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Understanding Your Results

When you receive your interest assessment results, it's important to approach them with both curiosity and critical thinking. Here's how to make sense of what you see:

Breaking Down Your Assessment Report

  • Most reports will include:
    • Your top interest areas or themes
    • A breakdown of your scores across different categories
    • Suggested career paths or fields
  • Look for patterns and consistencies across different sections of the report

Key Terms and Concepts

  • Holland Codes (RIASEC):
    • Realistic (R): Practical, physical, hands-on problem solver
    • Investigative (I): Analytical, intellectual, scientific
    • Artistic (A): Creative, original, independent
    • Social (S): Cooperative, supporting, helping
    • Enterprising (E): Competitive environments, leadership, persuading
    • Conventional (C): Detail-oriented, organizing, clerical
  • Interest Areas: Broader categories of work activities or fields (e.g., "Technology", "Healthcare", "Business")
  • Percentiles: Your score relative to others who have taken the assessment

Interpreting Graphs and Charts

  • Bar graphs often show your relative interest in different areas
  • Spider or radar charts may illustrate your RIASEC profile
  • Look for your highest and lowest scores, as well as the overall shape of your profile

Identifying Top Interest Areas

  • Focus on your highest-scoring areas, but don't neglect moderately high scores
  • Consider how your top interests might combine in a career

Dealing with Unexpected Results

  • Reflect on why the results might differ from your expectations
  • Consider whether external factors (like others' expectations) have influenced your self-perception
  • Use unexpected results as an opportunity for further exploration, not as a limitation