Most personality traits do show a normal distribution of scores from low to high, with about 15% of people at the low end, about 15% at the high end and the majority of people in the middle ranges. But in order for the MBTI to be scored, a cut-off line is used at the middle of each scale and all those scoring below the line are classified as a low type and those scoring above the line are given the opposite type. Thus, psychometric assessment research fails to support the concept of type, but rather shows that most people lie near the middle of a continuous curve.

It is still used in more complicated variations. It is an easy tool to gage and understand some differences. I find it useful because I am well outside of the 15% range on Introversion Thinking and Intuition. It has been that way for me since the first time I took the test as part of TCAP in the 90’s when I was in 3rd grade. A lot of the problem is when type is not viewed as an evolving spectrum. The variations that are presently used, do a poor job of making themselves approachable and useful to the average person. Something is better than nothing, and it is just as easy to misquote the context of criticism. If ultimate accuracy is necessary at every level of education, everything learned in primary school is pretty much wrong. Foundations are needed, and that is why I said “spectrum.”