Psychology tests explained.
Clear, reviewed guides to the major psychological tests - what each one measures, how it is scored, and how to read a result against the population that actually fits you. Browse by the question you are asking, or switch to the formal psychometric categories.
Who am I?
Personality, traits, and identity
The HEXACO-60 measures six personality dimensions, including the Honesty-Humility factor the Big Five misses. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are interpreted against the population that fits you.
The Big Five (OCEAN) measures five broad personality traits - Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability. Interactive guide to what each trait means, how it is scored, and how your result reads against the population that fits you.
The Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) is the research-standard attachment style test. Interactive guide to the two dimensions it measures - attachment anxiety and avoidance - how the four styles (secure, anxious, avoidant, fearful) arise from them, how it is scored, and how a result is read against the population that fits you.
The Dark Triad test (Short Dark Triad, SD3) measures three normal-range personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. Interactive, non-judgmental guide to what each trait means, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
Integrity and honesty tests come in two kinds - overt tests that ask directly about dishonest conduct, and personality-based tests that infer integrity from broad traits. An even-handed guide to what they measure, how they relate to the HEXACO Honesty-Humility trait, and how a score is read.
The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale separates healthy striving from self-critical perfectionism across five dimensions. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.
The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) is the most widely used measure of trait impulsiveness, across three facets: attentional, motor and non-planning. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.
The Sensation Seeking Scale measures the drive for novel, varied and intense experiences across four components: Thrill & Adventure Seeking, Experience Seeking, Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility. Interactive guide to what each means, how it is scored, and how a result is read against the population that fits you.
A fair, research-grounded guide to the MBTI and 16 Personalities: the four dichotomies, all 16 type codes and nicknames, what the science actually says about its reliability and validity, and how each MBTI dimension maps onto the Big Five.
A fair, research-grounded guide to the Enneagram: all nine types and their nicknames, the three centres of intelligence, what the science actually says about its validity, and how the types loosely overlap with the Big Five.
A fair, research-grounded guide to DISC: the four behavioural styles - Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness - what the science actually says about its validity, and how each style maps onto the Big Five.
A fair, research-grounded guide to the 5 Love Languages: the five categories of affection, what the science actually says about the model, and how the idea maps onto attachment and relationship research.
A fair, research-grounded guide to the introvert and extrovert idea: why it is one continuous spectrum rather than two types, why most people are ambiverts, what "introvert" and "extrovert" actually bundle together, and how it maps onto the Big Five trait of Extraversion.
A fair, research-grounded guide to CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder): the four domains, the 34 talent themes, what the science actually says about its validity, and how the strengths map onto the Big Five.
A fair, research-grounded guide to the True Colors personality framework: the four colours - Blue, Gold, Green and Orange - what the science actually says about its validity, and how each colour maps onto the Big Five.
A fair, research-grounded guide to the Type A and Type B personality idea: where it came from, why the heart-disease link was overstated, why hostility is the part that actually matters, and how it maps onto the Big Five.
An honest answer to "what is the best, most accurate personality test?" - why MBTI, Enneagram and DISC are fun but limited, and why the Big Five and HEXACO are the measures psychologists actually trust.
A clear guide to personality tests - the science-based ones psychologists use (Big Five, HEXACO), the popular frameworks (MBTI, Enneagram, DISC), and the focused traits like the Dark Triad, attachment style and perfectionism.
How do I think?
Intelligence, reasoning, and cognition
A short 16-item IQ test estimates general reasoning ability (the g factor) in about 10 minutes and reports it on the standard IQ metric with a population percentile. Interactive guide to what it measures, why scores are capped at 160, and how a result is read against the population that fits you.
The Need for Cognition Scale (NCS, Cacioppo & Petty) measures intellectual curiosity - how much you seek out and enjoy effortful thinking. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
A clear guide to intelligence and cognitive testing - what an IQ test actually measures, how need for cognition differs from ability, and where emotional intelligence fits as a separate kind of intelligence.
What drives me?
Values, motivation, and beliefs
The Grit Scale by Angela Duckworth measures perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Interactive guide to the two facets it measures - consistency of interest and perseverance of effort - how it is scored, how grit overlaps with conscientiousness, and how a result is read against the population that fits you.
The Schwartz personal values test maps ten basic values onto a motivational circle of four higher-order priorities. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how your value priorities are read against the population that fits you.
A locus of control test measures whether you see outcomes as following from your own actions or from outside forces. Interactive guide to internal vs external control beliefs - the Rotter I-E scale and the Levenson Internal, Powerful Others and Chance dimensions - how they are scored, and how a result is read against the population that fits you.
What do I love?
Interests, passions, and what energizes you
How am I doing?
Well-being, emotions, and resilience
The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is the most widely used measure of global self-esteem - 10 short items, public domain. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is the world's most widely used measure of perceived stress - how unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloaded life has felt this past month. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is a free, public-domain burnout measure used worldwide as an open alternative to the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Interactive guide to what a real burnout test measures across personal, work-related and client-related exhaustion, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is the most cited single-factor mindfulness test - 15 short items measuring present-moment attention and awareness in everyday life. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS, Neff) is the standard worldwide measure of self-compassion - how kindly you treat yourself when things go wrong. Interactive guide to its three positive components, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS, Diener) is the most widely used life-satisfaction test in the world - five short items capturing your overall, reflective judgment of life as a whole. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is the standard short measure of the ability to bounce back from stress - 6 items, public domain. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R, Scheier & Carver) is the standard measure of dispositional optimism - how much you generally expect good rather than bad outcomes. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ, Steger) measures two sides of meaning - how much meaning you currently feel (Presence) and how actively you are seeking it (Search). Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF measures four sides of quality of life - physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.
The PHQ-9 is the most widely used brief depression screening questionnaire - 9 items, public domain. Plain-language guide to what it measures, how it is scored against established cut-off bands, and what each band means. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The GAD-7 is the most widely used brief anxiety screening questionnaire - 7 items, public domain. Plain-language guide to what it measures, how it is scored against established cut-off bands, and what each band means. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The ASRS v1.1 is the WHO adult ADHD self-report screener - a 6-item Part-A screen plus 12 further symptom items. Plain-language guide to what it measures, how the screen-positive rule works, and what it does and does not tell you. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The AQ (Autism-Spectrum Quotient) is the most widely used self-report measure of autistic traits in adults, with a 50-item form and a brief 10-item version. Plain-language guide to what it measures, how it is scored against established cut-off bands, and what each band means. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The OCI-R (Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised) is the most widely used brief self-report measure of OCD symptoms - 18 items across six symptom areas. Plain-language guide to what it measures, how it is scored against its established cut-off, and what each band means. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The PCL-5 is the most widely used self-report PTSD checklist - 20 items, public domain. A gentle, plain-language guide to what it covers, how the total is read against a provisional cut-off, and what that means. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The MDQ is the most widely used self-report bipolar-spectrum screener - 13 symptom items plus two follow-up questions. A plain-language guide to what it covers and how the positive-screen rule works. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The EAT-26 is the most widely used eating-disorder screening questionnaire - 26 items. A compassionate, plain-language guide to what it covers, how the cut-off of 20 works, and why some behavioural answers prompt a referral on their own. Informational, not a diagnosis.
The UCLA Loneliness Scale is the most widely used measure of how connected a person feels. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you. Loneliness is common and changeable, not a diagnosis.
The Brief COPE measures how you deal with stress across three higher-order styles: problem-focused, emotion-focused and avoidant coping. Interactive guide to what each means, how it is scored, and how a result is read against the population that fits you - with the honest caveat that adaptive coping is context-dependent.
A compassionate, careful guide to mental-health screening tools - what the PHQ-9, GAD-7 and other screeners can and cannot tell you, why they are not a diagnosis, and how to find professional help.
Where am I headed?
Career direction and skills
A research-based trait emotional intelligence test (TEIQue-style self-report) measuring how you perceive, use, understand and manage emotions, on the four-branch model. Interactive guide to what each branch means, how it is scored, and how your result reads against the population that fits you.
The self-efficacy test measures generalized self-efficacy - your belief that you can handle difficult situations and reach your goals - in the General Self-Efficacy Scale tradition. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The self-control test is built on the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS), the dominant short measure of trait self-control. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The empathy test is built on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the most widely used multidimensional empathy measure - four subscales. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.
The Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS) is a widely used short measure of irrational delay - 12 items, public domain. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how a score is read against the population that fits you.
The Tromso Social Intelligence Scale measures three sides of social intelligence - reading people, social skill, and social awareness. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.
The Cultural Intelligence Scale measures four sides of CQ - metacognitive, cognitive, motivational, and behavioral. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.
The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) measures two ways of handling feelings - cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Interactive guide to what it measures, how it is scored, and how scores are read against the population that fits you.