Holland code chart: all 15 two-letter RIASEC codes
Find your first letter in a row and your second in a column, then open your two-letter code.
The 6×6 RIASEC code chart
- Adjacent · high consistency
- One corner apart · medium consistency
- Opposite · low consistency
- Single-letter type
- Same code, other order
If the chart is wider than your screen, swipe sideways to see the rest.
Legend
- Adjacent · high consistency · Neighbors on the hexagon: interests that point in a similar direction and often appear together.
- One corner apart · medium consistency · Two types one corner apart on the hexagon.
- Opposite · low consistency · Types facing each other on the hexagon: a less common mix, not a wrong result.
- Single-letter type · Diagonal cells open each of the six type profiles.
- Same code, other order · Cells below the diagonal (such as SA) open the page written in hexagon order (AS), which explains both orders.
Find your code with the RIASEC test
Three ways to read your code
Holland’s theory looks beyond the letters of a code, at the shape of your scores and at the setting you are in now.
- Consistency
- How close your top two types sit on the hexagon. The closer they are, the more your interests point one way and the easier a fitting role is to find; the further apart, the more the task becomes finding a place that uses both.
- Differentiation
- How far apart your highest and lowest scores are. A wide gap means your likes and dislikes are clear-cut; six similar scores are read as a sign that there is still plenty to explore.
- Congruence
- How well your code overlaps with the code of where you study or work. Holland held that settings such as majors and workplaces can be sorted into the six types too, and that the better the two match, the more likely people are to feel satisfied and stay.
How to read the chart
Got a two-letter code from a career or interest test? Find the first letter in a row and the second in a column, then open the cell where they meet. Both orders of a code (for example SA and AS) are explained on one page, and the diagonal leads to each single-letter type.
- Find the first letter of your result in a row and the second in a column, then open the cell where they meet.
- Codes below the diagonal, such as SA, open the page written in hexagon order (AS). That page also covers how the first letter shifts the reading.
- Each cell’s color and symbol show how close the two types sit on the hexagon. Closer means interests that point in a similar direction; it is not a ranking.
Common questions
Are SA and AS different codes?
They combine the same two types, so one page explains both. The first letter marks the stronger interest, though: SA leans more toward helping people, AS more toward creating and expressing.
Is an opposite code (low consistency) a wrong result?
No. Types across the hexagon scoring high together is less common, but it is not an error. It means you hold quite different interests, so you might look for work that uses both, or let work and hobbies cover one each.
Do I need two letters or three?
Two letters give a general direction, but if your second and third scores are close, read three. This chart covers the 15 two-letter combinations; each single-letter profile helps with the third.
What if my school career test and this RIASEC result differ?
Tests use different questions and norms, so results can vary a little. Focus on the letters that come out high in both, and use real experiences to check which activities you enjoy.
How do I find careers from my Holland code?
To find careers from a Holland code, scan the broad group of jobs that involve both letters rather than hunting for one or two jobs with exactly your code. Career information services such as O*NET in the United States tag each occupation with a Holland code, so you can search by code there. Once a job on the list appeals to you, find out what a typical day in it really looks like and try it out through a short experience.
Does your Holland code change as you get older?
Interest codes tend to move around in the teens and then settle down from about the early twenties. Studies that followed people’s interests over several years report that the order of types shifts less in early adulthood than in adolescence. Even so, a second or third letter often changes after you spend real time in a new field of study or work, so check again whenever you are weighing a career move.
Interest codes are a reference for exploring careers. They do not measure aptitude or ability, and the same code fits different people differently.