There are many type and personality questionnaires in books and on the Web. Before choosing one to use, you may want to consider the many benefits of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® instrument, including its long history of use and its record of validity and reliability.

Any instrument you choose should not violate the copyright or intellectual property rights of other people’s work. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument is copyrighted and trademark protected.

Here is a checklist of items to look for when choosing a personality assessment instrument:

Is the instrument or test validated, refined, and researched for a substantial length of time?

The MBTI® personality inventory has been used for 50 years. It has gone through extensive validity and reliability studies. (For complete details about the validity and reliability studies of the MBTI instrument, see the MBTI Manual, third edition.

Does the instrument or test emphasize the thoughtful constructive use of personality type to understand and value differences?

MBTI theory regards all types as equal and seeks to better help people understand themselves and others.

Are results delivered via interaction with a Qualified Administrator who explains meaning of type, probes validity, explores best-fit type, and discusses implications for you personally?

Ethical use of the MBTI instrument requires that results be delivered with interactive feedback and that a person be able to choose his or her best-fit type regardless of the results of the instrument.

Is the personality assessment tool supported by many application books and other resources to help people use type in the real world?

The MBTI instrument is supported by a wide range of practical and scholarly writings that discuss the history and psychometrics of the instrument as well as the many applications for use in everyday life.

Is the instrument or test directly constructed on C. G. Jung’s theory, using accurate terms taken from his original research and writings?

Isabel Briggs Myers, and her mother Katharine Briggs, delved deeply into C. G. Jung’s work and his theories of psychological type as they developed the MBTI instrument.

Are results of the instrument or test seen as a hypothesis to be verified by the individual through discussion, reading, and reflection?

Although the MBTI instrument has been validated and found reliable, ethical use requires that an individual be allowed to verify and ultimately choose his or her own preferences.

Are those who take the instrument or test urged to see the results as one of many sources for decision making and understanding others?

Ethical use of the MBTI instrument encourages respondents to look at their results as one of many ways to gather information for decision making and understanding others.

Is the individual who takes the MBTI instrument the only person who can have access to personal type data?

Ethical use of the MBTI instrument requires that only the individual respondent (and the qualified administrator) have access to results. Employers, co-workers, spouses, relatives, or friends may only know results if the individual respondent wishes to share them.