Ever wonder what character strengths and skills you bring to the table? It’s typical for us to hone in on our weaknesses and what we think is “wrong” with us. But growing as an individual means figuring out and concentrating on your strengths so that you can reach your full potential.
Whether for your career or to grow, taking a test to discover your strengths will open your eyes to who you are. For the best StrengthsFinder tests you can take online, read on.
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What is a StrengthsFinder Test?
A StrengthsFinder test is a comprehensive assessment of your abilities and personality characteristics derived from how you think, feel, respond, and behave with others.
Generally, these tests take you through a sometimes lengthy list of questions or statements that are usually grouped in pairs. You will be asked to read each statement and decide which best describes you. Honesty is essential for accurate results.
Through years of research, StrengthFinder tests have created lists of strengths assigned into major categories. From your answers, the test will rank all the strengths in order and inform you of your top five.
The various available tests call individual strengths by different names or give them different definitions. Yet, the overall idea is the same: identifying the characteristics of people and helping them see who they are and what they’re best at.
The best tests also offer a detailed description of each strength to help you better understand what it means in a practical sense. Some tests include things you can do to enhance a particular strength or suggest ways your strength can benefit you at work and in your personal life.
How Much Does the StrengthsFinder Test Cost?
The price of online StrengthsFinder tests varies widely – from free to about $50. Free might sound like a deal, and it’s an excellent place to start. However, the free tests typically only return your top 3-5 strengths and may not offer much helpful information about each one. You’ll probably have to fork out some money to get more info.
Most online tests run about $50, including all the information you could ever want. Detailed explanations of each strength, tips on using your strengths wisely at home and work, and lists of famous people who share that strength help you dig into your assessment and get the most from it.
The 3 Best Online StrengthsFinder Tests
Finding an online StrengthsFinder test is as easy as a Google search. Most tests are based on similar strategies of using statements or questions to narrow your strengths to a few that strongly reflect who you are.
High5 Strengths Test
The free High5 Strengths Test takes about 20 minutes to complete and returns a list of your top 5 strengths. It involves responding to a list of about 100 statements describing a specific behavior. You answer by selecting how well that statement describes you on a scale of 0 to 100.
While the free top 5 results may help you understand yourself on a basic level, you won’t get complete detailed information. For that, you have a couple of options, and they require payment.
- Personal Report: For $ 29.99 as an individual and $49.99 as a team, this one-time report provides your top 5 strengths and actions you can take to develop them further. The report will also suggest career development opportunities and things you shouldn’t do.
- Full Platform Access: This subscription model ($8.00 per month for individuals and teams) gives you all the benefits of the personal report level plus lets you invite friends and colleagues to unlimited FIT reports for them.
Clifton Strengths
The Clifton Strengths test by Gallup is the granddaddy of all strengths tests. Formerly referred to as the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment, this test was formally launched in 1999 after 50 years of research into human behavior by the founder, Don Clifton. He wanted to know what was right with people instead of what was wrong.
Most often used by businesses, the test is helpful for anyone who wants to know their strengths, from students to individuals to teams and managers. Over 27 million people have benefited from the Clifton Strengths assessment.
Fueled by 177 paired statements, the Clifton test takes a few minutes to work through. Results are available in two tiers, which vary by price and level of detail.
- Top 5 Clifton Strengths: A basic introduction that gives your top 5 strengths and a partial glimpse of your overall profile. The cost is $19.99.
- Clifton Strengths 34: An in-depth look at your top 10 strengths and information about strengths 11-34. These 34 strengths are then sorted into four domains. The cost is $49.99.
Gallup offers many related products, including books, course curricula, coaching kits, and learning modules. Accessing the Clifton Strengths test is done through a code purchased online or included in one of the Gallup books.
VIA Character Strengths Survey
The VIA Character Strengths Survey is another online tool that returns primary results for free and more comprehensive results for an additional cost. The VIA survey is 96 scientifically validated questions that rank 24 strengths and take about 15 minutes to complete. It’s available in over 40 languages, and surveys are designed for youth and adults.
VIA offers results at six different levels that vary by price and amount of information.
- Top 5 Report: An in-depth look at your top 5 strengths. $19.00
- Mindfulness and Character Strengths Report: A mindfulness score and your top 5 strengths. $15.00
- Full 24 Report: Everything in the Top 5 report plus a look at your other 19 lesser characteristics. $49.00
- Team Report: The top 5 reports for each team member and an analysis of how all 24 strengths are represented in the group. $15/team member
- Youth Report: An in-depth look at your top 5 strengths. $10.00
- Total 24 + Start with Strengths Course: Personalized reports, video lectures, handouts, and strategies. $149.00
Final Thoughts
Awareness of your strengths puts you on the path to becoming a better you. A StrengthsFinder test may tell you what you already know, but seeing the results of your test can be a real eye opener. For $50 or less, you can discover your strengths and put them to work in your career and your home life.
