing it since they've had corporate personality tests. (Read The Organization Man if you doubt me - this late fifties corporate culture book gives a guide to hacking the ones in use then).

Here's what I'd do: I would figure out what management would think was the ideal type of person for my job, remembering always that while you may want a little "creativity", basically you want to conform. Most bosses like you to be moderately extroverted. They like you to maybe read a little in your spare time but not too much. They like you to enjoy what they like, but at a lower level of expertise and lower socioeconomic level - so if they like shopping and TV, bear that in mind. They like you to enjoy the outdoors. They like you to have hobbies but not be too invested in them. They like a tiny bit of authority-questioning but not too much. Does your workplace prioritize letter-of-the-law fairness or individual circumstances? Remember when taking these tests that you like people. Also, don't overthink the questions - go with your gut. Once you start thinking about the premises, you'll screw it up.

You can find Myers-Briggs-like tests on the internet for free - google "myers briggs online free" and you'll pull several up. Take them, look at the results, think about them. You can absolutely do this and you absolutely should - your boss is not entitled to peer into your soul; your boss is entitled to your full commitment to your work when you're on the clock and to you keeping yourself in such a condition that you can do a good job. And no one ever wants to "manage" people - they like people to conform without being "managed", and view people who require management as oddballs and troublemakers.
posted by Frowner at 5:50 PM on November 17, 2011 [14 favorites]


You could simply not take the test, though the ramifications of this will vary greatly from zero to major depending on who is asking you to take it and why. Indeed, the Myers&Briggs Foundation say that the rest should always be voluntary and the results confidential. Keep in mind though that you're probably saying a whole lot more about yourself and attracting much more attention by refusing than

But really, as restless_nomad says, there's very little subtlety involved. The questions are pretty much of the form "do you usually prefer X or Y?" With an awareness of the Types, it doesn't take much effort to tune your answers to suit whatever result you want to produce. If it makes you happy, then pick a co-worker you know reasonably well and attempt to answer the questions as he/she would answer them.

I was actually given the MBTI as part of a class back in middle school by a well-meaning but somewhat obtuse counselor. She simply handed the test out at the beginning of class and asked everyone to take it so she could "get to know us better." We never actually discussed the results or what the types mean, and this process freaked me out quite a bit, given the whole forced psychological testing angle. However, after I researched the test a bit more, I realized the overall frivolity of the exercise and that there really wasn't anything particularly personal I was giving up. I still don't think anyone should be given the MTBI without first understanding what it is and subsequent discussion of the results, but I came to view it more as a stupid teacher move rather than a real intrusion.

Besides, as I understand it, MTBI doesn't contain any component of strength, which makes the results pretty useless when trying to pigeonhole people. A result that someone is I(ntroverted) could mean that they suffer from severe social anxiety and devour entire libraries on a single in-depth topic, or it could mean that they show a slight preference for the trait.
posted by zachlipton at 6:00 PM on November 17, 2011


Oh, looking at the one linked above by the noob, here's how I would answer some of them: I am never late, I like fast-paced jobs, I have a wide circle of acquaintance...and I'd look at the total number of reason versus feelings/justice versus mercy questions and answer them so that slightly more fell on the side of reason/justice than on feelings/mercy, but so that some of them preferred feelings/mercy. I empathize with others. I am not an introvert. I like parties better than staying at home. I sometimes contemplate the complexity of life, but I also answer other questions to show that I have a simple worldview. It's easy for me to talk about my feelings. I sit in the center of the room (shows comfort) rather than off to the side (shows distance). I am responsible. I don't worry too much.

I care about things, but not too much. I take responsibility, but based on loyalty to the concept of responsibility itself, not on any larger principle (ie, I won't be a whistleblower or a union organizer). I plan ahead, but I don't have any anxieties which might indicate that I am a bad worker or have not managed my life well.
posted by Frowner at 6:07 PM on November 17, 2011 [2 favorites]


I doubt that there are answers they "want to see". I think this is just a team-building exercise and maybe you should relax. Besides, if there are answers they "want to see" how do we, or you, know what those answers are?

Meyers-Briggs is a method of describing personality. some people don't find it useful, but personally I've found it extremely useful in allowing me to hone in on my faults and strengths and where these come from. Plus, my personality type description (INFP) is absolutely accurate.

That being said, I've read enough about the test that I could easily take it and get any personality combination I want (answering dishonestly of course). You can do that too if you read up on the test; however, I have no idea how you'd pick the "ideal" personality that your workplace wants you to have.
posted by bearette at 6:11 PM on November 17, 2011


Every workplace I've ever been in has done the MBTI and it has never been used as more than a trivial team building thing. I'd really not recommend overthinking it.

But, if you want to do this thing you want to do, read Work Types. Then work backward from what you think your bosses want to what type you should be on the test. But if you are very different than your gamed type, they're going to notice. If I, for example, tried to pretend that I wasn't an introvert it would be glaringly obvious.
posted by winna at 6:13 PM on November 17, 2011


It's not at all obvious to me what answers they'd want to see

It's basically a non-judgmental assessment -- they even soft-sell all of those dreaded trailing J's.

In team-building the idea is that it's better not to have four of the same type on the same four-man team.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:53 PM on November 17, 2011


Oh, and if you're really paranoid, and primarily want to focus on not standing out, you probably want to be ESTP or ESFP.

This is not true for all cultures or workplaces. I saw a breakdown of Myers-Briggs scores by country, once, and the most common types are different in different places. Also, we did a team-building thing involving Myers-Briggs (professionally administered) at my workplace recently - a university, in Australia - and EVERYONE was INTJ or INTP. EVERYONE.

So if you want to hack it in order to not stick out, you need to figure out what that means for your workplace. One possibility would be to keep your boss in mind as you take the test and pretend you are him/her for every answer.
posted by lollusc at 7:04 PM on November 17, 2011


Be careful if you do this. I would recommend answering the questions honestly based on how you act at work, perhaps throwing in a few conflicting answers if you're afraid you'll be too strongly one type and look inflexible or extreme.

The test is pretty transparent - if you know what the four dichotomies are, it's not hard to guess what 'types' people you know are, or what questions indicate which type. It doesn't give much by way of deep inner secrets, just "This person said they prefer to keep their options open and not rush to make decisions. That means they're 'P' type, where 'P' type is defined as someone who likes to keep their options open and not rush to make decisions."

What I'm trying to say here is, any personality trait you're trying to hide, you had better be trying to hide in your behavior as well as in your test-taking. And if you're doing that, well, just answer like your 'workplace self'. They actually tell you to do that, generally; people have different types at home vs. with friends vs. at work, and they don't care about how outgoing and party-loving you are with your friends if you get nervous and clam up in the office.
posted by Lady Li at 7:15 PM on November 17, 2011


Get a copy of Type Talk at Work. That should help.
posted by jgirl at 8:08 PM on November 17, 2011


I'm very skeptical about Myers-Briggs. The same people taking the same test at different times can get very different results. Myers-Briggs is scientifically and statistically very dubious. I think it's somewhere between a scam and a myth. It's the new phrenology.

HR depts want to believe that they can scientifically categorise people into a small number of neat types and use this to manage people efficiently. It's simply not true.

Wikipedia says "individuals motivated to do so can fake their responses" and cites a paper. Effectively everyone taking the test is doing this to some degree - people's expectations subconsciously shape the answers they give.

You could try role-playing while filling in the form. What would [person] do?
posted by BinaryApe at 12:58 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm very skeptical about Myers-Briggs. The same people taking the same test at different times can get very different results.

I have taken the test so many times that I now come out borderline on every type of answer. If I can get an XXXX, I think the test must uh...not be as "good" as everyone says.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:22 AM on November 18, 2011


My advice for dealing with these tests is to think about the situation your bosses are trying to evaluate, which is work, rather than your personal life. So tack on "at work" or "with coworkers" to each question.

There is a reason for the problems with Myers-Briggs. Well, depending on who you ask, lots of reasons and potential reasons.

My favorite is that it's a Correspondence Error, which basically means we attribute behavior to innate, fundamental characteristics of the agent, rather than to situational, uh, stuff.

Walter Mischel's 1968 work supports this very well. He was very surprised to find that "personality" only explains about 16% of the variance in behavior. Which is a pretty crappy correlation, and Sociology loves science, so we don't like things that don't correlate.

So, he would argue that we really are different people in different rooms.

Granted, this isn't the whole story. The folks who research personality counter with "personality affects the situations you find yourself in!" For instance, if you're an introvert, you're going to end up in group situations more often.

And then you will behave consistently in similar situations, though you may behave differently/have a different personality in other situations.

This is hard to test, because it's hard to test people twice in the lab. Testing twice (both conditions) brings up the question of influence/familiarity. you really wouldn't want to run some tests twice, because your subjects just would not cooperate for round two. I'm looking at you Milgram!
posted by bilabial at 11:38 AM on November 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


My guess is that the test is just a maguffin - the point of this is post test exercises and discussion. My old department did this sort of gooberism all the time and didn't even retain the test results (although it's possible the coaches/consultants/cheerleaders did.)
posted by Lesser Shrew at 3:46 PM on November 18, 2011


MBTI is just a way of getting people to think about how they work in relation to how other people work - mostly as the starting point for discussions about how to help work teams achieve higher performance by a) being sensitive to others' preferences/tendencies and b) fostering genuine understanding about the fact that there are multiple valid ways of achieving a stated series of goals.

Any accredited MBTI trainer will essentially describe this in the session and in the documentation provided, and will have cautioned employers who think it can be used in more deterministic manner that it is NOT to be used in that way. I haven't looked at the literature in over a decade but I remember this very clearly from a period in my career when I worked with MBTI and similar systems in the context of adult education and training.

That's not to say that the goal of hacking it is necessarily off base - because there are a lot of people who invest a LOT more "validity" in the MBTI than even they would suggest, and over-zealous HR types can be dangerous.

I would suggest an alternative, though - instead of trying to hack it, I would do it "straight" because in it's own limited way it CAN be a very useful and kind of fun exercise in a group. At the same time, though, read up on the MBTI's own descriptions of its limitations and suggested usage, even copying down some of what they have written about it to have on hand. This information should be relatively easy to find online. If you note or even get a hint that someone is trying to use the MBTI in an inappropriate manner, you will then be prepared to throw the MBTI's own words back at them and so control the situation.

Anyone using MBTI as a "test" for the appropriateness of anyone for any particular job is incompetent and should be fired. The MBTI people (last I checked) would be happy to agree with this - it is NOT amongst the approved uses for their test.
posted by mikel at 9:31 PM on November 20, 2011 [2 favorites]


Oh sorry for the double - one more thing. People's MBTI score WILL change over time and with circumstance - the MBTI makes no claims that a person's score will stay stable. The easiest way to hack it might be to simply identify the zone you think is most "acceptable" and if your score does differ this time, make sure people know that in the past when you'd taken the test you were X and now you're Y, and wow isn't it interesting how your score is different and wow I can get a lot of insight about things by comparing the two... Just drawing attention to the fact that results do change (which is supported in the MBTI literature iirc) will emphasize and draw attention to this aspect of things, which will undermine anyone trying to use it inappropriately.
posted by mikel at 9:39 PM on November 20, 2011


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