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Perfectionism Test

20 Questions
3 Minutes

Are you a perfectionist?

Striving for excellence in all that you do is a worthy goal. Adaptive perfectionists set ambitious goals, work hard to achieve them, and are rewarded with personal growth. Yet some people eschew excellence in favor of perfection, holding themselves to impossibly high standards and feeling worthless when they are unable to measure up. Are you rigid or do you let things slide?

Using the key below, answer the questions based on how strongly you agree or disagree with the statement.

Never
Never
Sometimes
Always
Always
1. I think I should have done better on every task I complete.
Never
Always
2. I take the time to make my work flawless.
Never
Always
3. When I work on a task, I fixate on the possibility of failing at it.
Never
Always
4. I plan everything out.
Never
Always
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5. It is a problem to be considered "average" at something.
Never
Always
6. When other people are more successful than me, I feel second-rate.
Never
Always
7. I feel inferior if I don't set very high standards for myself.
Never
Always
8. I easily forgive myself when I make a mistake.
Never
Always
9. As a child, I felt I had to be in first place all the time.
Never
Always
10. When a schoolmate or colleague does a better job than me, I know I can still be successful.
Never
Always
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11. I see shoddy work everywhere.
Never
Always
12. People tell me that my standards are too high.
Never
Always
13. I am afraid of not measuring up in my own eyes.
Never
Always
14. I avoid comparing myself to others.
Never
Always
Macrovector / Shutterstock
15. People tell me that I am a perfectionist.
Never
Always
16. I spend a lot of time making sure my work meets my own standards, sometimes at the expense of deadlines.
Never
Always
17. I think it is important to hold oneself to the highest standards at all times.
Never
Always
18. I get irrationally mad at myself for not meeting my own standards.
Never
Always
19. I procrastinate on important work for fear of not doing it extremely well.
Never
Always
20. I feel second-rate when other people are more intelligent than me.
Never
Always
Psychology Today's online self-tests are intended for informational purposes only and are not diagnostic tools. Psychology Today does not capture or store personally identifiable information, and your identity cannot be determined from your responses. Aggregated self-test responses are stored to improve the tests and provide performance comparisons. Psychology Today uses third party cookies such as Google Analytics to collect visitor data on this page without sharing any personal data, ensuring your identity cannot be determined from your visit. There are no advertising partners included on these self-test pages. If you wish to remove cookies from this site or opt out of data sharing, please click 'Do not share or sell my personal information' below. For a reliable medical diagnosis, please consult a professional.

Who Is This Perfectionism Test For?

This test is for anyone who feels the need to be perfect and feels failure because of it. It is also for those who want to make more of an effort in a job well done. This test is designed for adults and is not intended to be diagnostic.

We value your privacy - see how we protect the info you provide when you take this test.

Get Help With Perfectionism

A mental healthcare provider can help guide your perfectionist tendencies. Find a healthcare professional in your area on the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

Sources

  • B. Gaultiere. Self-Assessment Perfectionism Screening Test
  • R.O. Frost, P.A. Marten. Perfectionism and Evaluative Threat. Cognitive Therapy and Research
  • A. Parks, et al. A Self-Report Measure of Perfectionism: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Swedish Version of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire.
  • M.M. Antony. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Perfectionism.
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