Psychology Test

Holland Code Career Interest Test

60 questions that map your interests across the six RIASEC dimensions and give you your three-letter Holland Code.

This test is a career exploration and entertainment aid. It is not an aptitude assessment and should not be the only basis for choosing a major or changing careers.

Start the test

For each activity, choose how much you like it. Answer on instinct - no need to consider whether you could actually do it or whether it pays well.

About Holland's theory of career interests

What the six dimensions are

American psychologist John Holland proposed his theory of career interests in the 1950s. Its core claim: people are drawn to work environments that match their interest type, and the fit between a person and their environment predicts job satisfaction and stability.

He divided career interests into six dimensions, abbreviated as RIASEC:

Code Type Core traits Typical environments
R Realistic Hands-on work, tools and machines, concrete results Technical, engineering, agriculture
I Investigative Observation and analysis, solving abstract problems Research, data, healthcare
A Artistic Creative expression, unconventional, original Design, media, performance
S Social Helping, teaching, collaborating Education, healthcare, social work
E Enterprising Persuasion, leadership, reaching goals Sales, management, entrepreneurship
C Conventional Order, process, precision Administration, finance, operations

The three-letter Holland Code

Take your three highest-scoring dimensions and you get your three-letter code, for example SAE, RIC or ECR. The first letter is your main tendency, while the second and third add detail about the environments where you do your best work.

In practice, occupational databases such as O*NET tag every occupation with a Holland Code, then use the similarity between a person's code and an occupation's code for an initial filter. That is also the basis for the career directions this test suggests.

How the six types sit relative to each other

Holland arranged the six types on a hexagon: neighbouring types correlate more strongly, while opposite types differ the most.

  • Neighbouring: R-I, I-A, A-S, S-E, E-C, C-R
  • Opposite: R-S, I-E, A-C

So if your code is RIC (three neighbouring types), your interests are fairly concentrated. If it is something cross-diagonal like RSA, your interests are more spread out and you will need to weigh more trade-offs when choosing a career.

Common misunderstandings

  • This is an aptitude test: it is not. It measures interest preferences, not what you are good at.
  • Your highest type is the only path: it is not. Most people have mixed interests, and the second and third letters matter just as much.
  • Interests never change: they do. Interests shift with experience and life stage, so retake the test every few years.

FAQ

Is this test scientifically grounded?
RIASEC is a widely used model in occupational psychology and one of the foundations of occupational databases such as O*NET. The items here are adapted and simplified from that model: good for career exploration, but not a standardized selection tool.
Why 60 questions?
Ten items per dimension is enough to separate interest tendencies reliably while keeping completion time under five minutes. Full research instruments are usually much longer.
What does my three-letter code mean?
The first letter is your strongest interest tendency; the second and third describe the environments where you perform best. For example, an S first means you prefer people-facing work, but the concrete jobs suited to SAE and SEC are quite different.
What if my scores are very close?
If the top few scores differ only slightly, your interests are mixed. In that case look at the second and third letters, and learn what those jobs are actually like day to day instead of going by the type name alone.
Can I use this to decide what to study?
It can be a starting point, but it should not be the only input. Choosing a major also depends on your abilities, values, the job market and practical constraints. Pair it with real informational interviews or internship experience.