Free self-tests · 1 min · 6 questions
Perfectionism test: how high are your standards?
Perfectionism is the drive for things, and sometimes people, to be flawless. High standards can bring good work and pride. When nothing ever feels finished or good enough, they can also bring exhaustion, delay and a constant sense of falling short.
These six statements come from the public-domain International Personality Item Pool, as used in the CAT-PD research project. They describe how strongly perfectionism shows up in you. It is not a diagnosis of anything.
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Describe yourself as you generally are now, not as you wish to be in the future. Describe yourself as you honestly see yourself, in relation to other people you know of the same sex as you are, and roughly your same age. So that you can describe yourself in an honest manner, your responses will be kept in absolute confidence. Indicate for each statement whether it is 1. Very Inaccurate, 2. Moderately Inaccurate, 3. Neither Accurate Nor Inaccurate, 4. Moderately Accurate, or 5. Very Accurate as a description of you.
Your results
This is a self-report questionnaire, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified professional can assess you properly.
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The IPIP doesn't publish clinical cut-offs or population norms for this scale. The bands above simply divide the answer range. This scale comes from a research project on personality difficulties, but a high score on its own says nothing about a disorder. It describes a tendency.
Perfectionism often grows in homes where love or safety seemed to depend on doing well, and in families or communities where a daughter's achievements reflect on everyone. For some women it shows up as never resting until the house, the children and the job are all just right.
If high standards come with constant self-criticism, low mood, disordered eating or sleepless nights, please talk to a GP or another qualified health professional. Eating difficulties in particular need specialist support. If you need someone to talk to now, the helplines page lists free services.
Person-centred counselling doesn't set you another target. It offers acceptance as you are, which can make it easier to question where the standards came from. I am a trainee counsellor working under supervision. You might read about people-pleasing, family duty and the self or try the self-compassion test.
How the 6 items score works
6 questions, scored as the average of your answers. These are the score ranges this page uses to describe your result. Where the questionnaire's authors publish official cut-offs, the ranges follow them; the sources are listed below.
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Lower perfectionism | 1 to 2.49 |
| Moderate perfectionism | 2.5 to 3.5 |
| Higher perfectionism | 3.51 to 5 |
About this questionnaire
IPIP CAT-PD Short Form, Perfectionism scale (6 items) by Leonard J. Simms, Lewis R. Goldberg and colleagues (CAT-PD project), via the International Personality Item Pool (2011).
Simms, L. J., Goldberg, L. R., Roberts, J. E., Watson, D., Welte, J., & Rotterman, J. H. (2011). Computerized adaptive assessment of personality disorder: Introducing the CAT-PD project. Journal of Personality Assessment, 93(4), 380–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2011.577475
Used in line with the published terms of use.
Questions people ask
Is perfectionism a bad thing?
Not in itself. High standards can help you do careful, meaningful work. Perfectionism becomes a problem when nothing ever feels good enough, when mistakes feel unbearable, or when the effort to be flawless costs you rest, relationships or health.
What does a high perfectionism score mean?
It means you agreed with most of the statements, such as not considering a task finished until it is perfect. It doesn't mean you have a disorder. It suggests perfectionism is a strong pattern for you, and it may be worth looking at what it gives you and what it costs.
Where do these questions come from?
They are the six perfectionism items from the short form of the CAT-PD, a research project on personality led by Leonard Simms with Lewis Goldberg. The items belong to the public-domain International Personality Item Pool.
Are my answers private?
Yes. Everything is scored in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent, and refreshing the page clears your answers. There is no account, no email and no tracking of your answers. If you want to keep your result, a screenshot is the simplest way.