Four Temperaments Test

Sixteen questions on the classical sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic patterns. Informal, and not the same map as Keirsey.

Four Temperaments Test

What this test is, and what it is not

The four temperaments are an old descriptive language: sanguine (warm, changeable), choleric (direct, goal-first), melancholic (careful, lasting), and phlegmatic (steady, slow to heat). Hippocrates and Galen are the historical source. This quiz is an original 16-question snapshot, not a historical reconstruction and not a medical humor theory.

It is not David Keirsey's temperament sorter. Keirsey grouped the 16 letter codes into Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, and Rational. On this site those are the Explorer, Sentinel, Diplomat, and Analyst pages. People search the two systems together. They do not translate. A sanguine result does not make you an Explorer. Read both if you want both, and do not staple them.

Answer for a normal month. Then take the 16 personalities test or the DISC assessment only if you have a different question.

Question 1 of 16

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Keirsey? ▼
No. Keirsey's four temperaments are Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, and Rational, matching SP, SJ, NF, and NT. This page is the older sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic language. Do not convert one into the other.
Is a melancholic result depression? ▼
No. The word is historical. If low mood, sleep, or hopelessness is running your weeks, see a clinician. A temperament label cannot tell you.
Can I be two temperaments? ▼
Yes. If the second score is close, read both. Most people are not a pure type.
Is this a medical humoral test? ▼
No. Black bile and blood are not being measured. The names survived as ordinary descriptions of pace and mood. That is all this quiz uses.