How the test works

What it measures

The test measures interests, using the six types John Holland described in his theory of vocational choice: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. The 36 statements were written for this site. Each describes a moment of work, and six belong to each type. This test has not been through a formal validity study.

How your scores are worked out

1. Each answer counts from 1 (Not at all) to 5 (Very much).
2. The six answers for a type are added, giving 6 to 30.
3. That total is rescaled to 0 to 100: (total − 6) ÷ 24 × 100, rounded.
4. Your three highest types form your code. If two types tie, they stay in R, I, A, S, E, C order.

How careers are matched

O*NET gives each occupation a rating on the same six types. We compare the shape of your six scores with the shape of each occupation’s six ratings, using a Pearson correlation. A high value means the two profiles rise and fall together, so a person who is generally enthusiastic and a person who is generally cautious can match the same career if their pattern is the same.

That number is used only to put careers in order. We do not show it as a percentage, because it is not a measure of how likely you are to enjoy or succeed in a job.

If you choose a learning time, careers needing more preparation than that are left out. Up to a year keeps job zone 2 and below, one to two years keeps zone 3 and below, about four years keeps zone 4 and below, and more than four years keeps everything. The data has no occupations in job zone 1.

The compass

The six types sit around a circle in the order R, I, A, S, E, C, because neighbors tend to have more in common than opposites. The needle shows the combined direction of your scores. It is a picture of your profile and adds nothing to the matching.

What it cannot tell you

• It does not measure ability, personality or intelligence.
• It reflects how you see things today, and interests can change.
• O*NET describes work in the United States. Tasks and entry rules can differ elsewhere.
• It has no information about pay, job openings or your local market.
• It is not psychological testing, and it is not professional advice about a personal decision.

About the career pages

Each career page uses O*NET fields: description, tasks, skills, interest ratings, job zone, reported education and alternate titles. The notes on who a career may suit are rules applied to those same fields, so they are general patterns and say nothing about you personally.

The education line shows the level O*NET survey respondents reported most often. It can differ from a licensing requirement. Registered nursing is one example, where the most-reported level is not the same as what a state may require for a license.

Data source

We use the O*NET 31.0 Database and publish 907 of its 1016 occupations: those with interest ratings, a job zone and enough task data to describe. O*NET is developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Guidance.help is independent of it, and neither the agency nor O*NET endorses this site.