Keirsey Character Sorter

Part I

I found these "rank by preference" questions much easier to answer than the either/or questions in the second part and in the Temperament Sorter. The ordering of my preferences says as much about me as anything I could add, so I haven't added anything.

In facing the future I guess that
     1 2 3 4 it's best to have one's doubts
     1 2 3 4 my motto is "be prepared"
     1 2 3 4 it's best to stick to one's beliefs
     1 2 3 4 something good will turn up

I'm sometimes eager to
     1 2 3 4 make an impression and have impact
     1 2 3 4 have romantic dreams
     1 2 3 4 belong and be a worthy member
     1 2 3 4 achieve a scientific breakthrough

Coming right down to it I tend to be
     1 2 3 4 efficient and pragmatic
     1 2 3 4 dutiful and diligent
     1 2 3 4 compassionate and empathic
     1 2 3 4 practical and opportunistic

I'm in a life-long search for more
     1 2 3 4 thrills and adventures
     1 2 3 4 self-understanding
     1 2 3 4 safety and security
     1 2 3 4 efficient methods of operation

I'd do best in a job working with
     1 2 3 4 systems and structures
     1 2 3 4 materiel and services
     1 2 3 4 human resources development
     1 2 3 4 tools and equipment

I feel best about myself when
     1 2 3 4 I'm graceful in action
     1 2 3 4 I feel empathy for someone
     1 2 3 4 I'm rock-solid dependable
     1 2 3 4 I exercise my ingenuity

I'm more inclined to trust
     1 2 3 4 pure reason and formal logic
     1 2 3 4 customs and traditions
     1 2 3 4 intuitions and intimations
     1 2 3 4 impulses and whim

As a guide to action I look primarily at
     1 2 3 4 immediate advantages
     1 2 3 4 future possibilities
     1 2 3 4 past experience
     1 2 3 4 the necessary and sufficient conditions

I appreciate it when others
     1 2 3 4 ask me what I think
     1 2 3 4 express their gratitude
     1 2 3 4 recognize my true self
     1 2 3 4 surprise me with generosity

I'd rather study
     1 2 3 4 arts and crafts
     1 2 3 4 literature and humanities
     1 2 3 4 business and finance
     1 2 3 4 science and engineering

If it were possible I'd like to become
     1 2 3 4 a technological genius
     1 2 3 4 a chief executive
     1 2 3 4 a wise prophet
     1 2 3 4 an artistic virtuoso

I respect myself more for
     1 2 3 4 being bold and adventurous
     1 2 3 4 having good intentions
     1 2 3 4 doing good deeds
     1 2 3 4 being autonomous and independent

I keep coming back to
     1 2 3 4 figuring out how things work
     1 2 3 4 shoulds and shouldn'ts
     1 2 3 4 helping others accept themselves
     1 2 3 4 perfecting my craft

I often like to be
     1 2 3 4 excited and stimulated
     1 2 3 4 enthusiastic and inspired
     1 2 3 4 cautious and prudent
     1 2 3 4 calm, cool, and collected

I'm most self-confident when I'm
     1 2 3 4 strong-willed and resolute
     1 2 3 4 honorable and respectable
     1 2 3 4 genuine and authentic
     1 2 3 4 adaptable and flexible

Thinking about misfortune
     1 2 3 4 I laugh it off
     1 2 3 4 I wonder why
     1 2 3 4 I make the best of it
     1 2 3 4 I view it from a wide perspective

Part II

Keep in mind that you may get a different set of questions for this part than I did. Since some of these questions were hard for me to answer, I've included comments.

Is it your way to
      pick and choose at some length
      make up your mind quickly

I couldn't choose a clear answer for this one. In cases where my decision will have lasting ramifications---especially when I know I don't have a lot of information on which to base my decision---I tend to be very cautious. On the other hand, if it's an unimportant matter, or if I feel like I deeply understand the issues involved, I can make up my mind quite quickly.

Are you more comfortable
      before a decision
      after a decision

Are you more satisfied having
      work in progress
      a finished product

Do you feel better about
      having the option to buy
      having purchased

I see these as very similar questions, so I came down on the side of "having purchased". It's not the material possession that I like, it's not having to think about it any more. (I really would have liked to choose against "figuring out what to buy", because that's the part of shopping that I have the hardest time with.)

At the market, are you likely to
      waste no time
      chat with strangers

Once I've decided what to get, I'm very much a "get-in, shop, and get-out" kind of person.

Is clutter in the workplace something you
      tolerate pretty well
      take time to straighten up

When picking things up around the house
      do you just get them out of the way
      do you put them where they belong

I can tolerate a mess pretty well, but if I'm going to the trouble of cleaning up, I might as well do it right. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother cleaning up in the first place.

When the phone rings do you
      hope someone else will answer
      hurry to get to it first

At a party, do you
      wait to be approached
      strike up conversations

Do you think of yourself as
      a private person
      an outgoing person

Does interacting with strangers
      tax your reserves
      energize you

Do you prefer spending an evening with
      a few friends you can really talk with
      many friends, visiting with each briefly

I'm a more-or-less shy guy---despite putting the results of these personality tests on the web for all to see---so these were easy questions to answer.

At work are you inclined to
      keep more to yourself
      be sociable with your colleagues

My colleagues are people I would tend to be friends with anyway, so I don't go out of my way to keep to myself.

Do you tend to
      keep your ears open
      blurt out what's on your mind

Do you consider yourself
      "a good listener"
      blessed with a "gift of gab"

Are you the kind of person who
      doesn't miss much
      is rather talkative

I don't ever "blurt"---except for wisecracks, which don't count---so I tend to keep me ears open. But I don't think I'd go so far as to say that I don't miss much. I listen, but I can't guarantee that I hear.

Are you prone to
      exploring the possibilities
      nailing things down

Do you prefer contracts to be
      settled on a handshake
      signed, sealed, and delivered

Do you prefer to work
      as long as it takes
      to deadlines

When finishing a job, do you like to
      move on to something else
      tie up all the loose ends

On the off-chance that you've changed some of the answers, thinking that you might be able to take the test yourself, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Instead, please take the test at the Keirsey site. Although you may agree with my personal opinions on a particular question, you'll probably get more accurate results if you start from a clean sheet, so to speak. Also, the second part of the test is generated from the results of the first part, so you can't answer all of the questions at once, like I've listed them here.

If you did change some of the answers, and want to reset them, go right ahead: