We provide compatibility testing for couples to people at all stages of relationships. A compatibility test with your partner can take various forms. This post reviews how to check partner compatibility, why you may want to pursue it, and what the results might show. We want to highlight that despite its name, emotional compatibility testing is not designed to help you determine whether you should be in a relationship with a person – a more complex decision than an assessment alone can provide. Rather, compatibility testing can help you work out differences, understand each other better, and improve communication. 

Of course, you can also schedule a consultation or contact us anytime with questions about your specific needs and how an assessment might help. This overview should help you get the background you need.

Compatibility Testing for Couples Overview

The most common types of compatibility testing for couples include:

Personality Compatibility Testing for Couples 

Measures like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or the Big Five Personality Traits can help you check partnerships to understand each other’s personalities, preferences, and potential areas of synergy or conflict. We can also give more significant and deeper personality evaluation measures that can be compared to give insights into compatibility. These become the organizing structure behind our batteries. We often discuss these results with the couple so they can guide us about what else they want to know. 

Love Language Test

This evaluates how individuals prefer to give and receive love—through words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, or physical touch. Understanding each other’s love languages can improve communication and connection. These tests are free online, so we do not charge to integrate the results into our more comprehensive assessment. Compatibility Testing for Couples

Communication Compatibility Testing for Couples

These focus on how individuals communicate and handle conflicts. Understanding each other’s communication styles can lead to better conflict resolution. Differing communication styles can be frustrating for many couples, but they are common. Thus, while you may find differences in communication styles due to a compatibility test with your partner, we can often dig down enough to find areas of overlap and suggestions for improvement.

Attachment Style

When you check partner compatibility, you can examine how individuals attach to their partners, whether securely, anxiously, or avoidantly. Understanding attachment styles can help foster a more secure and healthy relationship. In many cases, only one member of the couple has a problematic attachment style, so this can be an area where a person brings the results of compatibility testing for couples to their Clinical Psychologist.

Check Partner Compatibility: The Benefits

When you check partner compatibility, it can serve several purposes:

A Compatibility Test with Your Partner Increases Understanding

These assessments help partners better understand each other by highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and differences in personalities, communication styles, love languages, and values. Often, an increase in understanding creates many opportunities for change, and the insight that the couple reaches can be healing. When you check partner compatibility, finding out you have differences is okay as long as they don’t get in the way of happiness and contentment.

Compatibility Testing for Couples Can Improve Communication

When you check partner compatibility, you facilitate conversations about important topics like goals, values, and expectations. This can enhance communication and deepen emotional connection. Communication styles may differ, so clarity about these areas can be valuable. In fact, sometimes, exploring an issue with different communication styles can be quite fruitful.

Compatibility Testing for Couples Can Improve Conflict Resolution

This type of testing can identify potential areas of conflict beforehand and help couples develop strategies to navigate disagreements more effectively and find compromises. This type of psychological testing can be helpful for couples just starting out and those who have been in the relationship for a while. When we refer to “conflict,” we don’t always mean the “bad” kind – conflict can involve two people with different but valid ideas about an issue or choice, and resolving it can be cathartic and helpful to the relationship.

Compatibility Testing for Couples Can Build a Strong Foundation

For new relationships, we can check partner compatibility to help lay strong foundations by uncovering areas of synergy and areas that might need extra attention or compromise. For established relationships, compatible partner testing can reaffirm shared values and strengths, providing reassurance and validation in the partnership.

Identifying Growth Areas

Highlighting areas needing growth or improvement can encourage personal development and mutual understanding within the relationship. Check partner compatibility

Ultimately, compatibility testing for couples aims not to judge the relationship’s viability solely based on test results but to spark meaningful conversations, deepen understanding, and strengthen the bond between partners. It’s a tool to enhance self-awareness and mutual comprehension rather than a strict determinant of a relationship’s success.

Results of Your Compatibility Test With Your Partner

After your compatibility test with your partner, the outcomes can vary widely based on the specific test taken and the dynamics between the individuals involved. Here’s a breakdown of what some outcomes might suggest:

  1. High: If a compatibility test with your partner indicates high synergy, it often means significant alignment in various aspects of the relationship. It might suggest similarities in personalities, values, communication styles, or goals. This can serve as validation for a strong connection or shared understanding.
  2. Moderate: This might indicate a mix of similarities and differences. While there might be areas of significant alignment, there could also be aspects where both individuals have differing preferences, opinions, or styles. This outcome often signifies room for growth and compromise.
  3. Areas of Focus: A compatibility test with your partner can provide insights into specific areas the couple might want to focus on or improve. For instance, they could point out communication challenges, differing love languages, conflicting priorities, or other potential areas of tension. These insights can be used constructively to strengthen the relationship.
  4. Discussion Starters: Regardless of the outcome, a compatibility test with your partner often serves as a conversation starter. It allows couples to discuss their differences, understand each other’s perspectives, and find common ground. These discussions can deepen the relationship and foster better understanding.

It’s important to approach these evaluations with your partner with an open mind and understanding that no test can fully capture the complexity of a relationship. These measures are tools to spark conversations and self-reflection rather than definitive judgments on a relationship’s viability. The real work lies in how couples communicate, understand, and support each other through various situations. You can see that we purposely left out a “low” option for this reason. Almost any couple can work out some differences through good communication and patient exploration.

Emotional Compatibility Testing

A subset of a compatibility test with your partner is “emotional compatibility testing,” which focuses specifically on the depth of your emotional connection. Unlike other types of concern, emotional compatibility testing is almost always used with couples in romantic relationships.

Emotional Compatibility Testing Overview

Emotional compatibility testing typically assesses the compatibility between individuals based on their emotional responses, communication styles, and overall emotional well-being. There isn’t a standardized or universally accepted measure, so we meet you and understand what you want before choosing how to assemble the psychological battery. The specific possibilities for emotional compatibility testing include:

  1. Communication Styles: It is crucial to assess how individuals express themselves, handle conflict, and communicate their emotions. Some people may be more expressive, while others might be reserved. Understanding and respecting each other’s communication styles can contribute to emotional compatibility.
  2. Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence involves the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions and those of others. A compatibility test may explore each person’s emotional intelligence, assessing factors such as self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills.
  3. Values and Beliefs: Emotional compatibility often aligns with shared values and beliefs. A test might explore individual values, priorities, and long-term goals to determine how well they align with a partner’s emotional needs.
  4. Conflict Resolution Styles: Understanding how individuals handle conflicts and disagreements is crucial. Some people prefer open communication and resolution, while others need time and space before addressing issues.
  5. Attachment Styles: Attachment theory suggests individuals develop specific attachment styles based on early relationship experiences. Understanding each other’s attachment styles can provide insights into emotional needs and responses.

Emotional Compatibility Testing Process

We will work to meet you and thoroughly understand your reasons for coming in for emotional compatibility testing and the questions you hope to answer. We’ll also trace the beginnings of any issues or concerns to understand how they’ve evolved. After we understand things well enough, we’ll choose specific measures and review with you what each one will assess. These assessments often cover various aspects of personality, communication, and values.

You’ll do some of the emotional compatibility testing together and some separately. Along the way, as we see the results of each, we may add new measures to ensure we can provide you with the depth of conclusions and insights you are looking for. Then, we’ll meet with you to review the results, give you suggestions, and answer any remaining questions. We will focus on the positives, showing you what’s working well, the opportunities you have to improve the relationship, and challenges and how to overcome them.

It’s important to note that while emotional compatibility testing can provide valuable insights, emotional compatibility is a complex and nuanced aspect of a relationship. Communication, understanding, and a willingness to work together are essential for building emotional connection, and these aspects may change over time. On the other hand, this is a specific place in time assessment. Seeking the guidance of a couples therapist can be valuable for couples looking to enhance their emotional connection and navigate any challenges that may arise.

Summary and Our Work

While these compatible partner tests can provide insights into compatibility, they’re not definitive predictors of a successful relationship. Relationships are multifaceted and involve emotional connection, shared values, mutual respect, and willingness to work through challenges together. Any time you check partner compatibility, it can serve as a tool to facilitate discussions and understanding between partners rather than as a strict indicator of a relationship’s viability.

Check Partner Compatibility In Our Practice

We provide compatible partner testing to couples in all stages of their relationships. We can do this psychological testing virtually to serve you even if you are currently in a long-distance relationship. These evaluations can be done with a full comprehensive psychological assessment. Please feel free to contact us if you want more information about how to check partner compatibility and how compatibility testing for couples might benefit your relationship.

author avatar
Dr. Alan Jacobson, Psy.D., MBA Founder
Dr. Jacobson is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been practicing for over 20 years. He provides psychological and neuropsychological testing for adolescents and adults.