We explain the benefits of taking a personality test and why you should take the results seriously.

There are several personality tests available both on and offline. Sometimes completing a personality quiz is included in the hiring process to see if you're a suitable candidate. But aside from that, why else should you bother offering up your time and bandwidth completing those questions and pay attention to the results?

Here are 3 of the best reasons why you should take a personality test:

To get an objective view of yourself

You may think you already know who you are, but your opinion about yourself is largely biased. Answering a couple of questions will confirm a few things you already know while revealing things about yourself you’ve never realised before, including your favourite things, choices you’d make, and how you’d react in different situations.

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It helps you discover your more dominant personality traits and natural preferences. It can help you discover your passions and fears outside your intellectual ability. These tests shed light on your values, interests, and skills and also provide a more holistic view of what you’re like.

To discover your strengths and weaknesses

The more introspection you afford, the more you’ll come to understand what you’re good at and what you’re less good at. Because we’re biased and naturally defensive, it can be difficult to accept our shortcomings. But by educating ourselves about what our negative qualities are, we can work on improving them.

This self-awareness can also be helpful during group activities to know how you can best contribute to group success, your role within the team, and when it’s best that someone else does a particular task instead of you.

For example, do you really flourish in busy and interactive environments or are they too distracting for you to be productive?

To choose the perfect career

Some of us know from a young age what we want to be when we grow up. For most of us, however, it isn’t as easy.

Ultimately, choosing a career means choosing a lifestyle. And that is a big decision. In order to make the best choices regarding the rest of your life, it would be wise to arm yourself with as much information as possible. Take advantage of the resources that offer great insights by answering a few questions and perhaps you'll discover that you're a multipotentialite.

Completing a personality test helps you discover which traits you excel in and match you to the appropriate jobs and types of environments. This way, you can narrow down your options and choose a future in which you’re going to be happy, and not one that makes you uncomfortable or miserable, all based on your unique answers to the personality test.

Read: Why personality fit is so important for career satisfaction

For the first time ever, South Africans have a uniquely indigenous personality test that takes our unique culture into account. Ready to learn more about yourself? Take the test here.