Career quiz

What the RIASEC model is

RIASEC is a way of sorting career interests into six types. It comes from John L. Holland, an American psychologist who first set out the idea in 1959. His main point was simple: people are happier and stay longer in jobs that fit what they like doing, and work settings can be sorted into the same six types as people.

The six letters stand for Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. Career centers often give them friendly nicknames: the Doer, the Thinker, the Creator, the Helper, the Persuader and the Organizer.

Holland's ideas are still used widely. The US Department of Labor's O*NET job database tags every job with RIASEC codes, and many school and university career services use the model as a first step.

The six types in brief

Realistic (R): hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors. Think electrician, chef or mechanic.

Investigative (I): figuring things out, research and problem solving. Think data analyst, pharmacist or lab scientist.

Artistic (A): making new things and expressing ideas. Think designer, writer or photographer.

Social (S): teaching, helping and caring for people. Think teacher, nurse or counselor.

Enterprising (E): leading, selling and starting things. Think sales manager, entrepreneur or recruiter.

Conventional (C): order, data and clear processes. Think accountant, paralegal or office manager.

Your top type, your second type and your two-letter code

Your result shows two types: your top one and the runner-up. Almost nobody is only one type, so the pair says more than either letter alone.

Put the two first letters together to get a two-letter code. Someone with Social on top and Artistic second is "SA". That points toward work where helping people and creativity meet, like art teaching or speech therapy. "IR" points toward engineering and technical research. "EC" points toward finance and operations.

Holland drew the six types around a hexagon in the order R, I, A, S, E, C. Types next to each other are more alike, so a code like "RI" or "SE" is common. Types across from each other (R and S, I and E, A and C) have the least in common. If your top two sit across the hexagon, you may like a job that mixes two worlds, or a job plus a side project.

Full Holland codes often use three letters. We show two to keep it simple. If your third bar is close to your second, read that type too.

How your result is worked out

There are 36 statements, six for each type, mixed together. Twelve are worded the other way round. Agreeing with "Selling things to people makes me uncomfortable" lowers your Enterprising score, so agreeing with everything won't push every bar to the top.

Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points (reversed ones count the other way). For each type we take the average of its six answers and show it as a score from 0 to 100. Your highest score is your top type and the next highest is your second. If two scores are exactly tied, we pick one based on your answer pattern, so the same answers always give the same result.

The scores show how much you agreed with that type's statements. They don't compare you with other people, so a 70 isn't "higher than 70% of people".

Is this the official Holland test?

No. Holland's own questionnaire, the Self-Directed Search, is a paid product sold by the publisher PAR. Our 36 statements were written for this site, inspired by the published model, and we aren't connected to PAR. Your result here won't match an SDS report exactly.

If you want a free option from a government source, the O*NET Interest Profiler from the US Department of Labor also uses the six RIASEC types and links each result to real job listings.

What this quiz can and can't tell you

It's a starting point, not career advice. It looks at interests only. It doesn't measure skills, values, pay needs, health, family situation or the local job market, and all of those matter when you pick a job.

The best next step is real-world testing. Pick two jobs from your lists, read what a normal day looks like, then talk to someone who does that work or try a short course. If you're making a big decision, a career adviser or school counselor can help you put it all together.