What's the difference between Type A and Type B personality?

Type A describes a behavioural style marked by time urgency, competitiveness, a fast pace, and a tendency toward impatience or irritation. Type B describes the opposite end: more relaxed, even-paced, and less reactive to time pressure. They're two ends of a single continuum, not separate boxes — most people fall somewhere in between and shift along it depending on the situation.

Is the Type A / Type B test scientifically valid?

The Type A behaviour pattern is a real, well-documented concept introduced by cardiologists Friedman and Rosenman in 1959, and there are validated research instruments for it — chiefly the Jenkins Activity Survey and the Bortner Rating Scale. This particular 12-question test is an original educational adaptation inspired by that framework, not a clinical or psychometrically validated instrument. It's built for quick self-reflection, not diagnosis.

Does being Type A cause heart disease?

This is the most important caveat. The original 1950s–70s research suggested a link between Type A behaviour and coronary heart disease, but later, larger studies did not consistently replicate it. The current consensus is that chronic hostility and anger — one specific facet — carry the health risk, not drive, ambition, or busyness themselves. So this test is a self-reflection on working style, not a medical or cardiac-risk assessment.

Is it better to be Type A or Type B?

Neither is better. Type A energy can fuel high output and goal achievement; Type B steadiness supports focus, recovery, and lower stress reactivity. Both styles include successful, ambitious people — they just get there at different speeds. The most workable place for many people is the balanced middle, where you can flex between drive and ease depending on what a situation needs.

How long does the test take?

About three minutes. There are 12 questions, each a single statement you rate by how often it applies to you — from 'rarely' to 'almost always'. There's no signup required to see your result.

Can my Type A / Type B result change over time?

Yes. Type A / Type B is a behavioural tendency, not a fixed trait, and it's sensitive to context — a high-pressure job, a deadline-heavy week, or a stressful life phase can pull you toward the Type A end, while rest and lower-stakes periods pull you back. If you retake it months apart in different circumstances, a shift is normal and expected.

What does a 'balanced' result mean?

A balanced result means your answers sit in the middle of the spectrum — you can push hard and compete when it matters, then downshift and let go when it doesn't. Many people land here. It's often the most adaptable position: you get the benefits of urgency without living in it full-time.

How is the Type A score calculated?

Each of the 12 questions taps a documented facet of the Type A pattern — time urgency, competitiveness, fast pace, impatience, and difficulty switching off. Your answers are summed and converted to a percentage along the Type A–Type B continuum, which then maps to a Type B, balanced, or Type A band. It's a simple additive score, not a weighted clinical algorithm.

Is this the same as the Big Five or MBTI?

No. The Big Five measures five broad trait dimensions, and the MBTI sorts you into 16 types based on four preferences. Type A / Type B is narrower — it focuses specifically on pace, drive, and reactivity to time pressure. It pairs well with broader tests: if you want a fuller picture, the Big Five gives the most research-backed trait profile.

Do I need to sign up to take it?

No. You can take all 12 questions and see your Type A / Type B result for free, without creating an account. Signing up just lets you save your result and compare it if you retake the test later.

PersonalityFramework-based· Type A/B personality

🏎️🏎️

Are You Type A or Type B?

Find out where you sit on the Type A–Type B spectrum in about three minutes. Twelve quick questions about your pace, drive, competitiveness, and patience place you as Type A, Type B, or a balanced mix — with an honest read on what the framework does and doesn't mean.

12 questions3 min

Take This Test

Learn more about this test

The basics

What is the Type A / Type B Personality Test?

The Type A / Type B framework describes a behavioural style, not a fixed personality type. It comes from cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, who in 1959 noticed a cluster of habits in some of their patients: a strong sense of time urgency, competitiveness, a fast working pace, and a tendency toward impatience and irritation. They labelled this pattern 'Type A' and the more relaxed, even-paced counterpart 'Type B'. Most people aren't purely one or the other — they sit somewhere on a continuum and shift along it depending on the situation.

Keep reading

This test is a 12-item educational self-report that places your everyday tendencies on that Type A–Type B continuum. Higher scores lean toward the time-urgent, driven, competitive end; lower scores lean toward the calmer, steadier end; mid-range scores describe a flexible mix. It is a quick mirror for noticing your default pace and reactivity — useful for self-awareness, not a label that defines you.

One important honesty note: the original Friedman–Rosenman claim that Type A behaviour directly causes heart disease has not held up consistently in later research. Modern studies point specifically to chronic hostility and anger — not drive, ambition, or busyness — as the health-relevant part of the pattern. So treat this as a self-reflection on working style, not a medical screening or a cardiac-risk assessment.

Closely related on JobCannon: Big Five personality test, MBTI 16-type test, Enneagram test, Conflict Styles test, and Burnout Risk Assessment.

What you get

What You'll Discover

Where you land on the Type A–Type B spectrum, expressed as a clear percentage position rather than a hard binary

How strong your sense of time urgency is — the impulse to rush, multitask, and finish other people's sentences

How much you turn everyday situations into something to compete in or 'win'

How quickly small frustrations and delays tip you into impatience or irritation — the facet research links most to wellbeing

Whether you flex between drive and ease depending on context, or run mostly in one gear

Practical, non-judgemental suggestions for using your pace deliberately instead of by accident

Explore related assessments to deepen your self-understanding.

TIPI-10

The TIPI-10 is the shortest validated Big Five personality test ever published, 10 items, 2 minutes, all five OCEAN traits. Developed by Gosling, Rentfrow & Swann at UT-Austin in 2003, it is used in thousands of peer-reviewed studies. Free, no signup, instant OCEAN profile.

10 questions2 min

IPIP-NEO-120

The IPIP-NEO-120 gives you the most detailed free Big Five personality profile available, 120 public-domain items measuring all 5 OCEAN domains across 30 sub-facets (6 per trait). Developed by John A. Johnson (2014) as a public-domain representation of the NEO-PI-R. Free, no signup, instant percentile profile.

120 questions30 min

Introvert or Extrovert Test

Are you an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert? This free 10-question test uses the public-domain IPIP extraversion scale to place you on the introvert–extrovert spectrum. Instant result, no signup. A self-discovery snapshot, not a fixed personality type.

10 questions2 min

Inkblot Personality Quiz

Free 10-question inkblot personality quiz inspired by Hermann Rorschach's 1921 test. Discover your archetype, Observer, Visionary, Empath, Adventurer, or Sentinel, in under 5 minutes. Instant results, no email, no signup.

10 questions5 min

Inner Child Personality Test

Free 10-question Inner Child Personality Test. Discover your childhood self, Wonder Child, Brave Child, Cautious Child, Wild Child, Quiet Child, or Caretaker Child, in under 2 minutes. Therapy-adjacent self-reflection. Instant results, no email, no signup.