How to find your strengths
Updated
A good way is to combine two views: ask three to five people who know you for a moment when you were at your best, and take a free strengths test. Others see some of your strengths better than you do; a test captures how you see yourself. Keep what both point to.
1. Ask the people who know you
Friends judge some traits better than you do: in a 2010 study of 165 people, each rated by four friends, friends were the better judges of intelligence and creativity (Vazire). Ask for a moment, not an adjective (how to do it).
2. Take a free test
The VIA Survey is free: 96 questions, 10 to 15 minutes, your 24 character strengths ranked. The basic HIGH5 test is also free: 120 questions, 15 to 20 minutes, your top five. Both ask you about yourself (free tests compared).
3. Look back at your best moments
Write down three moments you're proud of and name the strength in each. It's a good start, not an end: in a 2005 study, writing about yourself at your best had no lasting effect on its own, no more than a control exercise, while using a top strength in a new way every day for a week made people happier for up to six months (Seligman and colleagues).
4. Notice what you do without being asked
- What do people come to you for?
- What do you do that feels easy, while others find it hard?
- After what kind of task do you feel more energy, not less?
| Method | What it shows | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ask friends for a moment | Your strengths as others see them | A few days |
| Free strengths test | Your strengths as you see them | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Look back at best moments | Patterns in your own story | An evening |
| Watch your week | What gives you energy | A week |
Add a friend's first name and get a link to text them. Each friend shares a moment, no app or sign-up. You see the strengths that come back. Free.
Ask my friendsQuestions
How do I find my strengths?
Combine two views: ask three to five people for one moment when you were at your best, and take a free test like the VIA Survey. Keep the strengths both point to.
How do I know what I'm good at?
Notice what people come to you for and what feels easy to you but hard to others, then check it with friends: ask them when they saw you at your best.
Can a test tell me my strengths?
A test tells you how you see yourself. Friends see some strengths better than you do, so add their stories to the test results.
Sources
- Simine Vazire, Who knows what about a person? The self-other knowledge asymmetry (SOKA) model, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 98(2), 281-300, 2010
- VIA Institute on Character, Frequently Asked Questions, read November 9, 2026
- HIGH5 strengths test, read November 9, 2026
- Seligman, Steen, Park and Peterson, Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions, American Psychologist 60(5), 410-421, 2005