Back in 1999, I was a student worker at my college’s career center. We were all given the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for the first time. If you’re not familiar with it, the MBTI is a personality test that sorts you into one of 16 personality types. Four letters make up each type (like INTJ or ISTJ) that represent different preferences in how you think and act.
I still have the original result sheet tucked away in an old dance journal. It says I’m an INTJ, and for years, I just accepted that. But recently, I’ve been having some serious doubts.
Does the MBTI Change Over Time?
Most people think your Myers-Briggs type is set in stone. Like, once you’re an INTJ, you’re always an INTJ. But the more I thought about it, the less convinced I was.
At first, it felt kind of cool that INTJ is supposed to be the rarest MBTI type. But honestly, the more I read about INTJs, the less I related to it.
My Decisive Intuition Result
My original test score was decisive on the Sensing/Intuition part. I scored really high on Intuition. This means one tends to focus more on abstract ideas and possibilities than on concrete details and facts.
While I’ve never taken another “official” MBTI assessment, I have taken online versions a few times since then. The results have consistently shown me as ISTJ. The difference between S and N might not seem like a big one, but it changes more than you’d expect.
INTJ or ISTJ: Which Is a Better Fit?
So, what gives? Did my personality actually change, or was the first test just wrong? Honestly, I think it’s the latter. The ISTJ description fits me way better than INTJ ever did.
Here’s a quick comparison of INTJ vs. ISTJ to show you what I mean:
- INTJs are known for being strategic, independent, and logical. They’re often called “masterminds” because they’re good at seeing the big picture and coming up with innovative solutions.
- ISTJs are practical, reliable, and detail-oriented. They’re sometimes called “logisticians” because they’re great at organizing information and getting things done efficiently.
See the difference? INTJs are more about ideas and possibilities, while ISTJs are more about facts and practicality. And I’m definitely more of a facts and practicality kind of person.
Maybe I Just Didn’t Know Myself Yet
It’s also worth noting that the MBTI isn’t always super reliable. There’s some debate about how accurate it really is, and it’s definitely possible to get different results depending on your mood or how you interpret the questions.
I think another very likely explanation for the original INTJ result is that I was only 19 when I took the test. Maybe I didn’t really know myself well enough back then to answer the questions accurately.
So, What’s the Verdict? INTJ or ISTJ?
At the end of the day, I’m not sure if I’ll ever know for sure whether I’m truly an INTJ or ISTJ. But honestly, it doesn’t really matter that much to me. What matters more is that I understand my own strengths and weaknesses and use that knowledge to live my best life.
If you’re trying to figure out your own MBTI type, my advice is to take the test a few times and see if you get consistent results. And don’t be afraid to question the results if they don’t seem to fit. After all, you know yourself better than any test does.
