The Enneagram

Two statements at a time, 108 times. Both will often be partly true; pick the one that fits how you actually operate. There are no better or worse types, and the point is the reason behind what you do rather than the behaviour itself.

Two statements at a time. Pick whichever is more true of you more often, not who you'd like to be, and not who you are at your best or your worst. Both will often be a bit true; choose the one that fits the way you actually operate. Go with your first instinct.

108 statements, about 14–22 minutes. The questions are scored in your browser. At the end we ask where to send your results, and you can see exactly what you are agreeing to before anything is saved.

The nine types

Type 1: The Improver, wants to be good, and to get things right
Type 2: The Supporter, wants to be genuinely needed and loved
Type 3: The Achiever, wants to be worth something, and to be seen to be
Type 4: The Seeker, wants to be wholly themselves, and understood as such
Type 5: The Observer, wants to understand, and to have enough left in reserve
Type 6: The Guardian, wants to be secure, and to have people they can count on
Type 7: The Explorer, wants to be satisfied, and free to pursue what is next
Type 8: The Protector, wants to stand on their own, and to shield their people
Type 9: The Harmoniser, wants to be at peace, inside and with everyone else

Where these questions come from

We wrote them. Every statement is original, written by our own counselors, and none of it is taken from any published Enneagram instrument. The best-known one, the RHETI, is copyrighted, and copies of it circulate online in ways its owners never agreed to.

The questions are forced-choice rather than a rating scale for a reason. Every type describes something recognisably human, so if you ask people to rate all nine, most agree with most of them and the result mostly measures how generous someone is feeling about themselves. Making you choose is what separates the types.

Each of the 36 possible pairs of types appears three times, so no type has more chances to score than another.

What this is, and what it is not

The Enneagram is a framework for reflection. It is not a validated psychological test, and this questionnaire has not been through the research validation that the Big Five has. We would rather you knew that than assumed otherwise.

It does not diagnose anything, it is not a substitute for talking to a professional, and a type describes a pattern rather than a limit on who you can be. If something in your result is worth talking through, that is what we are here for.

What happens to your answers

The questions are scored in your browser. At the end we ask for your name and email address so we can send you the results, and we keep a copy along with your answers. You are shown exactly what you are agreeing to before that happens. We only email you about counseling services if you tick the separate box asking for it. See our privacy policy.