Know yourself

The 16 personality types

Four letters, each one a lean on a Big Five trait. Here is what each combination tends to look like, and what it does not decide for you.

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INTJ

Independent, future-focused and quietly determined

INTP

Curious, analytical and happiest following an idea

ENTJ

Driven, decisive and built to organise

ENTP

Quick, playful and always up for a new angle

INFJ

Insightful, caring and quietly principled

INFP

Imaginative, kind and guided by values

ENFJ

Warm, motivating and great at bringing people together

ENFP

Enthusiastic, imaginative and full of possibilities

ISTJ

Steady, practical and quietly reliable

ISFJ

Considerate, dependable and quietly attentive

ESTJ

Direct, organised and focused on getting it done

ESFJ

Sociable, caring and good at keeping things running

ISTP

Calm, hands-on and good in a crisis

ISFP

Gentle, easy-going and true to themselves

ESTP

Energetic, practical and up for anything

ESFP

Lively, warm and fun to be around

How the letters work

The test uses the 50-item IPIP Big-Five Factor Markers, public-domain questions developed by Lewis R. Goldberg and widely used in personality research. Your answers give a score from 0 to 100 on each of the Big Five traits. The four letters come from four of them, following the links between the Big Five and Jung's types reported by McCrae and Costa (1989).

E or I: Extraversion

E if you score 50 or more: energised by people and activity. I below 50: energised by time alone and quiet.

N or S: Imagination

N if you score 50 or more: drawn to ideas and possibilities. S below 50: drawn to the concrete and proven.

F or T: Agreeableness

F if you score 50 or more: lead with warmth and harmony. T below 50: lead with directness and logic.

J or P: Conscientiousness

J if you score 50 or more: like plans, order and closure. P below 50: like flexibility and keeping options open.

The fifth Big Five trait, emotional stability, is shown separately as steadiness: how calm and even you tend to feel under pressure. It is not part of the four letters.

Your letters compare you to the middle of each scale, not to other people, and a score near 50 is a lean rather than a verdict, so we show how clear each letter is. Personality is a set of tendencies that shift with context and over time, not a box. This is for self-reflection, not a clinical or hiring assessment.

This is not the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and GoBoyfriend is not affiliated with The Myers & Briggs Foundation. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and MBTI are trademarks of their owners.

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