# Enneagram tests inaccurate?



## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

I'm fairly certain of my enneagram type (7w6), but one thing has always bothered me. Nearly every online enneagram test I've taken doesn't seem to give me accurate results. A friend of mine had her hands on the official test a while back and helped to confirm my type. 

But I just took a couple of online tests and both of them told me I'm a type 9. I've taken others before and gotten different results. Getting such different results sometimes makes me doubtful of my type, even though I think it's accurate.

Has anyone else had similar problems?


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

Yes, on-line tests have given me all kinds of results over the years. Some would claim I'm a 1,3, and 6 all rolled into one for a core type. Thus, I can have some skepticism since there is something to be said for some people seeing through the questions to know which types are at each end of most of the questions as generally the tests try to see which extremes do you take over and over again.


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## d e c a d e n t (Apr 21, 2013)

I don't put a lot of stock in them anymore. They can be a good starting point, but a lot of the questions deals with stereotypes and such ("are you emotional" >yes "You are a 4"), and aren't going deep into it. 

I admit I would like to try the official test, though. I just don't want to pay for it. :tongue:


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## Paradigm (Feb 16, 2010)

RHETI puts me at 5w6 (and 594). I assume it's because I'm an introvert, plus SOC-last 6s don't exist in RH's world.

Yeah, mantra around here is tests aren't accurate, don't rely on them


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## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

Thank you for the comments! Glad to hear I'm not the only one. I can certainly see through most online tests, but the MBTI ones seem consistent whereas the enneagram ones don't.


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## dfoster (Mar 8, 2010)

Any kind of online test is inaccurate. Test questions are finite points used to extrapolate an entire curve/line that has an infinite number of points. Esp. the multiple choice questions that have weighted scores, ie. "If you answer yes to any question in group A, give yourself 1 point, 2 point for any question in group B..." That's why the higher up you go in education, the more lengthy the tests are, the less "multiple choice" they are.

A written test where a scorer has to sit down and read what you write and determine if you grasp the subject sufficiently is like a very large number of points on a segment of the line that represents the real body of knowledge. It's way better than multiple choice but it's still not complete.

For self-discovery tests, it's even trickier because you can undoubtedly *study *for the test. Once it's in your subconscious mind, it's impossible to get that knowledge out. The more Enneagram tests you take, the more contaminated you are because you're not stupid, your subconscious mind *learns *what answers are *desirable* I'd say if you never knew about the Enneagram, never read any forum, and never had any desire/preference for what type you are, the first test probably has some meaning. Once you get on any forum, or read any book, that's it. Further tests are useless. 

For example "I like to have my own way" A) always, B) usually, C) often, D) seldom, E) never... You won't answer this question the same way after going through the forum a few times, you can't unlearn it.

The best way is to read and reflect. It's like asking your spouse: "Are you a loving person?", while you have a whole life time to learn about that person. The book is right in front of you.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

My enneagram scores are pretty consistent...5-4 range...but lately I've been scoring the highest on 4 and I know by now I'm not a 4. I have a 4 wing and fix, but no core 4


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## Dewymorning (Nov 24, 2012)

I see tests as a way of narrowing down potential types.

I tend to test as 1, 2, 5 or 9.


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## aphinion (Apr 30, 2013)

I would score pretty often as an 8, and sometimes as a 2 or 6. However, I'm very sure of my type and tri-type. A lot of online tests are pretty crappy, regardless of what they're testing.


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

Self report tests are useless. Yes.


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## heavydirtysoul (Jan 13, 2012)

I am not a huge fan of tests, but find Enneagram Test with Instinctual Variant results quite accurate.


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## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

reckless summer nights said:


> I am not a huge fan of tests, but find Enneagram Test with Instinctual Variant results quite accurate.


I took just took this test...it says I'm 9w1 SX.:dry: I don't think tests are always very accurate, but do want to know _why _I'm consistently testing as 9w1. Surely there's some correlation between how I'm answering and my results, and it's certainly not because preconceptions about what type I am.


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## heavydirtysoul (Jan 13, 2012)

MadHattress said:


> I took just took this test...it says I'm 9w1 SX.:dry: I don't think tests are always very accurate, but do want to know _why _I'm consistently testing as 9w1. Surely there's some correlation between how I'm answering and my results, and it's certainly not because preconceptions about what type I am.


Is there a reason you can't have a 9w1 fix? :wink:


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## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

dfoster said:


> Any kind of online test is inaccurate. Test questions are finite points used to extrapolate an entire curve/line that has an infinite number of points. Esp. the multiple choice questions that have weighted scores, ie. "If you answer yes to any question in group A, give yourself 1 point, 2 point for any question in group B..." That's why the higher up you go in education, the more lengthy the tests are, the less "multiple choice" they are.
> 
> A written test where a scorer has to sit down and read what you write and determine if you grasp the subject sufficiently is like a very large number of points on a segment of the line that represents the real body of knowledge. It's way better than multiple choice but it's still not complete.


I definitely agree they're not very accurate and I'd trust my own assessment over an online test. I can usually pick out what specific questions are getting at, and see that a lot of tests put too much emphasis on one area which can make the results flawed. But when I have someone unfamiliar with the MBTI take an online test, it usually matches up with my own assessment. But there are still a lot of factors that could affect the accuracy.



> For self-discovery tests, it's even trickier because you can undoubtedly *study *for the test. Once it's in your subconscious mind, it's impossible to get that knowledge out. The more Enneagram tests you take, the more contaminated you are because you're not stupid, your subconscious mind *learns *what answers are *desirable* I'd say if you never knew about the Enneagram, never read any forum, and never had any desire/preference for what type you are, the first test probably has some meaning. Once you get on any forum, or read any book, that's it. Further tests are useless.


And while that's definitely true, I took multiple enneagram tests _before _I was familiar with how it worked. I've been familar with the MBTI for years, but only took the enneagram seriously enough to study it in the past year or two. And if I'm testing as a 9w1 currently, it certainly doesn't come from my conception of what I _should _answer. The tests may be flawed but I still want to understand how they work.


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## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

reckless summer nights said:


> Is there a reason you can't have a 9w1 fix? :wink:


But I don't think I relate to 9w1 traits much at all, and I don't really see those characteristics as something desirable for me...well, I have some of them, but I wouldn't say they're dominant at all. Is my subconscious trying to corrupt me? :shocked:


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## DoubleDare (May 15, 2013)

The problem with tests, I find, is that they test for behaviors, not motivations. While the motivations of each type are distinct, the behaviors that result from those motivations can overlap a lot. For example, Sixes and Ones are both overly concerned with the question of "right and wrong", but *why* those types are concerned with that question, and what they are trying to achieve by answering that question, are very different. The fundamentals of the *why* is what tests have a hard time identifying.

That's why self-observation and reflection are so important to understanding one's type, and why test results are very limited in their abilities to illuminate the "truth" about personality types.


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## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

Anyone think it's possible for a type 7 to go to 9 under stress? I know 7's are supposed to go to type 5, but huh...


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## DoubleDare (May 15, 2013)

@MadHattress

Under stress, Seven's actually go to One. Seven's go to Five when feeling secure (or when resisting taking stressful actions, if I interpret Daniels and Palmer correctly). 

Since you have a Six wing, and Sixes go to Nine under stress, there could be a connection for you. If your Six wing is strong, you could feel a lot of the Nine influence when you are stressing out and feeling like you need to do something about it. I don't see why a 7w6 wouldn't distintegrate to at least the neighborhood of 1w9. 

That isn't an expert opinion by any means, but does seem to make some sense.


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## MadHattress (Mar 27, 2012)

DoubleDare said:


> @_MadHattress_
> 
> Under stress, Seven's actually go to One. Seven's go to Five when feeling secure (or when resisting taking stressful actions, if I interpret Daniels and Palmer correctly).
> 
> ...


Oh, right...thanks for the correction. I do remember that now, healthy 7's moving towards 5, under stress going to 1. And that does make sense for me, I do have more 1 tendencies when I'm stressed and have too much to do, if not the 9 comes out more I think. I also think my 6 wing is fairly strong, mostly in how I approach people and relationships, so that would also make sense. 

Thanks for the insight!


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## Paradigm (Feb 16, 2010)

Technically 6s go to 3 when stressed, but the primary types are confusing and can feel like they adopt traits of both lines.

@_MadHattress_, I would guess you're confusing 5 for 9ish traits, or you're mistyped, or you have a 9 fix. But I pass judgement on nothing.


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