Review of the Cloverleaf Enneagram Test
Recently Iâve been trying to expand my knowledge on the enneagram (I typically flip between the enneagram and MBTI). So I ended up taking a test because thatâs the epitome of knowledge, right? I am joking please donât kill me. Anyways, here are my thoughts on the Cloverleaf Enneagram test. Enjoy.
The Cloverleaf Enneagram test consists of 23 pages of questions that make you choose between one characteristic or the other. Most of the questions deal with how you respond to your emotions, stress, and how you view yourself and the world around you.
ďżź Quite honestly, I didnât see many, key word âmany,â major errors while taking the test. I liked how the test covered a broad range of topics unlike a lot of the major tests Iâve come across. For example, a lot of the questions in Truityâs test focus on you see yourself and how others see you (link to Truity test here). This test covered those areas, however it also covered areas that revolve around how you react to different situations, issues you might have when connecting with others, etc. It didnât feel like I had to expose every single insecurity Iâve ever had, but that I could let how I am speak for itself if that makes any sense.
I also enjoyed how when one goes back to the main page, it provides a full overview of their type:
With that said, however, there were a couple of errors that I saw. The first one was bias in how certain questions were phrased. For example, this question:
âRegarding my own feelings, it is more important for me toâŚ
A) Spend time understanding and coping with them.
B) Neglect them to be strong for others around me.â
(Cited directly from the Cloverleaf test, page 17. The photo wouldnât save for some reason)
In this question they give two options. In option A, they phrase being one-on-one when interacting to oneâs own emotions as âunderstandingâ and âcoping.â However, in option B, they phrase disconnecting from oneâs emotions as âneglecting them.â This raised some red flags as âunderstandingâ and âneglectingâ have completely different connotations (âunderstandingâ being positive and âneglectingâ being negative). It made me wonder about potential biases in this test. Just because someone disconnects from their emotions doesnât necessarily mean that that person is âneglectingâ their emotions. Actually, the idea of compartmentalization is something used in psychological therapy. On the flip side of that, just because someone tries to âunderstandâ their emotions doesnât inherently mean that thatâs good. Sometimes it can signify that someone is too focused on themselves instead of the situation. I understand that Cloverleaf didnât intend to phrase these options as âgood vs. evil,â but it does come off this way and may lead a taker to choose the option that sounds âgood.â
The second issue I had was when receiving my test scores. The test typed me as a type 5. However, when reading through the synopsis, the test referred to me as a 6w5. I actually think they gave me the results for a 6, not a 5. I will provide the results here:
I chopped this up to a technological error that was beyond my knowledge. No matter what it is, it can cause confusion among takers as they may not know which type they actually are.
The last and final issue I had with this test is how black and white the option choices were. I put this issue as last as it is more of a personal preference and really wasnât as big of an issue as some of the other issues Iâve listed. As Iâve shown through the screenshots of questions from the test, you get to choose between two options. That is it. Thereâs no grey area. Thereâs no slider to choose how well you fit to the selection. You either are or you are not.
While some people like this, I did not as humans are not black and white. Everyone is going to fit to everything in some situation. If a person only has two options, then person will choose the one they agree with the most, however what a person agrees with isnât always the core of who that person is. Secondly, choosing an option doesnât mean one is choosing what actually fits them.
All in all, the Cloverleaf test was fairly good for a test. There were three major test faults that I saw. Those faults were potential biases, result errors, and black/white thinking. Despite this test being fairly okay, I will continue to stand by the idea of research. If you want to understand the enneagram, read about it. A test cannot tell you who you are, no matter how accurate it claims to be. Do your own research and think for yourself; or donât. Thatâs not my decision to make.
That is it for this review. Iâll probably do some more reviews and personal opinion posts on tests. As for now, I wanted to provide a spacer and keep something else posted while making the âWhy Are You So ____â series.
Edit: I do not claim that these results are an accurate representation of me. I took the test for fun and am using it now as a learning opportunity and to post about. Not that any of you would care that much, but I feel like I should put that out there lol
