Self-discovery

Temperament Test

Sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic or melancholic? The oldest personality typology describes the pace you live at, how you react under pressure and why one situation charges you up while another drains you. Find out which one comes out on top in you and what is mixed in with it.

4 minutes 24 questions 4 temperaments, 16 profiles
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4.7 / 5 (163 ratings)

What you'll learn from the test

The test names your leading temperament and the streak that turns it into a specific profile.

Your leading temperament

You get a score for all four temperaments and find out which one leads and by how much.

Your profile out of 16 combinations

A pure type is rare. Based on your second-strongest temperament the test places you in one of 16 profiles - "sanguine with a choleric streak", for instance.

How to get along with others

For each of the four temperaments you get a guide: how to talk to them, what reliably sets them off and what to look out for instead.

How the test works

1

24 questions

For each statement you say on a 1-5 scale how well it describes you. Do not think about it for long, the first answer is usually the most accurate.

2

Instant results

We work out the scores of all four temperaments from your answers straight away and name the leading one plus any streak.

3

Detailed profile

The extended version gives you the full profile of your type, a description of your combination and advice on getting along with the other temperaments.

4 temperaments

Each one has a different pace, a different response to pressure and a different idea of a day well spent. Everyone has all four inside them; what matters is the ratio.

S
Sanguine A live wire among people. Catches fire for a new idea within a minute, never stays in a bad mood for long and does not enjoy sitting alone at an empty table.
C
Choleric The engine of action. Decides fast, sets the pace and of all four handles waiting for things to sort themselves out the worst.
P
Phlegmatic A calm constant. Never raises their voice, never dramatizes and keeps the same pace even on days when everything around them is buzzing.
M
Melancholic Depth and care. Notices details and moods alike, holds the bar high and takes both the work and the people around them seriously.

What is the temperament test?

The temperament test grows out of the oldest personality typology Europe knows. Sorting people into sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic is a classical typology reaching back to Hippocrates and Galen - it originally rested on the idea of four bodily fluids, and nothing of that is left today. The four characters it described have survived two thousand years anyway, because people still see themselves and those around them in it without hesitating.

The sanguine is a sociable optimist who catches fire quickly. The choleric heads straight for the goal and cannot stand it when nothing is happening. The phlegmatic keeps calm and an even pace where others raise their voices. The melancholic takes things in deeply, cares about quality and treats both work and people seriously. None of them is better or worse and nobody is only one of them. Our test has 24 original items, six for each temperament. It works out the score of all four and builds one of 16 profiles from the leading temperament and its streak.

Let us be straight about it: temperaments are a popular classical typology for self-discovery, not modern psychometrics. Today's psychology works with continuous dimensions, and what the typology split into four boxes maps mainly onto extraversion and emotional stability - two of the five dimensions of the Big Five model. So treat the comparison of temperaments as approximate and as an invitation to think about yourself. If you want a description of your personality built on modern psychometrics, take the Big Five test.

Frequently asked questions

What are the four temperaments?

Sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. The sanguine is sociable and quick, the choleric forceful and goal-driven, the phlegmatic calm and steady, the melancholic careful and reflective. You carry all four inside you - only the ratio differs.

Is the temperament test scientifically grounded?

Temperaments are a popular classical typology for self-discovery, not clinical diagnostics. Modern psychology does not use the model as such; what it describes maps onto continuous personality dimensions, mainly extraversion and emotional stability, which the five-factor model measures. So treat the result as an approximate view of yourself. If you are after the most solidly grounded personality test in psychometric terms, take the Big Five test.

How long does the temperament test take?

Around 4 minutes. You will answer 24 short statements, rating how well each one describes you.

What do I get in the extended version?

The full profile of your type: strengths, weaknesses, communication and work style, and how you behave under stress. Plus a description of your combination out of 16 profiles, your least pronounced temperament and advice on dealing with all four types.

Can temperament change over a lifetime?

The basic setting - your pace and how easily something throws you - is fairly stable. What changes is the way you handle it: the choleric learns to count to ten and the melancholic learns not to take every remark personally. Retake the test in a year and expect a shift in the ratio of the scores rather than a completely different type.

Ready to find out your temperament?

24 questions. 4 minutes. Instant results.

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Temperament Test 4.7 / 5
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