A complete guide to the MBTI, from what the four letters and the 16 types mean to exactly how your result is calculated and how to read every part of your results page.
The MBTI, short for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, describes personality as four preferences. Each one is a choice between two opposite ways of doing something everyone does, such as where you turn for energy or how you come to a decision. You use both sides of every pair, much as you use both hands, but one side tends to come more naturally, and that side gives you a letter. Four letters make your type, such as INFJ or ESTP, and four pairs of two make 16 types.
The MBTI describes how you like to take in information and make decisions, not how well you do either. It does not rank people. No type is healthier, cleverer or more capable than another, and each has its own gifts and its own blind spots.
Each letter answers one question about how you work.
The ideas behind the MBTI come from the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. In Psychological Types, published in 1921, he described two attitudes, extraversion and introversion, and four functions, thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition. Sensation and intuition are ways of taking things in, and thinking and feeling are ways of coming to a conclusion.
Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers set out to put Jung's ideas to everyday use. From the 1940s they built a questionnaire, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and added a fourth pair, judging and perceiving, which shows which function a person uses in the outer world. It was first published in 1962 by Educational Testing Service and is published today by The Myers-Briggs Company.
MBTI and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are registered trademarks of The Myers-Briggs Company. The official instrument is licensed and given by certified practitioners.
The GnosisWay test is a free test of the same four preference pairs, written with its own statements. It is not the official MBTI instrument, and GnosisWay is not affiliated with The Myers-Briggs Company. Its result is a starting point for reading about your type, and the next part of this guide explains exactly how it is reached.
This part describes exactly what the GnosisWay test does with your answers, from the statements you see to the letters and percentages on your results page. Nothing is weighed behind the scenes beyond what is written here.
The test draws on a pool of 100 statements, 25 for each of the four pairs. Each statement is written toward one side of its pair. A statement about enjoying large gatherings is written toward E, and one about needing time alone to recharge is written toward I. In every pair, 13 statements are written toward E, S, T or J and 12 toward I, N, F or P.
Each attempt draws 50 of the 100. Two pairs, chosen at random, get 13 statements and the other two get 12. In a pair of 12, six are written toward each side. In a pair of 13, seven are written toward one side, chosen at random, and six toward the other. So every pair is measured about equally, and agreeing with everything leaves each pair close to even rather than pushing you toward one side. The order is shuffled, and a retake draws a different set.
The statements come one at a time in five parts of ten, with a short pause after each part. Your answers are kept on your device as you give them, so you can close the page and carry on later on the same device. You can go back and change an answer, but you cannot skip one, so every pair is measured by all of its statements. It takes about seven minutes.
For each statement you choose how much it sounds like you. Answer as you usually are on an ordinary day, not as you would like to be or as work expects you to be. There are no right answers.
Under each statement are five circles, from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree, and the middle circle means you neither agree nor disagree. Each answer gives points to one side of the pair or to neither.
| Your answer | Points |
|---|---|
| Strongly Disagree | 2 to the other side |
| Disagree | 1 to the other side |
| The middle circle | None |
| Agree | 1 to the statement's side |
| Strongly Agree | 2 to the statement's side |
Disagreeing counts as much as agreeing. Strongly disagreeing with a statement written toward E gives 2 points to I, just as strongly agreeing with one written toward I does. Each side's points are then added up across all the statements of its pair.
A side's percentage is its points divided by the points of both sides in that pair, rounded so the two add up to 100. With no points on either side, which happens only when every answer in the pair is the middle circle, the pair shows 50 and 50.
Worked example
Your answers in the E and I pair give E 6 points and I 14 points.
The two sides have 20 points between them. I has 14 of the 20, which is 70 percent, and E has 6 of the 20, which is 30 percent.
Your letter for this pair is I. On the chart the I point sits at 70, well past the dashed ring at 50, and the E point sits at 30.
The percentage shows how clearly your answers leaned, not how much of a trait or a skill you have. 80 percent Thinking does not mean you think better than someone at 60 percent, or that you care less about people. It means your answers on that pair pointed one way more consistently.
Your letter for each pair is the side with more points, and the four letters, in the order E or I, S or N, T or F and J or P, make your type. When the two sides of a pair have exactly the same points, the letter goes to the second side of the pair, I, N, F or P, and the pair counts as balanced. A tie has to go one way, and this rule means the same answers always give the same type.
A pair counts as balanced whenever its two sides are within 10 percentage points of each other, 55 and 45 or closer. On the chart both of its letters stay grey instead of rose, and tapping either one says the pair is balanced. You still get a letter for it, the side with more points, but a balanced pair is the one most likely to change when you retake the test. Read the descriptions for both letters and notice which one sounds more like you.
Worked example
Had your answers given E 9 points and I 11, I would have 55 percent and E 45. The gap is 10 points, so the pair is balanced and both of its letters stay grey. Your letter is still I.
Had both sides scored 10, each would show 50 percent, right on the dashed ring. The letter would go to I, the second side of the pair, and the pair would be balanced.
The cognitive functions on your results are not measured with statements of their own. They follow from your four letters by the standard rule of type theory, which the Cognitive Functions section below explains, so everyone with the same four letters sees the same four functions in the same order. The places the chart shows beside S, N, T and F, such as Ni · dominant, come from the same rule.
The texts in your results, from strengths and challenges to relationships and career, are written for your four-letter type too. Two people of the same type read the same texts and differ in their chart, which shows how strongly each one's answers leaned on every pair.
Some sites add a fifth letter to the type, -A for Assertive or -T for Turbulent. That fifth scale comes from a different questionnaire, about confidence and stress. This test does not ask about it, so it does not print a letter it has not measured.
Nor does the test measure ability, intelligence or mental health. The statements ask what comes naturally to you, not what you can do, so the result says nothing about how well you do anything.
Each pair describes two healthy, useful ways of doing the same thing, and everyone uses both. Your letter names the one you reach for first when nothing pushes you either way, the way most people write with one hand without thinking about it.
This pair is about energy and attention, where your attention naturally flows and what restores you after a long day.
Introversion is not shyness, and extraversion is not confidence. Shy extraverts and outgoing introverts both exist. The difference is what drains you and what fills you back up.
This pair is about perceiving, the way you take in information. Intuition takes the letter N because I already stands for Introversion.
Neither side is cleverer or more creative. A Sensing type's creativity often shows in craft and in making things work, and an Intuitive type can be precise when the task demands it.
This pair is about judging, the way you come to conclusions and make decisions.
Feeling does not mean being emotional, and Thinking does not mean being cold. An F can reason clearly and a T can care deeply. The pair shows which consideration you tend to put first when the two pull apart.
This is the pair Briggs and Myers added to Jung's ideas. It is about how you meet the outer world, by coming to conclusions or by taking more in.
Judging does not mean judgemental, and Perceiving does not mean perceptive. A J can be relaxed and a P can be very organised when something matters. The pair describes what feels natural, not what you can manage.
Four pairs of two give 16 types. A common way to group them puts them in four families of four by two letters they share. The types in a family share a way of taking in information and a broad focus, though each type within it is its own.
The names are the ones your results use. Each card names the function the type leads with and lists its four functions in order, which the Cognitive Functions section explains. The summaries are sketches, and your results page describes your own type in full.
Intuition paired with Thinking. These types are drawn to ideas, systems and how things could work better, and they tend to prize competence, logic and independence.
Strategic and independent, INTJs see where a system is heading and quietly plan how to make it work better. They trust well-tested ideas over authority and hold themselves to high standards.
Curious analysts who want to know how things really work, INTPs enjoy taking ideas apart to find the principle underneath. They are often happiest with an open question and no deadline.
Decisive organisers who see what needs to happen and set about making it happen. ENTJs enjoy big goals and complex projects, and they bring structure and drive to the people around them.
Quick, inventive and fond of a challenge, ENTPs see many angles at once and like to test ideas by arguing them. They bring fresh options to a stuck problem, though starting often interests them more than finishing.
Intuition paired with Feeling. These types are drawn to meaning, to people and to what they could become, and they tend to prize authenticity, growth and connection.
Quietly perceptive, INFJs read people and patterns deeply and often feel drawn to help others grow. They pair a private inner vision with real warmth toward the people they let in.
Guided by a strong inner sense of what matters, INFPs look for meaning and honesty in their work and relationships. They are gentle and open-minded, and firm when a value is at stake.
Warm and encouraging, ENFJs notice what people need and bring them together around a shared purpose. They often end up leading because others trust them to care.
Enthusiastic and imaginative, ENFPs see possibilities in people and ideas and connect with others quickly. They are energised by causes and projects that feel meaningful, and restless with routine.
Sensing paired with Judging. These types are drawn to what is proven, dependable and well kept, and they tend to prize responsibility, order and looking after their own.
Steady and thorough, ISTJs keep their commitments and keep things running. They trust what has been proven, notice what needs doing and see it through.
Caring and attentive, ISFJs remember the details that matter to the people around them and look after them in practical ways. They value loyalty, routine and a calm, safe home.
Practical and decisive, ESTJs like clear plans, clear roles and work done properly. They take charge readily and are at their best building order that others can rely on.
Sociable and generous, ESFJs pay close attention to how everyone is doing and work to keep the group warm and together. They take their duties to others seriously.
Sensing paired with Perceiving. These types are drawn to the present moment, hands-on skill and the freedom to respond, and they tend to prize action, experience and adaptability.
Calm, practical problem solvers, ISTPs learn how things work by handling them. They stay cool in a crisis and would rather fix something than talk about it.
Gentle and observant, ISFPs live by their own values and express themselves more through what they do and make than through words. They notice beauty and feeling in the moment.
Energetic and direct, ESTPs read a situation fast and act while others are still talking. They enjoy risk, movement and solving problems on the spot.
Lively and warm, ESFPs bring energy to a room and love sharing experiences with others. They live in the present and help the people around them enjoy it too.
Behind the four letters sits Jung's original idea. There are four functions, two for taking in information, Sensing and Intuition, and two for making decisions, Thinking and Feeling. Each can be turned outward, toward people and things, or inward, toward thoughts and impressions. That gives eight functions, each written as its letter with a small e or i after it, so Ne is Extraverted Intuition.
Your two middle letters name your two main functions, one for taking in information, S or N, and one for deciding, T or F. The other two letters set which way each one faces and which of the two leads.
Worked example
For an INFJ the middle letters are N and F, so the two main functions are Intuition and Feeling.
The last letter is J, so the judging function, Feeling, faces outward as Fe, and Intuition faces inward as Ni.
The first letter is I, so the introverted function leads. Ni is dominant and Fe is the auxiliary.
The opposite of Fe is Ti, the tertiary, and the opposite of Ni is Se, the inferior. The full order is Ni, Fe, Ti and Se. An ESTP works out the same way to Se, Ti, Fe and Ni.
The order matters more than the letters suggest. INTJ and INTP differ only in their last letter, yet the INTJ leads with Ni and the INTP with Ti, and none of their four functions is the same.
Your results show the common four-function order, from the strongest down.
Your results list your four functions under Cognitive Functions, labelled Dominant, Auxiliary, Tertiary and Inferior, each with a line on what it does for your type. The radar chart marks the same places beside S, N, T and F, so an INFJ sees Ni · dominant beside N and Se · inferior beside S. Those labels are worked out from the four letters, not scored.
Under heavy or lasting stress the dominant function can tire, and the inferior function can take over in a crude, exaggerated form. This is often called being in the grip. A usually calm, far-sighted INTJ, whose inferior is Se, may overindulge in food, screens or shopping, or fix on small physical details. A usually warm ESFJ, whose inferior is Ti, may turn cold and nitpicking and argue about who is right.
The grip passes with rest, a change of pace and time away from the pressure, and noticing its first signs makes it easier to step back. Where one has been written for your type, the Growth tab of your results has a Grip Stress card with its triggers, warning signs and ways out.
Your results page shows one result in layers, from a radar chart of your eight letters down to notes on relationships, work and growth. Signed out, the Overview tab is open and the other three tabs are blurred until you sign in. Signed in, everything is open and the result is saved to your account, where it joins your other systems in your Atlas.
Your preferences are drawn as a radar chart, sometimes called a spider chart, with the eight letters round a circle and each one opposite its partner. N is at the top and S at the bottom, F on the right and T on the left. E is at the top right and I at the bottom left, and J is at the bottom right and P at the top left.
Values & Beliefs, Shadow Functions, Lifestyle & Daily Life and Life Stages appear here too where they have been written for your type, which is not yet every type. Shadow Functions shows each of your four functions when healthy, stressed, immature and overused.
Compatibility appears here too where it has been written for your type, with its best matches and its most challenging ones. Treat it as a picture of how two styles tend to meet, not a rule about who you can love.
Growth Path and Grip Stress appear here too where they have been written for your type. Growth Path gives practices and steps for growing, and Grip Stress describes your type in the grip, explained in the Cognitive Functions section.
The ⋯ button beside the heading Layered insights in order opens a menu with Guide, which brings you to this page, and Retake test, which starts the test again with a new set of 50 statements. If your MBTI is part of a paid Gnosis Synthesis, the page asks you to confirm first.
When you are signed in, your result is saved to your account the moment you finish the test, and it appears in your Atlas. Retaking replaces it. If your MBTI is part of a paid Gnosis Synthesis, the new result moves that synthesis to your archive, where it stays readable in My Purchases, and a new synthesis is needed to bring in your new type.
A results link shows a result to whoever opens it. Opening someone else's link shows you their result and does not change your own saved result.
Common questions about the MBTI and the GnosisWay test.
No. The official Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is published by The Myers-Briggs Company, which holds MBTI and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as registered trademarks, and it is licensed and given by certified practitioners. The GnosisWay test is a free test of the same four preference pairs with its own statements. Treat its result as a starting point for reading about your type.
About seven minutes. You answer 50 statements, one at a time, in five parts of ten with a short pause after each. You can go back to change an answer but you cannot skip one, and your answers are kept on your device, so you can close the page and carry on later.
Each statement is written toward one side of a pair. Agreeing gives that side 1 or 2 points, disagreeing gives the opposite side 1 or 2 points, and the middle circle gives none. Each side's points are added up, your letter for each pair is the side with more points, and a tie goes to I, N, F or P. Your percentages are each side's share of its pair's points.
Its two sides came out within 10 percentage points of each other, 55 and 45 or closer, so both of its letters stay grey on the radar chart instead of rose and tapping either one says the pair is balanced. You still get the letter with more points, but a balanced pair is the one most likely to change on a retake, so read the descriptions for both letters and see which fits you better.
Usually because one pair sat near the middle. Most people are not at one end of a pair, so a few answers given differently can move a close pair to the other letter. A retake also draws a different set of 50 statements from the 100, and mood and circumstance colour answers. If one letter keeps changing, read both types and keep the one that describes you better.
Some sites add -A for Assertive or -T for Turbulent. That fifth scale comes from a different questionnaire, about confidence and stress, and is not one of the four MBTI pairs. This test does not ask about it, so it does not print a letter it has not measured.
Not separately. They follow from your four letters by the standard rule of type theory. J or P tells which of your two middle-letter functions faces the outer world, and E or I tells whether your dominant function is the outward or the inward one. Everyone with the same four letters sees the same four functions in the same order, and labels on the radar chart such as Ni · dominant are those places, not scores.
Partly. In 1989 the researchers McCrae and Costa found that its four pairs line up loosely with four of the Big Five traits used in personality research, though it has no pair for the fifth, emotional stability. Scores on each pair spread out continuously and most people sit near the middle rather than in two clear groups, so people near the line can get a different letter on a retake. It works best as a shared language for differences in preference, not as a measure of ability.
When you are signed in, your result is saved to your account the moment you finish the test and appears in your Atlas. Retaking the test replaces it. If your MBTI is part of a paid Gnosis Synthesis, the new result moves that synthesis to your archive, where it stays readable in My Purchases, and a new synthesis is needed to bring in your new type.
Type theory holds that your underlying preferences stay fairly steady while you grow more at ease with both sides of each pair. Test results can still change, most often on a pair near the middle or after a time that pulls you away from your usual self. If your result changes, read both types and keep the one that fits your everyday self.
That 70 percent of the points in that pair went to Introversion and 30 percent to Extraversion, so on the radar chart the I point sits at 70, past the dashed ring at 50. It shows how clearly your answers leaned that way, not how much of a trait or a skill you have.
The MBTI describes how you prefer to take in information and make decisions. The Enneagram describes why you do what you do, the motivation and fear underneath. They answer different questions and sit well side by side, which is why your Atlas brings them together.
