How the test is scored

kibbebodytypetest.com is an independent Kibbe body type test that maps your answers to the ten current Image Identities, with reference pages for the three retired 1987 types.

1. What the 18 questions measure

The questions are grouped into three passes. The first reads the whole line and scale; the second reads bone structure, flesh and curve; the third reads the face and the way clothes fall. Each answer adds points to one or more visual traits — never to a type directly.

• Part 1 — Line and scale. Start with the whole silhouette. These answers decide whether the line reads long or curved.
• Part 2 — Bone, flesh and curve. Now look at structure and surface: where the frame is broad, narrow, sharp or soft.
• Part 3 — Face and the way clothes fall. The last set covers the details that separate identities in the same family.

Seven traits are scored: vertical, curve, width, balance, petite, narrow and double curve. They are not seven body parts and they are not seven boxes. They are the vocabulary the current ten-identity chart uses.

2. From answers to percentages

For each trait, the test adds the points from your selected answers. It then divides that total by the maximum points available for the trait and rounds to a whole number. The percentage is a share of that trait’s possible signal, not a probability that you “are” a type. Because each trait has a different maximum, percentages are not directly comparable across traits.

3. Choosing the dominant line

If your height answer is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) or taller, the dominant line is vertical. That follows the current method as reported by reviewers of Power of Style. Below that height, the test compares the vertical and curve percentages; the higher one wins, and a tie goes to vertical. The result page tells you when the height rule was applied.

This is a deliberate simplification. The current method asks you to read a personal line, not to score a checklist. A self-test can approximate that reading; it cannot replace it.

4. Choosing the secondary trait

Once the dominant line is set, the test looks at the secondary traits available in that branch and picks the highest percentage. One exception applies: in the vertical branch, a Petite score of 55 or more gates the result to Flamboyant Gamine, because Dramatic is not a petite identity and a small scale should not lose to a slightly higher Narrow score. In the curve branch, the highest secondary trait wins.

5. The no-script worksheet

If JavaScript is off, use the same logic by hand in two steps.

1. Dominant. Drape a light fabric from your shoulders. If it falls in one long line, or your height is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) or more, start with Vertical. If it is pushed out by bust or hip, start with Curve.
2. Secondary. In the Vertical branch, ask which is most obvious: a narrow frame (Dramatic), curve (Soft Dramatic), width (Flamboyant Natural), balance (Dramatic Classic) or petite (Flamboyant Gamine). In the Curve branch, ask: double curve (Romantic), narrow (Theatrical Romantic), width (Soft Natural), balance (Soft Classic) or petite (Soft Gamine).

If two secondaries are equally obvious, read both identity pages. That is the same advice the test gives when its confidence is low.

6. Confidence and the runner-up

The result has three confidence levels. Clear lean means the winning secondary leads the next trait by 12 points or more and the dominant line is also settled. Moderate lean means the lead is smaller. Close call means the secondary lead is under 5 points, or the dominant line is within 5 points and height did not settle it. The runner-up is always the next identity in the same branch.

Confidence is about the answers, not about you. A close call does not mean your body is ambiguous; it means the questionnaire did not separate two lines cleanly.

7. What the test does not measure

• Essence and presence. The original system includes personality and star quality. This test does not.
• Movement and voice. How you walk into a room is part of the impression; a questionnaire cannot see it.
• Facial expression and styling context. Hair, makeup, posture and the clothes you already own change the read.
• Weight change. The framework says the identity does not change with weight; the test asks about line, not size.
• Professional judgement. A certified analyst may see something the test cannot. That is not a flaw in the test; it is the limit of self-assessment.

8. Why ten identities and not thirteen

The 1987 book listed thirteen types. The current system keeps ten: the three pure middle types — Natural, Classic and Gamine — were retired because almost nobody sits exactly at a family midpoint. This site tests the ten current identities and keeps the three retired types as reference pages, so older charts and forum posts still make sense. The 13-to-10 explainer has the full history.

9. Limits of the evidence

There is no published validation study for this questionnaire, and no validated accuracy rate for online Kibbe quizzes in general. The framework itself is a stylist’s system, not a clinical instrument. We publish the method so the result can be inspected, not because a percentage makes it scientific. If a result feels wrong, the useful next step is to compare the two closest type pages and try the lines in a mirror — not to retake the test until it agrees with you.

10. Sources and dates

All pages were checked on 2026-10-26. The primary framework is David Kibbe’s; the interpretation and scoring are ours.

• David Kibbe, David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity and Dazzle as Only You Can (Atheneum, 1987). Out of print. Source for the thirteen types, the five families, the yin/yang vocabulary and the original quiz structure.
• David Kibbe, David Kibbe’s Power of Style: A Guided Journey to Help You Discover Your Authentic Style (Rodale, 2025; ISBN 9780593581148). Source for the current ten identities, the retirement of the pure types, the dominant-plus-additional chart and the personal-line method. Book record: Goodreads.
• davidkibbe.co, the official David Kibbe site, which describes “the original ten archetype Image Identity System”. Accessed 2026-10-26.
• Vogue, “The 1980s Kibbe System Blew Up Because of Social Media” (2025-03-04). Context for the 1987 to 2025 shift.
• The Concept Wardrobe, “The 13 Kibbe Body Types & Their Clothing Lines”. A secondary summary of the 1987 descriptions, used to cross-check the physical cues.
• Decode Your Style, “Kibbe test: the original questions and how to answer them” (2026-10-06). Secondary account of the original quiz and the 2025 change; used for context, not for scoring.
• Doctor T Designs, “Book Review: David Kibbe’s Power of Style” (2025-02-26). A detailed review used to cross-check the ten-identity list and the 5 ft 6 in vertical rule.
• Vox, “What is the Kibbe body type system?” (2022-02-28). Background on yin/yang as neutral descriptors and the reduction from thirteen to ten.

Full answer weights (18 questions, 77 options)

This is the exact point table the test uses. “—” means the option adds no trait points (the height opt-out).

#	Question	Option	Points
1	How tall are you?	Under 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)	Petite 2
1	How tall are you?	5 ft 3 in – 5 ft 5 in (160–166 cm)	Balance 1
1	How tall are you?	5 ft 6 in (168 cm) or taller	Vertical 3
1	How tall are you?	Rather not say	—
2	Drape a light fabric from your shoulders. What happens?	It falls straight down	Vertical 3
2	Drape a light fabric from your shoulders. What happens?	It follows the waist, then falls	Vertical 1 · Curve 1
2	Drape a light fabric from your shoulders. What happens?	It is pushed out at the bust or hip	Curve 3 · Double curve 1
2	Drape a light fabric from your shoulders. What happens?	It falls away from the body, wide	Vertical 1 · Width 3
3	How do people read your overall scale?	Small and dainty	Petite 3
3	How do people read your overall scale?	Average and moderate	Balance 2
3	How do people read your overall scale?	Tall or long	Vertical 2
3	How do people read your overall scale?	Broad or strong	Width 2
4	Your arms and legs, next to your torso	Short in proportion	Petite 2
4	Your arms and legs, next to your torso	Moderate and even	Balance 1
4	Your arms and legs, next to your torso	Long and narrow	Vertical 2 · Narrow 1
4	Your arms and legs, next to your torso	Long and broad	Vertical 1 · Width 1
5	Your hands and feet	Small and narrow	Petite 2 · Narrow 1
5	Your hands and feet	Moderate	Balance 1
5	Your hands and feet	Long and narrow	Vertical 2 · Narrow 1
5	Your hands and feet	Large and wide	Width 2
6	In a full-length mirror, your outline is…	Long and unbroken	Vertical 3
6	In a full-length mirror, your outline is…	Moderate and even	Balance 2
6	In a full-length mirror, your outline is…	Short or compact	Petite 3
6	In a full-length mirror, your outline is…	Long but wide	Vertical 2 · Width 1
7	Your shoulder line	Square and narrow	Vertical 1 · Narrow 2
7	Your shoulder line	Square and broad	Width 3
7	Your shoulder line	Sloped or tapered	Curve 1 · Balance 1
7	Your shoulder line	Rounded	Curve 2 · Double curve 1
8	Your upper back and ribcage	Broad	Width 3
8	Your upper back and ribcage	Moderate	Balance 2
8	Your upper back and ribcage	Narrow	Narrow 2
8	Your upper back and ribcage	Soft and rounded	Curve 2
9	Your waist, from the front	Sharply indented	Curve 2 · Double curve 1
9	Your waist, from the front	Softly defined	Curve 1 · Balance 1
9	Your waist, from the front	Fairly straight	Vertical 1
9	Your waist, from the front	Soft or undefined	Curve 1 · Width 1
10	Your bust line	Flat or straight	Vertical 1
10	Your bust line	Moderate	Balance 1
10	Your bust line	Full and rounded	Curve 2 · Double curve 1
10	Your bust line	Full and wide-set	Curve 1 · Width 1
11	Your hip line	Straight and narrow	Vertical 1 · Narrow 2
11	Your hip line	Gently rounded	Curve 1 · Balance 1
11	Your hip line	Full and rounded	Curve 2 · Double curve 1
11	Your hip line	Wide	Curve 1 · Width 2
12	The surface of your body reads as…	Taut and dry	Vertical 1 · Narrow 1
12	The surface of your body reads as…	Moderate	Balance 1
12	The surface of your body reads as…	Soft and lush	Curve 2 · Double curve 1
12	The surface of your body reads as…	Soft over a broad frame	Curve 1 · Width 1
13	Your bone edges — jaw, wrist, shoulder, knee	Sharp	Narrow 2
13	Your bone edges — jaw, wrist, shoulder, knee	Blunt or broad	Width 2
13	Your bone edges — jaw, wrist, shoulder, knee	Moderate	Balance 2
13	Your bone edges — jaw, wrist, shoulder, knee	Small and delicate	Petite 2 · Narrow 1
14	Your face shape	Angular or long	Vertical 1 · Narrow 1
14	Your face shape	Broad or square	Width 2
14	Your face shape	Oval and balanced	Balance 2
14	Your face shape	Round and soft	Curve 2 · Double curve 1
15	Your facial features	Large, round and full	Curve 2
15	Your facial features	Moderate and even	Balance 2
15	Your facial features	Small and fine	Petite 1 · Narrow 1
15	Your facial features	Prominent and sharp	Narrow 2
16	Which clothes look right with almost no effort?	Long, straight and tailored	Vertical 2 · Narrow 1
16	Which clothes look right with almost no effort?	Draped and waist-defined	Curve 2
16	Which clothes look right with almost no effort?	Relaxed and oversized	Width 2
16	Which clothes look right with almost no effort?	Crisp and moderate	Balance 2
16	Which clothes look right with almost no effort?	Short, broken and contrasty	Petite 2
16	Which clothes look right with almost no effort?	Fitted with a sharp accent	Curve 1 · Narrow 1
17	Which mistake shows up fastest?	Stiff, boxy shapes	Curve 2
17	Which mistake shows up fastest?	Too much small, fussy detail	Vertical 1 · Narrow 1
17	Which mistake shows up fastest?	Long, unbroken columns	Petite 2
17	Which mistake shows up fastest?	Sharp, narrow tailoring	Curve 1 · Width 2
17	Which mistake shows up fastest?	Oversized, shapeless pieces	Balance 1 · Narrow 1
17	Which mistake shows up fastest?	Clothes with no waist at all	Curve 1 · Double curve 1
18	The detail scale that suits you best	Large and bold	Vertical 1 · Width 1
18	The detail scale that suits you best	Medium and even	Balance 2
18	The detail scale that suits you best	Small and delicate	Petite 2
18	The detail scale that suits you best	Ornate and rounded	Curve 1 · Double curve 1
18	The detail scale that suits you best	Sharp and geometric	Vertical 1 · Narrow 1

Method questions

Is the scoring rule the same as David Kibbe’s original quiz?

No. The original 1987 quiz used A-to-E answers and a letter tally. This test uses weighted visual traits, a dominant-line rule and a published mapping to the ten current identities. It is an independent adaptation, not a reproduction.

Why is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) a hard line?

A detailed review of Power of Style (2025) reports that the current method treats 5 ft 6 in and above as automatically vertical. Below that line, vertical and curve are decided by the visual answers. The test follows that rule and tells you when it was applied.

What does a percentage next to a trait mean?

It is the share of that trait’s available points your answers earned. Each trait has a different maximum, so the numbers are not probabilities and should not be compared across traits as if they were a match score.

Why does the test show a runner-up?

Because bodies sit near category lines. When the top two identities are close, the result says so and links both pages. A single label is less useful than knowing which two lines you are choosing between.