There are many career and aptitude tests online. But what about creativity tests? Are any worth recommending to students, or worth taking yourself?
We recently took four online creativity tests, and here is what we found.
Brian Uzzi’s Online “How Creative Are You?” Test
This 40-question creativity test is one of the best online. Perhaps because Brian Uzzi, who created this test, teaches at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, the content is presented in an orderly and organized format. The results evaluate the test-taker’s centrality, criticality and other standard positional characteristics. In addition to teaching management and leadership, Mr. Uzzi has given a Ted Talk and written articles for the Harvard Business Review and Entrepreneur. His expertise makes this a quality creativity exercise.
Adobe’s “Creative Types” Online Test
The questions on this test are thought-provoking, including “Do you prefer to ask why or how?” and, “Are you a fortune cookie or a birthday cake?”
After the test-taker answers questions like those, he or she is placed into a “creative type” category. After one of our editors took the test, for example, he was told he had been placed in the “Dreamer” category. This test is a little light on explaining its methodologies, but its lively videos and graphics make it a fun experience for younger test-takers.
Aulive “Test My Creativity” Test
This test from a consulting company called Aulive mixes up simple questions (“Do you like to go along with the flow?” and “Are you a person who aims for stability?”) with more open-ended questions (“Write down all the uses you can think of for a brick”). The test-taker is then given a personal graphic representation of his or her creativity, in sectors that include abstraction, perspective, and boldness.
This is a fun test to take, and its results give the test-taker something to think about. As with the Adobe test we wrote about just above, we wish the developers explained the methods behind the test.
MindTools “How Creative Are You?” Test
This test provides 16 statements for the test-taker to agree or disagree with, on a scale of not at all . . . rarely . . . sometimes . . . often . . . very often.
One sample statement is “I look for things in my environment to inspire me to find new interpretations of problems.”
After responding to all 16 statements, the test-taker is placed into a category as a weak, medium or strong creative thinker. The test then offers a number of suggestions on improving creative thinking. We don’t know exactly who created this test – the authors are listed as simply “The MindTools Creative Team,” but it is well-conceived, and the scoring is nicely explained. Please note that in order to view the test results, the user has to enter contact information and create a free MindTools account.
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