My MBTI changes on every platform I take it

The first time I took an MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) test was during course selection sophomore year, when the guidance counselors told all sophomores to sign up for Naviance and complete the included self-discovery tests.

Hundreds of questions later, I was so tired of clicking my mouse that I didn’t even bother to analyze any of my results — all I could think about was how glad I was that it was over. I would never have to rate my response to statements like “You take great care not to make people look bad, even when it is completely their fault” from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree” ever again (by the way, the right answer is the latter).

I was wrong. Recently, for the purpose of the fourth-period newspaper’s double page, our editors-in-chief forced all staff members to take the MBTI test, so I found myself facing yet another round of almost 100 silly questions.

During the test, I accidentally swiped right on my trackpad, so the 16Personalities site refreshed just as I was completing the last page of questions, meaning I had to answer every single question again.

The torturous questions on the AchieveWorks Personality® assessment had diagnosed me as an INFJ (introversion, intuition, feeling and judging) and seemed accurate enough — I landed in the middle of the spectrum for most categories, except for judging and perception, where I leaned heavily (accurately) toward judging. 

Yet, a little over a year later I was told by 16 Personalities that I was an ESTP (extroversion, sensing, thinking and perceiving) — the exact opposite of my original MBTI.

In order to write this story about my true personality, I needed to figure out which MBTI I was — ESTP or INFJ? I decided to take the Truity MBTI test, expecting I would receive confirmation that I was one of the earlier two options. 

Instead, I became an ESFJ. Doubting the accuracy of all three tests I’ve taken, I took the MBTI test on Human Metrics, and it changed again. This time I was an ISTP. Unexpectedly, the Personality Data test told me something completely different — I was actually an ESTJ. See where I’m going with this?

On many separate occasions, I’ve been told by different people that I was “definitely an extrovert” or “so introverted!!” I’m not really sure how I would classify myself, but I can say the level of outgoing I am definitely depends on my mood and the people or places I’m around. If I’m sleepy or annoyed, I probably won’t talk a lot, and if I’m in an unenjoyable class with people I dislike, I probably won’t speak at all. But, since three of five tests I’ve taken told me I’m an “E,” I guess I’ll go with it.

As for the sensing and intuition category, I honestly don’t really understand what either category means. My five senses are still working, though, so I guess that’s good.

The Myers & Briggs Foundation defines intuition as “paying the most attention to impressions or the meanings and patterns of the information I get.” Frankly, I’m not alert enough in general — as a result of averaging 5 hours of sleep per night — to be noticing meanings or patterns in life, so I’ll rule being an “N” out. 

I would also classify myself as a “T” in the thinking and feeling category, just because I like to think that I’m a logical person. I’m also generally straight to the point when talking to others — sugarcoating things isn’t high on my priority list, and I feel that it almost always makes communication significantly less effective.
Lastly, being the “J” in the judging and perception category is almost a given. As one of my friends described perfectly — I am the embodiment of the TikTok “side eye” audio. In my experience, MBTI tests are a complete waste of time and completely unable to actually gauge most aspects of someone’s personality. But of the five tests I’ve taken, Personality Data seems to be the most accurate. My advice: Take all MBTI diagnoses with a grain of salt. Personally, if I had the choice, I wouldn’t take them at all.