Enneagram Test

What the Enneagram is, and is not

The Enneagram sorts people into nine types, each described by a core motivation rather than a set of behaviours. It has become popular in coaching, team-building and a great deal of internet writing.

It is worth being straight about its standing: the Enneagram is not a scientifically validated instrument. It emerged from twentieth-century spiritual teaching, principally through Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo in the 1960s and 70s, rather than from psychological research. Studies looking for evidence that Enneagram type predicts behaviour have not found much.

That is not the same as saying it is useless. What the Enneagram offers is a vocabulary — a set of descriptions detailed enough that people recognise themselves in one and find that useful. Treat it the way you would treat a well-observed character in a novel, not the way you would treat a blood test.

Motivation rather than behaviour

The distinguishing idea is that two people can do the same thing for completely different reasons. Two people work late: one because leaving work undone offends their sense of how things should be, the other because being seen to perform is how they know they matter. The Enneagram would call those different types doing the same action.

This is why the questions here ask about what drives you rather than what you do.

Why your result may not fit

• Most people score high on two or three types. That is normal and arguably more informative than a single answer.
• Self-report questionnaires measure self-image, which is not always the same as how you actually operate.
• Stress changes the answers. Take it on a bad week and you will get a different result.
• The descriptions are broad enough to feel true generally. This is a well-documented effect, and it is worth holding in mind when any personality description feels uncannily accurate.

How to use it

1. Answer as you are, not as you would like to be.
2. Go with your first reaction. Deliberating tends to produce the answer you think you should give.
3. Read the top three descriptions, not only the highest.
4. Keep whichever one is useful and ignore the rest. That is genuinely all this is for.

Common uses and tips

• As a vocabulary for self-reflection, which is what it is good at.
• As a conversation starter in a team, provided nobody treats the result as a fact about anyone.
• Not for hiring or selection. Using an unvalidated personality framework to make decisions about other people is unfair to them and indefensible if challenged.
• Not as an explanation for someone else's behaviour. Typing other people is where this stops being harmless.

Nothing you answer here is recorded or sent anywhere.

Questions people ask

Is the Enneagram scientifically valid?

No. It comes from twentieth-century spiritual teaching rather than psychological research, and studies have not found good evidence that it predicts behaviour. Treat it as a vocabulary for reflection, not a measurement.

Why did I score high on several types?

Most people do, and it is arguably more useful than a single answer. Read the top two or three and keep whichever fits.

Can my type change?

Practitioners say the core type stays fixed and how it expresses itself changes. Since there is no validated way to establish a type in the first place, this is not a question with an evidential answer.

Should this be used at work?

As a conversation starter, perhaps. For hiring, promotion or assessing anyone else, no — it is unvalidated and using it that way is unfair to the people being assessed.

Are my answers saved?

No. Everything is scored in your browser.