Free Perfectionism Test: Are You A Perfectionist?

📅 4 Jun 2025 • 📖 5 min read

Perfectionism, loosely defined as an attempt to fix defects and be perfect in all aspects of life, can be positive or negative.

  • Positive perfectionism: In this, you strive for high, but healthy, standards and enjoy doing your best. It is related to positive experiences, like taking steps to boost motivation, building a positive mindset, and growing self-esteem and self-efficacy.
  • Negative perfectionism: In this, you set unrealistically high standards for yourself. It is linked to negative outcomes, such as low resilience and self-esteem, anxiety, procrastination, irrational beliefs and negativism, and depression symptoms.

Positive perfectionism often leads to personal growth and achievement.

Negative perfectionism can make you overly self-critical, anxious, and afraid of failure, which can make it hard to unwind and reboot your brain. There’s a strong link between type A personality, perfectionism, and migraine (Amraei & Mosayebi, 2020).

Take the test below to find out if you have a streak of perfectionism.

Are You A Perfectionist? A Quick Check

Ever wonder if your drive for excellence might be leaning into perfectionism? Take this quick, informal quiz to gain a little insight into your tendencies. This isn’t a diagnostic tool, just a starting point for self-reflection!

1. I set extremely high standards for myself in most areas of my life.

2. I often worry excessively about making mistakes.

3. I feel like I need to be perfect to earn approval from others.

4. I am highly critical of my own performance, even when others think it’s good.

5. I struggle to relax if things aren’t perfectly organized or completed.

6. I tend to procrastinate on tasks because I’m afraid I won’t do them perfectly.

7. I find it difficult to move on from a task until it’s flawless.

8. I often feel frustrated or upset when I don’t meet my high goals.

9. I believe there is always a perfect way to do things.

10. I constantly compare my achievements to others who seem flawless.

Your Score: /50

Interpretation: This score reflects your overall tendency towards perfectionistic thinking and behaviors.

  • Score 10-25: You likely have a healthy approach to standards, emphasizing effort and growth over flawlessness.
  • Score 26-40: You show some perfectionistic tendencies. While striving for excellence can be positive, reflect on whether your pursuit of perfection sometimes leads to stress or self-criticism.
  • Score 41-50: You exhibit strong perfectionistic tendencies. This might mean you consistently set extremely high standards, worry excessively about mistakes, and are very critical of yourself. While this can drive achievement, it might also be impacting your well-being.

This quiz is for self-reflection only and is **not a substitute for professional psychological assessment or advice.** If you resonate with the higher scores or find that perfectionistic tendencies are causing significant distress, anxiety, procrastination, or impacting your daily life, considering a consultation with a qualified mental health professional (such as a psychologist or therapist) for further testing and personalized guidance is highly recommended. They can provide a comprehensive evaluation and support tailored to your needs.

are you a perfectionist - measure your perfectionism

For those more academically bent, check your perfectionism with the Ahvaz Perfectionism Scale (Najarian, Atari, & Zargar,1989):

Ahvaz Perfectionism Scale (APS)

AHS was developed by Najarian, Atari, & Zargar (1989).

INSTRUCTIONS: Indicate how often each of the statements below describes you.

Response Options:

  • 1 - Never
  • 2 - Seldom
  • 3 - Sometimes
  • 4 - Often

1. I strive for perfection in everything I do.

2. I often feel that my work is not good enough.

3. I set extremely high standards for myself.

4. I am excessively concerned with making mistakes.

5. Other people expect me to be perfect.

6. I find it difficult to relax unless everything is perfect.

7. I am overly critical of my own performance.

8. I can't stand it when things are messy or disorganized.

9. I often procrastinate because I fear I won't do things perfectly.

10. I am very particular about the way I do things.

11. I am usually satisfied with my efforts.

12. I spend a lot of time checking my work for errors.

13. I am critical of others who don't meet my standards.

14. I feel that I must always be strong and in control.

15. It upsets me when I don't perform perfectly.

16. I am comfortable with making mistakes.

17. I easily accept less than perfect results from myself.

18. I am very organized and meticulous in my work.

19. I feel pressured to be perfect by others.

20. I tend to over-analyze my actions and decisions.

21. My personal standards are unreasonably high.

22. I am flexible about my plans and expectations.

23. I get frustrated when I don't meet my goals.

24. I believe there is a perfect solution to every problem.

25. I cannot tolerate imperfections in others.

26. I constantly compare myself to others who seem perfect.

27. I find it hard to move on from tasks until they are flawless.

Your Score: /108

Interpretation: Higher scores indicate a greater tendency towards perfectionism. Remember to reverse score items 11, 16, 17, and 23.

Based on the Ahvaz Perfectionism Scale (APS) by Najarian, Atari, and Zargar (1989).

Other Perfectionism Scales

The most prominent ones identified are:

  • The Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R) by Slaney et al. (2001): This 23-item scale consists of three subscales:
    • High Standards: Reflects the setting of high personal standards (often associated with adaptive perfectionism).
    • Discrepancy: Measures the perceived gap between one's standards and actual performance, along with self-criticism and concern over mistakes (often associated with maladaptive perfectionism).
    • Order: Measures a preference for order and organization.
    • Interpretation Example: The research suggests that if an individual scores high on “High Standards” and “Order” but low on "Discrepancy,” they might be considered an adaptive perfectionist. Conversely, if they score high on all three subscales, especially "Discrepancy," they might be considered a maladaptive perfectionist.
  • The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) by Frost et al. (1990): This 35-item scale originally had six, but is often used with four or six dimensions:
    • Concern over Mistakes (CM): Fear of making mistakes, negative reactions to errors. (Maladaptive)
    • Personal Standards (PS): Setting very high personal goals. (Can be adaptive or maladaptive)
    • Parental Expectations (PE): Perception of high parental expectations. (Maladaptive)
    • Parental Criticism (PC): Perception of parental criticism for not meeting expectations. (Maladaptive)
    • Doubts about Actions (DA): Uncertainty about one's own performance. (Maladaptive)
    • Organization (O): Preference for order and neatness. (Generally adaptive, but can contribute to distress if excessive).
    • The FMPS allows for a profile of perfectionism based on scores across these dimensions. For example, high scores on CM, PE, PC, and DA would strongly suggest maladaptive perfectionism.
  • The Hewitt & Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (HMPS) by Hewitt & Flett (1991): This 45-item scale has three main dimensions:
    • Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP): Setting stringent standards for oneself and being highly self-critical. (Can be adaptive or maladaptive).
    • Other-Oriented Perfectionism (OOP): Holding others to extremely high standards and being critical of their performance. (Generally maladaptive).
    • Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP): Believing that others (e.g., society, family) demand perfection and feeling pressure to meet those external expectations. (Strongly maladaptive).
    • This scale allows researchers and clinicians to identify different sources and targets of perfectionistic demands.

Final Words

Did you know that perfectionists are never satisfied, although they try to do their best?

  • When they don't achieve the desired result, they feel discontent, which then leads to self-blame, and may lead to considering themselves as powerless and worthless. Making them more unhappy.
  • When they achieve the desired result, they feel dissatisfied that their success is not enough, and they could have done better. So they raise the bar and set even higher standards for themselves. Making them feel more unhappy.

If you have an unhealthy streak of perfectionism, learn to appreciate your efforts and achievements, whatever the result is.

Don't push yourself to prove your worth again by setting a higher bar. Instead, savor the moment.

• • •

√ Also Read: 6 Basic Ways To Overcome Perfectionism & Yet Get More Done!

√ Please share it with someone if you found this helpful.

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