12 Archetypes Test: Which Jungian Archetype Are You?

What This Test Measures

An archetype is a familiar character pattern that appears in stories across cultures: the hero who rises to a challenge, the sage who seeks truth, the rebel who breaks the rules. This test measures how strongly each of twelve archetypes shows up in your desires, fears and way of seeing the world.

People often use their archetype to understand what motivates them, to shape a personal brand or to find a voice for creative work.

How The Test Works And How It Is Scored

You rate 36 statements, three for each archetype, from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”. The statements come in rounds, so you meet all twelve archetypes once before any repeats.

Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points. Your score on each archetype is shown as a percentage of the maximum, and your highest is your leading archetype.

Statements and descriptions were written by PrismaTest.

The Model Behind It

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung argued that humans share a “collective unconscious”: inherited patterns that show up as recurring figures in myths, dreams and stories. He called these patterns archetypes and wrote about figures such as the Mother, the Trickster, the Hero and the Wise Old Man.

The twelve archetypes in this test come from a later, more practical system. In The Hero and the Outlaw (2001), Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson set out twelve archetypes for building brands, drawing on Jung and on Pearson’s earlier work on personal development. Marketers still use the system to give brands a consistent personality, and many people use it for self-reflection.

What The Evidence Says

The twelve-archetype system is a storytelling and branding framework, not a tested personality model. Jung’s idea of a collective unconscious is not supported by modern psychology in its original form. That said, many archetypes match real motives that psychologists measure, such as the need for achievement (Hero), care (Caregiver) or novelty (Explorer). Use your result as a story about yourself, not a scientific measurement.

All Possible Results

The twelve archetypes are often grouped by the core desire they serve.

How To Read Your Result

Look at your top three archetypes together. A Sage with a strong Creator reads as an inventor or writer. A Caregiver with a strong Ruler often ends up running a family or a team. A Hero with a strong Rebel is someone who fights for change.

Then read the shadow of your leading archetype. It describes how your greatest strength tends to go wrong under stress, which is often the most useful thing to know.

Using Your Archetype For A Personal Brand

If you are building a personal brand or business, your leading archetype can guide your tone. A Jester brand uses humour and play; a Sage brand uses clear evidence and calm authority; an Explorer brand talks about freedom and discovery. Consistency matters more than which archetype you choose.

Explore Each Archetype

Read the full guide to each archetype: Innocent, Everyperson or Orphan, Hero, Caregiver, Explorer, Rebel, Lover, Creator, Jester, Sage, Magician and Ruler.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tests

If the “core desire” idea speaks to you, the Enneagram test looks at motivation in more depth.

• Personality

  16 Personality Types Test

  Find your four-letter type from 48 statements, see how strongly you lean on each dimension, and read what your type means for work and relationships.

  48 questions, 8 min

• Personality

  Enneagram Test

  54 statements about why you do what you do. See your score on all nine Enneagram types, your likely main type and the runner-up that may be your wing.

  54 questions, 9 min

• Personality

  Big Five Personality Test

  Fifty research-grade items from the public-domain IPIP pool score you on the five traits psychologists use most: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

  50 questions, 7 min

• Personality

  Introvert, Extrovert or Ambivert Test

  Twenty statements reveal where you sit between introvert and extrovert, and break it down into social energy, love of stimulation and expressiveness.

  20 questions, 4 min

• Personality

  Difficult Person Test

  Thirty-five honest statements score you on seven traits that make people harder to live and work with, from callousness to control.

  35 questions, 6 min

• Personality

  Alpha, Beta or Omega Test

  Twelve everyday situations reveal whether you move through groups as an Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Sigma or Omega, with your full mix shown.

  12 questions, 3 min