Most university career advisors would probably say that there is no single best career test for college students. But there may be a career test for college students that is perfect for you, depending on your current circumstances and what you’re trying to discover about yourself.

With that in mind, here are our recommendations for the best career tests, based on what you’re trying to achieve. 

#1: “I want to know what really motivates me”

If you’re like most people, you probably find many career paths appealing. You can picture yourself being happy and having fun doing dozens of different things, many of which bear no resemblance to the others. This reveals you to be a well-rounded human being with lots of interests.

But when you finally do choose your career, you want it to be something that speaks to your primary motivation. You aren’t certain what exactly that is, but you know you’ll gain the most fulfillment taking on a job that gives you a sense of meaning and purpose.

Your Best Career Test: DISC Career and Personality Test

The DISC Career and Personality Test will identify and unveil a key aspect of your personality, one that is so vital that it can determine your career satisfaction and performance. The DISC assessment unearths your core motivation, and smartly contextualizes it within the scope of your possible career choices.

DISC is an acronym that stands for ‘Drive, Influence, Support and Clarity,’ and from your test results you will be categorized as exhibiting one of these four behavioral styles. With the increased self-awareness you attain through DISC, you’ll have a much better idea of the types of job responsibilities that will inspire and motivate your best efforts. Equally as important, you’ll gain a greater understanding of which career choices are likely to promote your highest level of job satisfaction, given where you fall on the DISC motivational measurement scale.

#2: “I haven’t started my career search yet, and I know I need to get going”

At this point in time, you may have only the vaguest idea of what you’d like to do, if even that. In college you may have chosen a "keep your options open" type of major that could be suitable for multiple career paths, or perhaps you aren’t even sure yet what your major will be.

For you, taking a career test would represent a true starting point on your road to career satisfaction. You know you have to start moving, and the ideal career test for you would be one that gives you some ideas to get the career exploration process started.

Your Best Career Test: Truity Career Personality Profiler

If you’re finally ready to launch your career search, the Truity Career Personality Profiler will get you off on the right foot. Featuring a well-rounded mixture of career-oriented questions and queries that focus on personality traits, this integrated career test offers a multi-level evaluation perfect for the beginning career explorer.

The Truity Career Personality Profiler does not attempt to measure your current skills or aptitudes. It is designed instead to generate career possibilities that coincide with your strongest interests and most dominant personality traits. Depending on your career choice, it is presumed you could acquire the relevant skills through education experiences, internships, apprenticeships, and/or self-study. The important thing is that after taking this comprehensive examination, you’ll be filled with good ideas about how you could make a living.

 #3: “I want to discover my true and authentic personality, so I can choose a career wisely”

As you contemplate your career options, you might be asking yourself a critically important question: what do I really want out of life?

You know that choosing a career is a monumental decision that will have a profound impact on your future, even in the parts of it that don’t directly relate to your work. Before you make such a life-altering decision, you want to increase your self-awareness so you can be certain you’re thinking soundly and acting in your own best interests.

Your Best Career Test: Typefinder

Truity’s Typefinder test is based on the Myers-Briggs personality system. It is not exclusively a career test, but rather a multitiered system of emotional and psychological evaluation that will reveal your most influential life-shaping traits. It measures your foundational inclinations and provides you with a four-letter personality rating that reflects your preferences across four domains: Extraversion vs. Introversion, Sensing vs. Intuition, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving.

Once generated, your Myers and Briggs personality profile will come with job and career suggestions. But it also offers an in-depth analysis that identifies your likes and dislikes, your strengths and vulnerabilities, your comfort and discomfort zones, your personal perspectives and interpersonal communication styles, and a whole lot more.  As a self-reflective individual, you could benefit tremendously from this knowledge.

#4: “I need to clarify my long-term goals”

Like many young people, you may be very focused on where you are and what you’re doing right now. While you may have thought about your career, you haven’t yet seriously considered where you’d like to be in five years, or 10 years, or when you’re nearing the end of your working life and approaching retirement.

Up to now, you haven’t done any real long-term planning, which is understandable. But when you choose a career it is necessary to find something you know you’ll be content with over the long haul, since you’ll presumably be doing it for the rest of your life. Therefore you need to start thinking more about the future, and the sooner the better.

Your Best Career Test: Enneagram Personality Test

The Enneagram Personality Test has clear relevance for career seekers who need to adopt a larger perspective. The Enneagram is a premier personality testing system that will help you uncover the truth about what really motivates you, and about the key personality traits that emerge from that most fundamental aspect of your character. Once you know your Enneagram type (there are nine possibilities) you will gain a much greater understanding of what excites you, inspires you, scares you, or moves you into action. The Enneagram system encourages you to think deeply about every facet of your life, as it relates to your present, past, and future.

Because of its profound and comprehensive nature, the Enneagram system encourages you to think about long-term goals. With knowledge of your Enneagram type you’ll be better prepared to take charge of your life, and as you move forward you’ll be thoroughly engaged in creating a future-oriented life plan centered around satisfying relationships and a meaningful and rewarding career. The Enneagram won’t identify your perfect job, but it will empower you to do that on your own.

#5: “I want to find a career that excites and inspires me”

You may be determined to make a living doing something you truly enjoy, and you may not be willing to compromise on that vision. You know that having a job you love is the same as not working at all, and from your perspective that type of job is the only one worth pursuing. But you aren’t a pie-in-the-sky dreamer. You’re a practical and pragmatic person searching for realistic possibilities that will allow you to indulge your passions and pay your bills at the same time.

Your Best Career Test: Holland Career Code Test

If identifying your dream job is your main reason for taking a career test for college students, you will undoubtedly be delighted by the comprehensive nature of the Holland Code Career Test. During the Holland Code test you’ll be asked to express your level of fascination with dozens of intriguing activities that are relevant to a long list of potential vocations. Your test results will identify your primary and secondary interests and recommend multiple careers that would allow you to satisfy these most essential needs. You’ll be categorized according to your preferences for Building, Thinking, Creating, Helping, Persuading, or Organizing, an inclusive listing that is certain to capture your authentic disposition.

The clear and focused approach of the Holland Code Test is like a breath of fresh air to the uncompromising and idealistic career seeker, since its final assessment will lead you directly to the jobs and career choices that will most closely align with your primary work preferences.

Career Tests for College Students: A Tool for Empowerment and Enlightenment

A career test for college students is a complementary research tool. While it can provide you with a lot of useful information, it won’t answer every question you might have about specific career options. You’ll need to rely on different resources to accomplish that.

Nevertheless, career tests can bring you added clarity, especially during the initial stages of your career exploration. Whether you take one or several, career tests will empower your search for the perfect job, by alerting you to the full range of amazing possibilities available for someone with your personality characteristics.

Nathan Falde
Nathan Falde has been working as a freelance writer for the past six years. His ghostwritten work and bylined articles have appeared in numerous online outlets, and in 2014-2015 he acted as co-creator for a series of eBooks on the personality types. An INFJ and a native of Wisconsin, Nathan currently lives in Bogota, Colombia with his wife Martha and their son Nicholas.