StrengthsFinder® vs Myers-Briggs (MBTI)
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If you’re considering taking a personality test and/or using a personality test as part of a team-building exercise, here is how StrengthsFinder® compares to the Myers-Briggs test.
StrengthsFinder® vs Myers-Briggs
The StrengthsFinder® test takes about 35-45 minutes to complete, the Myers-Briggs tests take around 30 minutes, and yet they yield vastly different results.
StrengthsFinder® (also known as the CliftonStrengths® assessment) identifies your top 5 strengths, out of 34 strengths themes. Each of the 34 strengths is easy to understand, and most people can relate to them and agree with their personal findings. This makes it easy to use StrengthsFinder® individually, and as part of team building efforts.
The Myers-Briggs, on the other hand, can be difficult to grasp. Most people who take the test can understand the difference between extroverted and introverted, and thinking and feeling. But when it comes to sensing and intuition, or judging and perceiving, the results can become blurry, which isn’t good. Trying to decipher and interpret the findings can be difficult enough to do on an individual basis, but throw in different Myers-Briggs combinations for team members, and many people soon become lost in the weeds.
Also, with the Myers-Briggs test, there’s often no clear development path, because people can feel like, “okay, now what,” after they’ve taken the test.
We have used StrengthsFinder® for more than 20 years – with individuals and teams – and it seems to resonate with people more than the Myers-Briggs.
Below is a brief overview of the Myers-Briggs Test.
What Is The Myers-Briggs Test (MBTI)
Myers-Briggs (also known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI) is a personality test that was first published in 1943. There are 93 forced choice questions (meaning that you choose between two options).
The Myers-Briggs is based on psychological types that were identified by Carl Jung in the 1920s. The test is named after the women who developed it – Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Meyers. The Myers-Briggs test categorizes people into one of 16 different personality types.
It’s estimated that over 50 million people have taken the Myers-Briggs test, and it’s particularly popular among large corporations and government agencies. The Myers-Briggs is also in widespread use across colleges and universities as a career services tool.
Personality Types For Myers-Briggs
The sixteen personality types in the Myers-Briggs are derived from four different categories:
Favorite World: Extroversion vs Introversion (E or I)
Information: Sensing vs Intuition (S or N)
Decisions: Thinking vs Feeling (T or F)
Structure: Judging vs Perceiving (J or P)
Based on these 4 different categories in the Myers-Briggs, there are sixteen distinct personality types:
- ISTJ (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging)
- ISFJ (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)
- INFJ (Introverted, Intuiting, Feeling, Judging)
- INTJ (Introverted, Intuiting, Thinking, Judging)
- ISTP (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving)
- ISFP (Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving)
- INFP (Introverted, Intuiting, Feeling, Perceiving)
- INTP (Introverted, Intuiting, Thinking, Perceiving)
- ESTP (Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving)
- ESFP (Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving)
- ENFP (Extroverted, Intuiting, Feeling, Perceiving)
- ENTP (Extroverted, Intuiting, Thinking, Perceiving)
- ESTJ (Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging)
- ESFJ (Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging)
- ENFJ (Extroverted, Intuiting, Feeling, Judging)
- ENTJ (Extroverted, Intuiting, Feeling, Judging)
For more information about our StrengthsFinder® services or to schedule your free 30-minute consultation, call Elizabeth Mahoney at (303) 729-0611, or email info@strengthscoachingandtraining.com.
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Click here to learn more about options for StrengthsFinder® training and using StrengthsFinder® for team building.