Rate Yourself on this Perfectionism Test

Perfection Grading Scale

Grade yourself on each of the questions below thusly:

• If you answer never to a question give yourself a grade of O 
• If you answer some of the time to a question give yourself a grade of 1 
• If you answer most of the time to a question give yourself a grade of 2 
• If you answer all of the time to a question give yourself a grade of 3 

Add the numbers to get a final grade. 

Questions:

1. You’ve done a decent job on a project and with a deadline imminent do you keep working to meet your standards putting the project behind schedule? 
2. Do you procrastinate because you are afraid you will fail? 
3. If you have worked on a project and no one comments on your contributions do you feel like a failure? 
4. When you look at your work do you tend to notice mistakes and little imperfections more than enjoying what you have accomplished? 
5. Do you tend to notice imperfections in others more than their good aspects? 
6. Do you believe good enough is not good enough? 
7. When you look at your appearance do you notice what you would like to change about yourself more than what you like about your appearance? 
8. Do people tell you that you’re difficult to please? 
9. Do people tell you to relax and enjoy life? 
10. Do you beat yourself up when you fail to meet your expectations? 
11. Do you tend to focus on the bad outcomes rather than focusing of good outcomes? 
12. Does criticism feel like a personal attack on you?

Score: 

I really don’t know how to grade this test because I just made-up the questions and have no standard to give a scientific rating. If this bothers you give yourself an additional 3 points.

Both Vicki and I consider ourselves to be perfectionist. When we took the test we were surprised at how low our scores were. 

I scored myself a 14; Vicki scored herself 13. When we graded each other the score increased by 1 point. 

Based on our scores and considering perfectionist I have know here are the estimated ratings: 

• Score of 28-36 indicates a serious problem with perfectionism that causes you and others around you to be miserable. I would be surprised if a score this high didn’t result in a clinical depression. 
• Score of 21-27 you are liable to have a difficult time enjoying yourself. 
• Score of 16-20 people may tell you to relax from time to time
• Score 8-15 your perfectionism contributes to a successful career. 
• Score 0-7 you are probably on a hammock in Hawaii sipping on a cool one. This test would never interest you.

This grading scale is so random that it is practically useless and may not be helpful at all. (If this statement upsets you, your tolerance level for people like me is extremely low.)