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This is an archive article published on August 4, 2006

Testing Times: Press Enter at Your Own Risk

Ever thought that your favourite ice cream flavour could give you away? Surprise yourself. Take a test on the net to find your personality type

OTHERS SEE YOU AS SENSIBLE, cautious, careful and practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest.Not a person who makes friends too easily, but someone who8217;s extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expects the same loyalty in return.

That8217;s me, in case you didn8217;t know it. And don8217;t worry if you didn8217;t, for neither did I. Not until I took Dr Phil8217;s definitive personality test on the net. Forwarded by a close friend who, unlike Dr Phil, also did not know the real me. And I am all this because I scored 38 on 60, which incidentally, hold your breath, is ex-actly what Oprah Winfrey scored too. So how come I am here and she is all the way there? The answer is in another test. The Personality Disorder Test, to be precise. Here8217;s how it went.

8226; Do you suffer from low confidence? Sometimes.

8226; Have you ever exaggerated illness in order to get attention? Er..no

8226; Do you ever steal things from other people8217;s homes or stores? Excuse me, NO.

8226; Do you lie a lot? No.

8226; Do you often let others make important decisions for you? Yes I8217;m letting this test certify my mental state, aren8217;t I?

Some 70 questions like these and the result is out: I am moderately paranoid, narcissist and schizotypal, highly avoidant and depen-dent but not anti-social or a borderline case. I cannot decide if this is good news or bad news. Or why Oprah made it while I didn8217;t.

Maybe Myers-Briggs MBTI personality test based on Carl Jung8217;s theory of Personality Types will tell me what kind of a decision maker I am. They will dissect me into one of their 16 different personality types: ISTJ, ISTP, ISFJ, ISFP, INTJ, INTP, INFJ, INFP, ESTJ, ESTP, ESFJ, ESFP, ENTJ, ENTP, ENFJ and ENFP. Bottom line: Four letters will finally de-scribe the real me. Hmmm8230;. I need to take the 8216;Can-you-stay-calm-even-when-you-are-be-ing- insulted8217; test.

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Or maybe I can rise above it all and move onto the more profound questions8212;what does my favourite ice cream flavour, my jeans, the rings on my fingers and the pattern of my tableware reveal about me? Or what about some pointed queries? For example, what kind of dog I am? St Bernard; Which cartoon char-acter do I resemble the most? Garfield; What Harry Potter character could I be? Ron Weasley; Which Greek Goddess could I be? Athena; If I were a movie, what genre would I be? Black Comedy!; or could I pull off a sex change? Nope, I am just too girlie.

Take it or leave it, but there8217;s no getting away from it. Not with about 20 lakh tests floating on the internet, all promising to reveal more about yourself. From the one-hour complete personality twister to the shortest test in the world where your selection of a picture unrav-els your deepest desires, you are being moni-tored by your monitor. And how!

However, as we ponder over why we pre-ferred printed curtains to striped ones during our growing up years, we also need to think about the reliability factor of these quizzes. 8216;8216;It8217;s zilch,8221; says Gayatri Deshpande, a student who spent 15 minutes forwarding the 8216;Find-out-who- you-will-marry-test8217; that promised a for-tune cookie with a name on it at the end, if it was forwarded to 15 people, but drew a blank. 8216;8216;Amazing8217;8217;, gushes Anita Sikand, a PYT who has taken about four dozen online personality tests and feels that they have provided her with a new insight into her psyche.

Explains counsellor Niloufer Ebrahim: 8216;8216;These tests cover very broad parameters and cannot be taken very seriously. They are mainly for entertainment. You can8217;t base your life on them. Though there is no harm in tak-ing these tests, you cannot judge your IQ or ap-titude based on them.8221;

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I8217;ll remember that, especially when I think of the results of my most recent test: Would you pass the Grade-8 Maths exam?

Sunanda Mehta

Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry. Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune. Professional Background Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city. Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author. Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023) Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024) Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues. Core Column: "Against All Odds" Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges. Recent notable articles (2025) The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic. Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer. Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape: 1. Personal Narratives & Closure "'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal. "A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US. "'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune. 2. Civic & Heritage "'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs. "'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties. 3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations "Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals. "Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation. Signature Style Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan. She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements. X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More

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