The ICA and the MBTI® assessment compared
Looking at alternatives to the MBTI® assessment? Here are the facts on both, sourced and dated, so you can choose on evidence.
40 questions, about 15 minutes. No account. Your answers stay in your browser.
Side by side
| The ICA | MBTI® assessment (MBTIonline) | |
|---|---|---|
| Core test price | Free | $59.95 |
| Paid upgrade | $48 report, or $98 a year | Included in the $59.95 |
| Time stated by the provider | About 15 minutes, 40 items | About 45 minutes, including type verification |
| Account | None | Required to access saved results |
| Where results are kept | In your browser | In your account on the provider's servers |
| Result | 24 ranked profiles plus three faculty scores | Four-letter type, one of 16 |
| Practitioner certification | $1,998, a private credential | $2,995 per person, 4 days |
| Research status | Currently being studied | Published technical manual and decades of research |
Checked on 13 October 2026 from the providers' own pages: MBTIonline, MBTI certification. Prices change; check the providers' sites before you buy.
How the results differ
The MBTI® assessment reports a preference on each of four pairs and combines them into one of 16 types. The ICA ranks four dimensions, giving one of 24 profiles, and adds three faculty scores (Thinking, Feeling, Willing) with an index of how strongly your first dimension leads.
Neither result is a measure of ability. The ICA's scores sum to 40, so they describe the balance within you rather than a comparison with other people.
See your own profile. 40 questions, about 15 minutes. No account. Your answers stay in your browser.
Take the free testWhat the retest research says
In the publisher's own US retest data (236 people, retested within 15 weeks), 51% received the identical four-letter type and a further 39% kept three of the four letters; the publisher reports this as 90% keeping three or four. The underlying scale scores correlated at about .85 to .88 (MBTI Global Manual Supplement, 2018). Type is a cut-point on a continuous score, so anyone who scores near the middle of a scale can change letter with a small shift.
Studies of score distributions find that MBTI preferences behave like continuous dimensions rather than two separate categories (Bess & Harvey, 2002), and four of the scales overlap substantially with four Big Five traits (McCrae & Costa, 1989). Internal consistency across 25 years of published studies ranged from .85 to .92 (Erford et al., 2025). The ICA's reliability is being studied now, and the results will be published on the research page.
What the MBTI® assessment offers
- Decades of published research and a technical manual
- An established certification with continuing-education credits
- A large community and shared vocabulary of 16 types
What the ICA adds
- Free, with no account
- Answers scored and stored in your browser
- 24 ranked profiles and three faculty scores
- Self-paced certification at $1,998
- Grounded in analytical psychology, behavioral science and neuroscience, with its accuracy under active study
Trademarks
MBTI and Myers-Briggs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myers & Briggs Foundation, Inc. in the United States and other countries. 16Personalities is a trademark of NERIS Analytics Limited. ICAPsychometrics is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by either company. The names are used only to identify their products for comparison.
Common questions
How is the ICA different from the MBTI® assessment?
The MBTI® assessment sorts preferences into four pairs and reports one of 16 types; it costs $59.95 on MBTIonline and has a published technical manual. The ICA ranks four dimensions into one of 24 profiles and reports three faculty scores, is free, needs no account and keeps your answers in your browser. It is currently being studied.
Is the ICA based on the MBTI® assessment?
No. It does not use the four MBTI preference pairs and cannot be converted to or from a four-letter type.
Is the ICA more accurate than the MBTI® assessment?
They measure different things, so the comparison depends on the question you are asking. The MBTI® assessment has a long published research record. The ICA's accuracy is currently being studied, and the findings will be published.
Why do people get a different MBTI® type on retest?
In the publisher's US data, 51% kept the identical four letters when retested within 15 weeks and 39% kept three. Because each letter is a cut-point on a continuous score, a person who scores near the middle of a scale can change letter with a small shift.
Keep reading
The ICA and 16Personalities compared
The ICA and 16Personalities compared: price, time, account, data storage, model and results. Sourced from both sites and checked on 13 October 2026.
How the ICA personality test works
How the ICA works: 40 forced-choice items across eight life areas, four dimension scores, three faculties, 24 profiles and the Orientation Strength Index.
The research behind the ICA
The ICA draws on analytical psychology, behavioral science and neuroscience, and its accuracy is currently being studied. The parallels and the program.
See your own profile
40 questions, about 15 minutes. No account. Your answers stay in your browser.