Why the Myers-Briggs test is totally meaningless

I don't think the test is meaningless---it just doesn't mean what many people claim it means. It is one way of mapping people onto a 16-part space which, for half of people who take it, remains consistent across sittings of the test. At a minimum it means that, for any two people with the same type indicator, they answer Myers-Briggs questions in similar ways.

It's the implications of that re: job/relationship/life performance that have been oversold.

Of course, the same benefits could be gained by classifying people according to almost any set of questions. The MBTI exam isn't really worth _money_.

The binary nature of the questions hardly seems like a problem in that aggregating many binary questions together can yield a scale with many more gradations.

yeah, I agree with most of the article but she's missing an important use for it. Taking tests like this and learning the vocabulary helps people talk about soft stuff in adult language. you don't get this language in school and it can be very useful for getting along with others. i always explain the concept that some people have natural flexibility as well (they can opperate in more than one mode). this goes against what most people teach but i find it very useful.

Two words: Forer effect