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Top Career Assessments to Guide Your Professional Journey

Top Career Assessments to Guide Your Professional Journey

Choosing the perfect career does not have to be an overwhelming process if you use tools like career assessments.  Depending on the assessment, it can help identify your strengths, skills, and preferences to guide you to a list of suitable job matches.

I am going to save you time and money by sharing with you my experience with seven of the top search results for career assessments: CareerFitter, Truity, 123test, JobTest, Career Explorer, Princeton Review, and Career Hunter. Whether you're seeking direction or looking to discover untapped potential, these assessments can offer valuable insights for your career path.

Reviews of the Best Career Assessments

Career assessments, also known as career tests, should be a crucial part of your career planning. You may consider taking more than one assessment to narrow down your career path.  There are many different types of career tests to uncover personality, aptitude, skills, desires... etc.

I have saved you time and money by experiencing each of the assessments myself and detailing the results.  I even included how long each one takes to complete, whether they offer free and paid versions, which ones will help you, the cost, and the pros and cons for each.

1. CareerFitter

• Purpose: Identify your work personality strengths and align you with your best-matching careers
• Test Length & Format: 60 multiple-choice questions (2-4 answer choices)
• University Approved: YES
• Duration: 20-30 minutes
• Cost: Free summary report | $19.95 for the detailed report
• Charge Type: One-time. NO subscriptions.
• Guarantee: money-back guarantee within one day
• Results:
  • List of your careers | Primary & Secondary Careers
  • Personality Strengths Report
    • 10 Sections: Strengths, weaknesses, management style, etc.
  • career research
  • career guidance information
  • career videos
  • branding tools called C.S.R.
  • integrated live job search
• Support: Good | email, phone, or text

CareerFitter Overview

CareerFitter has been online for over 25 years.  Arguably, they are the most experienced in online career assessment.

If you are looking for a reliable, in-depth career test, CareerFitter is a sure investment of your time. They have been an online leader in the career placement industry since 1998.

This career assessment is a relatively smooth experience. It starts with their free career test, and you immediately see the questions.  There is no signup and no form to complete to begin.

It consists of 60 questions about you with either 2 or 4 answer options. There is no wrong answer, and it took me about 18 minutes to complete. It’s user-friendly as it automatically advanced me to the next question and offered help details if I wasn't sure what the question was asking me. The dynamic interaction of the test kept me interested because as I completed each question, I could see how my answer affected one of the eight pie charts summarizing my results.

When it calculated my results, I immediately saw my results. It starts with a summary page about my work personality strengths, how I worked in a team, my strengths as a leader, etc.

It then gave me some salary examples of jobs that fit me and the number of work-from-home careers that fit me. My detailed career list, which included careers for any level of education, my full report on my strengths, and more career tools were behind a one-time purchase of $19.95 with a satisfaction guarantee, customer service email, and phone number was provided above a short and easy to complete purchase form.

I used Venmo to pay the one-time $19.95, and I was immediately taken to my Premium Dashboard with my results and more career tools.  It's more than a report about my personality strengths and a list of the best jobs.  They have extensive career tool integration with career research, videos, and an integrated job search.  Another one of my favorite features is how they generated a FIT score for over 1000 careers!  The FIT score was enough to satisfy my curiosity about why I shouldn't be an attorney and why I should work in finance.

The full report about my work personality was extensive, with 10 sections on things like management style, business points, strengths, potential weaknesses, and more.  Their career research is a lot of data, but there is a filter tool that shows my best matching careers and allows me to add my preferences like salary, education, work from home, fast-growing careers, etc.

Note - I really liked that there were no monthly recurring charges to remember and cancel.

They claim that around the world, their assessment is constantly being taken, 24/7, which is unsurprising considering that it is well respected and utilized by both universities and companies.  I have seen CareerFitter mentioned on several university websites.

They also claim they have never sold or remarketed to users.  It's noteworthy that this was the only career assessment website that didn't incorporate ad banners. 

 

Results

Personality Strengths Report: Customized about me in 10 information sections with graphs in an easy-to-read bulletpoint format.

Best Careers List: Includes a detailed list of careers matching personality strengths with the ability to filter for fast-growing jobs, my desired salary, and education.

Branding Tools: My personality is presented as a colorful "fingerprint" of strengths, which I can share on LinkedIn and other platforms. I could generate a Career Strengths Report, CSR,  to put on my LinkedIn profile.

Here is an example of my CSR.

In-Depth Career Details: Includes matching strengths, job outlook, job duties/responsibilities, education requirements, salary, and day-in-the-life career videos.

Live Job Search Tool: This really made them stand out.  Every career has a “hiring near me” button to find and apply for that career online (US and Canada).

 

2. Truity

• Purpose: Evaluate both your personality and interests so that you can choose a career that suits your natural talents as well as your real-world experiences
• Test Length & Format: 94 questions multiple choice (“strongly dislike,” “dislike,” “like,” “strongly like”)
• University Approved: Unknown
• Duration: 30 - 45 minutes
• Cost: Free basic report; $29 for the detailed report
• Charge Type: One-time purchase
• Guarantee: 60-day money-back guarantee
• Results: 
  • Best careers list
  • personality type
  • workplace behavior
  • tips on growth
  • strengths and weaknesses
• Support: Moderate | email only

Truity Overview

Truity's free 94-question career personality profiler test is based on the Big Five personality research and the Holland Code, but I couldn't find if it is verified. One of Truity's biggest pros is that the Career Personality Profiler portion of the test helps match individuals with jobs, industries, and even college majors that fit their personality traits. Another benefit of the Truity test is its user-friendly, free account setup and personality chart.

Results

I received basic results that indicate how I solve problems, what drives my motivations, and how I work with others. I also received the best careers list similar to CareerFitter, as well as some shareable reports, but it lacks the extensive career research, videos, and live job search tool that CareerFitter has.  I want to find real jobs and a way to share my strengths on social media, such as LinkedIn, for recruiters and others to see.

One notable aspect of the results is that the free version results are not as good as those of the paid version since buying a premium version unlocks a detailed analysis and more advanced features for about $29.

Reviews from users reported that Truity's free version is too limited compared to other websites that offer high-quality free tests. The premium version is also a little more expensive. Another negative is that after two weeks, your results are deleted, forcing me to take another test if it's not saved.

 

3. Princeton Review

• Purpose: Identify careers that align with your interests, skills, and personality traits.
• Test Length & Format: 24 questions (2 answer choices)
• University Approved: Unknown
• Duration: Less than 5 minutes
• Cost: Free
• Charge Type: No purchase required
• Guarantee: None
• Results: 
  • A career list with education requirements
  • day-in-the-life snapshots, and job outlook.
• Support: Phone (I didn't call)

Princeton Review Overview

Princeton Review claims to have been established in 1981, and its career services are part of its broader educational support. Their assessment is more of a career quiz that presents in a format that presents two choices in a "Would you rather…?" style. Designed for quick completion, the quiz typically takes less than 5 minutes.

Results

They provide a careers list, suggesting career options based on my answers. 

The results offer an overview of career matches, including a day-in-the-life snapshot, education requirements, and job outlook. Despite its ease of use, I found the insights somewhat generic.

I found myself agreeing with the scholarship institute, "... it's easy enough for practically anyone in high school or above to take, but the results and insights are underwhelming."

 

4. Career Explorer

• Purpose: Help individuals discover career paths that best align with their personality, skills, interests, and values
• Test Length & Format: 60 questions; 5 answer choices (“hate it,” “dislike it,” “Neutral,” “like it”, “love it”)
• University Approved: NO
• Duration: 20-30 minutes
• Cost: Free with paid sponsors, Email marketing of 3rd party products
• Charge Type: Subscription Sponsors, Email marketing
• Guarantee: None
• Results: Online Summary
• Support: Email only

Career Explorer Overview

Created in 2012, Career Explorer was built by an online entrepreneur, and the website offers a free career assessment designed to match users with personalized career options.

Results

After taking a test, you can expect to receive a list of careers. However, some of them didn't seem to fit me at all. However, the look and design of the website are very impressive.  The dynamic images within the results give the feeling of intelligent design and research backing. However, we can find no additional information regarding the validity of the assessment or results.

Career Explorer claims to incorporate machine learning (use of algorithms). The test uses your answers to gather a large selection of careers to help you find suitable careers and gain access to a job position that offers a positive work environment. This test also updates answers in real time. So, whenever you add new information to the test, Career Explorer automatically updates your career recommendations. It does not include a live job search tool, and it does not allow a user to brand career strengths. It does allow you to share your results.

The results profiled my personality and included career details, job duties, compatibility with my profile, salary expectations, steps to enter the field, job satisfaction, personality type match, demographics, and work environment. Despite the absence of branding tools and the lack of university approval, the service offers a comprehensive overview, making it a tool to consider as a resource for career exploration.  

It is important to note, however, that if you believe you get what you pay for, then this free test shouldn't be the thing that is your deciding factor for a career.  Also, "Free" makes me hesitant to give them my email, knowing most "Free" sites actually make me pay by selling my information and spamming my inbox with offers of other things.

 

5. Career Hunter

• Purpose: To help you discover your areas of interest based on the work activities that you find most compelling and entertaining.
• Test Length & Format: 27 questions; 5 answer choices, ranked in order of preference
• University Approved: Unknown
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Cost: $15.99 for individual test access; $79.99 for full access, including six additional assessments
• Charge Type: One-time charge 
• Guarantee: money-back guarantee within one day of purchase
• Results: 
  • best matching careers
  • live job search tool
  • job market data
  • career profiles
• Support: email only

CareerHunter Overview

Career Hunter, established in 2017, offers a choice between purchasing individual test access for $15.99 or a comprehensive package for $79.99, which includes access to six additional assessments. The test involves 27 questions with five answer choices ranked by preference and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Premium Results

Career Hunter provided my "best careers list" for the full $79.99 package. This list is personalized based on your responses and offers insights into careers that best match your profile. The platform also includes a live job search tool, allowing you to explore job postings related to your career matches directly within the platform.

Reports from Career Hunter can only be downloaded and are not shareable. Although it lacks branding tools, the service claims to be backed by scientifically validated assessments developed by psychologists and psychometricians (?). In-depth career details are provided, including comprehensive career profiles and job market data.

 

6. 123test

• Purpose: Identify your job personality and match you with compatible work environments, occupations, skills, and nearby job opportunities.
• Test Length & Format: 60 multiple-choice questions (2-4 answer choices)
• University Approved: Unknown
• Duration: 20-30 minutes
• Cost: Free
• Charge Type: NA
• Guarantee: None mentioned
• Results: 
  • Best careers list
  • required skills
  • live job search tool
  • personality type and potential IQ
• Support: Email only

123test Overview

Established in 2003, 123test offers a free career assessment with no subscription required. The test features a quad format with four answer choices per question and typically takes around 15 minutes to complete. It is a more rudimentary test than many other options and lacks the depth you’ll likely want to get specific career recommendations.

Interestingly, the 123test company also offers more than one free career-related test. Each test is based on cognitive science and focuses on crafting tests that offer the best results in career assessment solely based on individual personality types and IQ.

Premium Results

123test provides the best careers list based on your responses, offering career recommendations that align with your interests and personality. However, it should be noted that, unlike some of the other tests, the 123 test wasn't as accurate or as extensive in its insights and suggested career paths. There is also no premium version with more information.

The results of your test can be easily shared on social media, but they do not have career branding tools.

Similar to Truity, the assessment is based on the Holland Code. The results include some career details, but they are relatively brief, covering only a basic overview of the job and required skills.

 

7. JobTest

• Purpose: To identify your strengths, interests, and values, aligning them with potential career paths
• Test Length & Format: 50 questions; four answer choices
• University Approved: Unknown
• Duration: Approximately 20 minutes
• Cost: $29.90 to $499.90
• Charge Type: One-time purchase
• Guarantee: 60-day money-back guarantee
• Results: Online
• Support: Email only

JobTest Overview

Established in 2023, this new career assessment tool offers a variety of subscription options. Users can choose from a free plan with limited features, a basic plan for a modest fee, or more advanced options, including comprehensive insights, coaching, and professional resume assistance. The test includes 50 questions with a quad (four answer choices) format and typically takes around 20 minutes to complete.

Results

Job tests' biggest focus and advantage is providing recommendations for specific jobs and industries. The summarized results after the test are free and provide career guidance specifically to a focused industry based on the individual's skill set.

You will spend $29.90 for limited market insights and 5 career recommendations, $39.90 for career insights and market insights, $159.90 – Includes a session with a Career Coach, and $499.90 – Includes resume and cover letter help.

The tool provides their best career list with detailed career recommendations available only with the Comprehensive Plan or higher, along with a live job search tool that includes job alerts from employers in your area.

One downside is that reports from this assessment cannot be saved or shared, and users have a limited time to access their results before needing to pay for continued access. Another is that it lacks any branding tools for shareability.

The tool employs AI and real-time job data for a research-based approach, offering career details that include required work experience, salary details, and reasons why you would excel in specific careers.