Taking the IPIP-NEO Personality Test

Hello, everyone! While I'm currently traveling abroad, these posts will be short and sweet! Keep an eye out for my first travel blog from this trip to Europe next Monday!

This week, I've decided to take a personality test so that you all can learn a little more about me and maybe even about yourselves! (If you would rather learn more about my dogs than me, check out last week's blog post where I took a personality test for them.) 

I've taken Myers-Briggs (INFJ) and Enneagram (Type 1, with Type 5 close behind), but the IPIP-NEO is completely new to me. Let's see how it goes!

1. Extraversion: 16%

Surprise, surprise, I am an introvert. 

Friendliness: 1% — Apparently, I "don't reach out to others and am perceived as distant and cold." I'm sorry! I probably don't hate you, I'm just bad at initiating social interactions!

Assertiveness: 83% — I "like to speak out, take charge, and direct the activities of others." Even though I'm an introvert, I'm kind of a control freak. I always do all the work in group projects.

Activity Level: 82% — I lead a "fast-paced, busy life." When I got home from studying abroad last year and didn't have a job for a couple weeks, I thought I was going to go insane. I'm the type of person who always needs to have plans and things to keep me busy.

2. Agreeableness: 59%

Woo! I'm slightly agreeable! This means that I "value getting along with others."

Altruism: 79% — I "find helping other people genuinely rewarding." So if you need help with something, let me know!

Modesty: 69% — I "do not like to claim that I am better than other people." I'm one of those people who undersells most of their accomplishments out of habit, so making a resumé and cover letter for grad school was the hardest thing ever.

Sympathy: 88% — I "feel the pain of others vicariously and am easily moved to pity." When people get hurt in movies, I physically feel their pain (something might be wrong with me). And I find going to funerals unbearable because I'm so hurt by seeing people I love grieving and having no avenue to make that grief go away. 

3. Conscientiousness: 89%

According to my results, I "avoid trouble and achieve high levels of success through purposeful planning and persistence." But wait for these negatives: I can be a "compulsive perfectionist and workaholic. Furthermore, extremely conscientious individuals might be regarded as stuffy and boring." Why does this have to be so true?

Orderliness: 29% — I'm not sure how accurate this is. I love a routine, and planning is how I live my life. But I will admit that my living space is not the most organized.

Achievement Striving: 89% — My "drive to be recognized as successful keeps me on track toward my lofty goals." I do have some kind of complex where I need to impress authority figures thanks to parents who expected perfection out of me!

Cautiousness: 97% — I really take my time while making decisions. Sorry to anyone who has ever asked me for advice on making a decision and hasn't wanted a full pros and cons list complete with a pie chart. 

4. Neuroticism: 90%

It's about to get real personal in here. As a high scorer for this area, I "respond emotionally to events that would not affect most people, and my reactions tend to be more intense than normal." 

Anxiety: 98% — According to this, I "often feel like something dangerous is about to happen." Which is accurate. Don't play with danger around me, or I will think you are about to die.

Anger: 83% — I "feel enraged when things do not go my way," but because of my higher level of agreeableness, I don't tend to "express annoyance and hostility" every time it happens. Is this why I curse at people in my mind so much?

Self-Consciousness: 99% — Well, I should have seen that one coming. I am the most easily embarrassed person, and I can confirm that I spend 99% of my life blushing because of said embarrassment.

5. Openness to Experience: 46%

Apparently, I "enjoy tradition but am willing to try new things. My thinking is neither simple nor complex. To others I appear to be a well-educated person but not an intellectual." This is interesting because I've always been told I come across as too intimidating because I'm perceived as pretty intelligent—so look here, I'm not intimidating! I'm not a real intellectual!

Imagination: 53% — I "use fantasy as a way of creating a richer, more interesting world." This is what makes writing so great. 

Artistic Interests: 80% — I "love beauty, both in art and in nature." Can confirm that I would rather be hiking or in a museum right now.

Liberalism: 59% — Apparently, I'm a good balance of challenging conventional authority and rules and conforming to tradition. I'm not just a tree-hugger—I'm a tree hugger who also likes the idea of getting married and having kids. 

Take the personality test and share your results in the comments below!