Is there a movie you absolutely love, but your friend thoroughly hates? The Big 5 Personality Test will help you make sense of it. The test may seem unnecessary (to the uninitiated), but what if I told you that the Big 5 test is now being used by companies for career guidance and job evaluation? Piques your interest a little bit now doesn’t it?
So, what is the Big 5 Personality Test?
It is a highly respected and commonly used model in academia for understanding one’s personality. It divides personality Traits into five dimensions :
- Agreeableness – how agreeable one is with others
- Extraversion – introverts v/s extroverts
- Conscientiousness – how hardworking and orderly one is
- Neuroticism – tells about how moody, volatile v/s resilient and confident one is
- Openness – how creative, imaginative a person is
What makes it so different?
It is a statistically rigorous measurement based on the technique of factor analysis. Factor analysis allows one to take a set of questions (typically 100) and give it to a large number of people and analyze how the questions relate to one another across the set, to infer some fundamental qualities. For example, someone described as neurotic is more likely to be also called volatile and reserved as opposed to confident.
How will it help you?
“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” -SOCRATES
By knowing your traits, you have a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. You can capitalize on your strengths and work on your weak areas. For example, if you are low in conscientiousness, you could benefit from schedules and systems.
When we are conscious of our own nature, we are able to truly appreciate the profound differences between people, from liking different movies, games, and shows to career, politics, and religion. It can help build better, efficient and more understanding relationships. Find a partner (personal and professional) who complements your traits and go on to develop harmonious relations.
And, of course, jobs!
There are studies now which tell us what traits are suitable for which jobs. For example, if you are high in conscientiousness – you would do well in sales and accounting. Testing agencies and companies have already developed psychometric tests that use Big 5 Traits. AMCAT, an employability test conducts a personality test based on Big 5. The Big 5 Personality Test is here to stay – might as well make the most of it!
Further Reading:
- Indoor Ventilation: An Efficient Way to Prevent COVID-19
- Indian Scientist Discovers Unique Black Hole 142 Times the Mass of the Sun
