Alongside the data-ideas axis, psychologist Dale Prediger (1982) identified a second axis underlying Holland's RIASEC hexagon: people versus things. This quiz focuses on it.
- Things: you prefer working with objects, data, tools, or systems over people.
- Balanced: you move comfortably between both depending on the task.
- People: you prefer human contact, helping, teaching, or influencing others.
15 statements, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you want the full map of your vocational interests, you can follow up with the RIASEC career test or the data versus ideas quiz, Prediger's other axis.
All possible results
Things-Oriented
You prefer working with objects, data, tools, or systems over constant human contact.
Read more about Things-Oriented
Prediger described this axis as the one separating people oriented toward objects, tools, and systems from those oriented toward direct human contact and impact.
What this result means
You feel more comfortable focused on the technical task itself (an object, a data point, a system) than on the social interaction around it. It doesn't mean you dislike people: it means you don't need constant human contact to feel fulfilled at work.
Related environments and occupations
- Engineering, programming, mechanics, agriculture.
- Technical analysis, product design, the exact sciences.
- Any role that pairs this axis with your RIASEC career test result: for example, Things + Realistic points toward technical trades, and Things + Investigative toward science or analysis.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by Dale Prediger's (1982) model of the dimensions underlying Holland's RIASEC hexagon: it's a starting point for exploring your interests, not a closed answer.
Balanced Between People and Things
You move comfortably between technical work and human contact, depending on what each task calls for, without a strong preference.
Read more about Balanced Between People and Things
Plenty of real jobs combine technical stretches with stretches of human contact: it's not unusual to feel equally comfortable in both, especially in professions that demand them side by side.
What this result means
You don't lean heavily toward people or toward things. You might enjoy a technical task one moment and an important conversation the next, without either one feeling clearly more comfortable than the other.
Related environments and occupations
- Roles that combine human contact and technical skill: technical training, specialized support, project management.
- Any job that alternates human-contact tasks with tasks centered on an object, a data point, or a system.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by Dale Prediger's (1982) model of the dimensions underlying Holland's RIASEC hexagon: it's a starting point for exploring your interests, not a closed answer.
People-Oriented
You prefer human contact, helping, teaching, or influencing others over focusing on objects, data, or systems.
Read more about People-Oriented
The people end of the spectrum, according to Prediger, doesn't avoid technical skill: it uses it as a means, not an end. What truly drives this profile is the effect their work has on someone else.
What this result means
You feel more fulfilled by human contact than by the technical outcome of a task on its own. An important conversation, helping someone, or influencing a decision feels more satisfying to you than perfecting an object or a system.
Related environments and occupations
- Education, healthcare, social work, human resources.
- Sales, customer service, mediation, team leadership.
- Any role that pairs this axis with your RIASEC career test result: for example, People + Social points toward teaching or caregiving, and People + Enterprising toward sales or leadership.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by Dale Prediger's (1982) model of the dimensions underlying Holland's RIASEC hexagon: it's a starting point for exploring your interests, not a closed answer.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from the data-versus-ideas quiz?
Both are the two axes that, according to Dale Prediger (1982), explain the RIASEC hexagon. This one measures people versus things; the other quiz measures data versus ideas. They're independent of each other.
Does 'things' mean I don't like people?
No. It describes what makes you feel most fulfilled at work (the technical outcome or human contact), not how you relate to others outside of it.
Can I come out balanced between both extremes?
Yes, that's common. Many professions combine both elements, and not having a strong preference isn't a worse result than having one.
Is this quiz reliable?
It's an orientation-only, informational approximation inspired by Prediger's model, the foundation of the UNIACT inventory: it doesn't replace guidance from a qualified career counselor.
How long does the quiz take?
Between 3 and 4 minutes: 15 statements with five answer options each.
Is it free?
Yes, it's completely free: no sign-up or payment needed to take the test and see your result.