The Type A B C D personality test sorts people into four styles. Type A is driven and fast. Type B is relaxed. Type C is the careful peacekeeper who holds feelings in. Type D is the quiet worrier. Take the test above to see your type and your mix of all four. Then read on for where these letters came from (two heart doctors started it), what each type needs on a hard day, and how seriously to take the result.
The short version
- Type A and Type B came from two cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, in the 1950s.
- Type C and Type D were added later by other researchers. Type D is the better studied of the two.
- Later research found the hostile part of Type A mattered more for health than being busy or ambitious.
- This test is a fun lens for self-reflection, not a science-grade measure.
In this guide
What is the Type A B C D personality test?
It’s a quick way to see how you handle time, stress and feelings. Most people know Type A and Type B. This test adds two more styles, C and D, so people who are neither rushing nor relaxed have a place too.
- ⚡ Type A: the go-getter.Fast, ambitious, competitive, often impatient. Hates waiting and loves a finished list.
- 🌿 Type B: the easygoer.Relaxed, flexible, patient, often creative. Doesn’t mind a slow line or a changed plan.
- 🕊️ Type C: the peacekeeper.Careful, kind, detail-minded. Puts others first and tends to hold in anger and hurt.
- 🌧️ Type D: the quiet worrier.Feels things deeply, expects the worst and keeps it to themselves, especially with people they don’t know well.
Every question in the test gives each type one answer, so all four types get a fair chance. Your type is the one you picked most. Your second bar matters too. Plenty of people are an A at work and a C at home.
Where did Type A and Type B come from?
Not from psychologists, as it happens. Type A was first described in 1959 by Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, two cardiologists. They had noticed that many of their heart patients shared a style: rushed, competitive and always racing the clock. As the story goes, an upholsterer fixing their waiting room chairs pointed out that the seats were worn only on the front edge, as if patients were perched, ready to leap up.
Friedman and Rosenman then ran a large study called the Western Collaborative Group Study. It followed 3,154 healthy working men aged 39 to 59 for about eight and a half years. Type A men developed heart disease at more than twice the rate of Type B men.
- Who was studied
- 3,154 healthy, employed men aged 39 to 59, followed for about eight and a half years.
- What they found
- Type A men developed coronary heart disease at more than twice the rate of Type B men.
- What it means for you
- Being rushed and competitive seemed linked to heart health, which made Type A famous.
- Keep in mind
- Later studies found hostility was the key part, not the whole pattern. Studies of women did not find such a big gap.
Later work changed the picture. Researchers found that hostility, the angry and cynical part of Type A, was a better predictor of heart trouble than the full Type A pattern. Studies of women did not find as large a difference between A and B. And Type A behavior tends to fade a lot as people get older. So Type A is now seen less as a health verdict and more as a useful name for a busy, driven style.
Where did Type C and Type D come from?
Type C and Type D came later, from different researchers, and they were never part of the original A and B work.
Type C was first described by researcher Lydia Temoshok in 1981. It describes people who hold in negative feelings, especially anger, and put other people’s needs ahead of their own. In her 1992 book The Type C Connection, written with Henry Dreher, she described the pattern as passive, appeasing and slow to show strong feelings. Big claims have been made about Type C and health, but the evidence is debated. Some researchers now describe it as a way of coping rather than a fixed personality. We treat it here as a style, nothing more.
Type D stands for distressed. It was defined in the 1990s by the Belgian psychologist Johan Denollet, who studied heart patients. Type D means two things together: often feeling worried, low or irritable, and holding back what you feel around other people. In 2005 Denollet published a short 14-item questionnaire, the DS14, that is widely cited. So Type D has a standard questionnaire and a long research record. Type C is less settled.
A gentle note: if worry or low mood is with you most days, that is worth talking to a doctor or counselor about. That is about how you feel, not about a letter.
What does each type need on a hard day?
- Type A needs a pause.A walk, a breath, a minute before replying. The goal isn’t to slow down forever. It’s to stop stress turning into snapping.
- Type B needs a nudge.A clear deadline and one person to check in with. Calm is a strength until something important slips.
- Type C needs permission.Permission to say no, to be annoyed, to not be the one who fixes it. Saying one honest feeling out loud is a big step.
- Type D needs company.Worry grows in silence. Telling one trusted person, or even writing it down, makes it smaller.
Knowing your partner’s or friend’s type helps too. An A and a D can clash: the A wants to fix it now, the D needs to feel heard first. A B and a C can drift: both avoid conflict, so problems go unspoken. If you recognize a pattern in your own life, it can help to talk it through with someone who won’t judge. Iris is there by text, day or night.
How accurate is the Type A B C D test?
Treat it as a fun mirror, not a measurement. The letters started in heart research, but this test isn’t a health check and doesn’t predict anything about your heart. Most people are a mix, and your style shifts with your week, your job and your stage of life.
If you only want the classic two-way split, our Type A or Type B quiz puts you on a single scale from driven to relaxed. This four-type test is different: it adds the peacekeeper and the worrier, so it says more about how you handle feelings, not just time. For a more research-based view of personality, try the Big Five.
Sometimes it helps to say the messy, unfiltered version out loud to someone who won’t judge it. That’s Iris — text her like you’d text a close friend, and she’ll help you untangle it. She remembers the thread, so next time you can pick up right where you left off.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Type A, B, C and D personalities?
Type A is driven, fast and competitive. Type B is relaxed and flexible. Type C is careful and kind but holds feelings in. Type D tends to worry and keeps it to themselves around others. Most people have one main type and a strong second.
Who came up with Type A and Type B?
Two cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. They first described Type A in 1959 while studying heart patients. Type B was simply the more relaxed opposite.
What is a Type D personality?
Type D stands for distressed. Belgian psychologist Johan Denollet defined it in the 1990s. It means often feeling worried or low, and also holding back what you feel around other people. If that sounds like you most days, it’s worth talking to a doctor or counselor.
What is a Type C personality?
Type C describes someone who holds in negative feelings, especially anger, and puts others first. Researcher Lydia Temoshok first described it in 1981. It’s less studied than Type D, and some researchers see it as a coping habit rather than a personality type.
Which personality type is the rarest?
There’s no reliable data on that. The four letters weren’t built as one test, so nobody has measured how common each type is in the same group of people.
Can you be more than one type?
Yes, and most people are. You might be Type A at work and Type C with family. Look at your top two bars together. They often explain more than the single letter.
Sources
- Type A Personality — Simply Psychology
- Type C – personality or coping strategy? — Peterková et al., 2013 (Masaryk University record)
- The Type C Connection by Lydia Temoshok and Henry Dreher — Kirkus Reviews, 1992
- Distressed personality type — Wikipedia
- Type D personality (DS14) — PsyToolkit survey library
- DS14: Standard assessment of negative affectivity, social inhibition, and Type D personality — Denollet, Psychosomatic Medicine, 2005