Empowering career search and enrichment

Written by Catherine Rains

Your students’ MBTI ® score measures consistency, not quantity. A student who scores 30 has answered all the extraverted questions in the extraverted direction, and therefore will more than likely agree (validate) that they have a preference for Extraversion. However, when a student scores 2 for Extraversion, it doesn’t mean they are any less extraverted than the student who scores 30. Again, the MBTI doesn’t measure how much you are of a preference, but rather how consistently you answered in one direction or the other. Our student with a score of 30 could indeed have more extraverted behaviors, but the MBTI is not measuring the amount of extraverted behaviors that they exhibit. But rather, it indicates how sure they are that they are an Extravert.

One thing you can almost certainly count on – the student with a score of 30 will agree with their result for Extraversion. Our student with a score of 2 for Extraversion will most likely be unsure and need to explore this preference pair in order to validate their best fit type for either Extraversion or Introversion. I happen to have a score of 2 for Extraversion and went back and forth for years trying to decide just this. In my mid-forties I finally realized that I am indeed an Extravert, but my score is still a 2. I express Extraversion in my own unique way, with a bit of Introverted behaviors thrown in for good measure! But once I claimed Extraversion, according to the MBTI, I am just as Extraverted as someone with a score of 30. An Extravert is an Extravert is an Extravert, no matter the score. Once you validate, that is your preference, period. A lower score could be a sign that more exploration is needed in this pair before someone can claim their true preference.