Free RIASEC Career Interest Test

What is RIASEC?

RIASEC is the shorthand for Holland Codes, the career interest model John L. Holland proposed in 1959 and the one most widely used for career work worldwide.
The six letters stand for six work personalities: R Realistic, I Investigative, A Artistic, S Social, E Enterprising and C Conventional.
Most people are a blend of two or three.

What work suits each of the six types?

• R Realistic suits engineering, skilled trades, sport, farming and forestry
• I Investigative suits science, medicine, research and data analysis
• A Artistic suits design, writing, music and photography
• S Social suits teaching, social work, nursing and counselling
• E Enterprising suits sales, founding a business and law
• C Conventional suits accounting, administration, quality control and banking

Most people are a blend of two or three rather than a single type.

How accurate is it? Does the number of items matter?

RIASEC has been in use and under study for over sixty years, and accuracy tracks length: the 60-item Self-Directed Search is the most reliable, a 30-item version like this one sits around 80 percent, and a 10-item quick check around 60 percent.
This version runs 30 items in about six minutes to balance accuracy against the time it asks of you.
Treat the result as a reference for self-awareness. Real career exploration still comes from contact, internships and trying things.

What do I do with the result?

Start with the careers matching your first and second letters. Then check your current work against the first letter, since a mismatch there is where burnout tends to start. Use the second and third letters to explore side projects or interests. Finally, test the result against the three things you have felt proudest of.

RIASEC or a 16-type test?

They answer different questions, so both are worth doing. A 16-type test reads personality tendency, which is useful for understanding how you decide. RIASEC reads career interest, which is useful for choosing a direction. Cross the two and you have the full map. Both are free here.

My result does not match my job. Now what?

Usually one of three things. Interest and skill differ, meaning what you do now is a skill while the interest sits elsewhere, which points at a side project. Or your first letter matches but the second does not, meaning roughly sixty percent of the job works and the fix is to strengthen the first letter or reshape the role. Or nothing matches, in which case ongoing burnout is a real signal worth taking seriously.