Why did my personality test result change?
A PersonalityPro letter can change when a score sits near the 50 cutoff. Compare your scores and use the same test before deciding your personality changed.
A PersonalityPro letter can change when one of your scores sits close to the middle, because each letter is chosen by a cutoff. Before deciding your personality has changed, compare the scores behind the letters and check that both results came from the same test.
This applies to all 16 types and to the A or T suffix. INTJ is only the example tag on this article.
How PersonalityPro turns answers into letters
PersonalityPro scores five dimensions: Mind, Energy, Nature, Tactics and Identity. For each one, it averages your answers to that dimension's questions, converts the average to a percentage and rounds it to a whole number. A score of 50 or above selects one letter and 49 or below selects the other. Mind gives E or I, Energy gives N or S, Nature gives F or T, Tactics gives P or J, and Identity gives the A or T after the hyphen.
A mathematical illustration
Suppose your Tactics score is 49 on one attempt and 51 on the next. The first selects J and the second selects P, so the letter flips after a two-point move. This shows how the cutoff works. It is not measured data about PersonalityPro users.
Compare scores before concluding you changed
A letter on its own hides how close the result was. Your results page shows a percentage for each dimension. Put the two results side by side: a move from 49 to 51 is a small shift across the cutoff, while a move from 20 to 80 is a much larger difference in how you answered.
Only compare results from the same test. PersonalityPro is not the MBTI assessment and is not 16Personalities. Each uses its own questions and scoring, so a different letter on a different site does not show that your personality changed.
Suggestions before you retake
- Write down the five percentages from your current result so you have something to compare against.
- Pick a time when you can answer without distractions.
- Answer for how you usually act, not how you would like to act or how you felt this week.
- After retaking, check which dimensions moved and by how much before reading a new type description.
- If a letter changed but its score stayed near 50, consider reading both type descriptions and noting which parts fit.
- Treat any result as a prompt for reflection, not a fixed label.
How other tests describe their results
The Myers & Briggs Foundation describes an MBTI reported type as based on the answers a person gives on the day they take it. That describes the MBTI, not PersonalityPro. Source: Myers & Briggs Foundation
16Personalities describes its traits as spectra and its descriptions as tendencies rather than definitive answers. That is how it describes its own test, and it says nothing about PersonalityPro. Source: 16Personalities, Our Theory
16Personalities also suggests answering as you usually are rather than as you would like to be, and avoiding distractions while taking its test. Source: 16Personalities, How to take a personality test
Frequently asked questions
- Should I retake the test if my result changed?
- You can retake it whenever you like. First compare the five percentages from both results. If the changed letter came from a score near 50, a small difference in your answers can explain it.
- Why did only one letter change?
- Each letter is chosen separately. A dimension near the 50 cutoff can flip while dimensions further from it stay the same.
- Why do different sites give me different types?
- PersonalityPro, the MBTI assessment and 16Personalities each use their own questions and scoring. Compare results from the same test, not across sites.