The short answer
Psychological tests are structured tools that specialists use to measure symptoms, traits or abilities, and they fall into two basic types: short screening tests that help you know whether you need an assessment, such as the depression test and the anxiety test, and lengthy diagnostic and measurement tests that are only carried out by a doctor or psychologist, such as IQ, personality, projective and neurological tests. On this page you will find a guide to all the types, and seventeen interactive screening tests that give you an instant result without saving your answers, with an explanation of what each result means and when you need a doctor.
- A screening testGuides you and doesn't diagnose you
- DiagnosisNeeds a doctor, an interview and a full assessment
- Your privacyScoring happens on your device and answers aren't saved
Many people type "free psychological test" into Google wanting an answer to one question: is what I feel normal, or does it need treatment? This is a legitimate question, and approved tests can help answer it if used the right way. In this section we explain what psychological tests are, their types and how doctors use them, and we put in your hands screening tests, some based on well-known international scales and some prepared by our medical team, with a clear note on the limits of each.
What are psychological tests?
A psychological test is a set of standardized questions or tasks, applied and scored in a fixed way, and its result is then compared with known norms gathered from studies on large numbers of people. This is what sets it apart from the "personality tests" circulating on social media; a scientific test has validity, meaning it really measures what it claims to measure, and reliability, meaning its result doesn't change much if repeated in similar conditions.
There is no single psychological test that reveals everything. The doctor chooses the tool according to the question being asked: is there depression? How severe is it? Is the patient improving with treatment? Is there a memory difficulty? And what do their personality traits look like? Each question has a different tool.
Types of psychological tests
Screening tests and symptom scales
Short questionnaires the person answers themselves in minutes, measuring the presence and severity of certain symptoms, such as the PHQ-9 depression scale and the GAD-7 anxiety scale. They are used in clinics to detect cases early and to follow improvement with treatment, and they are the only type that is suitable for you to try yourself online.
Personality tests
They measure personality traits and patterns, and among the best known are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Big Five personality factor tests. They often contain hundreds of questions, and interpreting them requires a trained specialist, because the result is read as a whole and not as separate scores.
Projective tests
Such as the Rorschach inkblot test and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), in which the person is shown something ambiguous and asked to describe what they see or tell a story. Some specialists use them to understand the way of thinking and feelings, but their interpretation depends on the examiner's experience and they can't properly be self-administered.
Intelligence and ability tests
Such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Stanford-Binet scale, which measure verbal and practical abilities, working memory and processing speed. They are carried out in a live session with a specialist, and are used in assessing learning difficulties, intellectual disability and some neurological conditions.
Neuropsychological tests
They measure memory, attention, planning and language, and include short tests doctors use to screen memory in the elderly, and lengthy batteries after head injuries or when dementia is suspected. Together with medical tests, they help distinguish between the different causes of memory weakness.
Child and development tests
They include scales filled in by parents and teachers about attention and behavior, and specialized interview and observation tools for assessing autism and developmental stages. Diagnosis in children in particular is never built on a single questionnaire.
The screening tests available on Riviera Life
The collection includes two kinds of tests. The first is eight internationally known screening scales used in research and clinics, which we have translated in simplified form for awareness, each carrying the name of the original scale. The second is nine awareness tests prepared by the medical team at Riviera Life on topics people often ask about, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality and phone addiction; they are based on the description of symptoms in the diagnostic manuals but are not research-standardized scales. In both cases the test gives you an instant result and an explanation of its meaning, and your answers are neither saved nor sent to any party.
Mood, anxiety and trauma
7 testsFrom one to five minutes per test
- The PHQ-9 depression test: nine questions about the past two weeks.
- The GAD-7 anxiety test: seven questions measuring the severity of anxiety.
- The PC-PTSD-5 post-traumatic stress disorder test: five questions after a traumatic event.
- The obsessive-compulsive disorder test: ten questions about intrusive thoughts and rituals, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The social phobia test: ten questions about the fear of others' judgment, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The bipolar test: ten yes-or-no questions about episodes of elevated mood, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The psychological stress test: ten questions about pressures and their effect over the past month, prepared by Riviera Life.
Addiction and use
3 testsThe pattern of use over the past period
- The drug addiction test: eleven questions based on the diagnostic criteria.
- The AUDIT alcohol use test: the World Health Organization's scale.
- The phone addiction test: ten questions about losing control over phone use, prepared by Riviera Life.
Personality and emotions
4 testsStable traits and the way of dealing with feelings
- The narcissistic traits test: ten statements on which you rate yourself honestly, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The borderline personality test: nine statements matching the nine signs, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The anger test: ten questions about the intensity of anger and its consequences, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The Rosenberg self-esteem test: ten statements about how you see yourself.
Attention, sleep and eating
3 testsDifficulties that affect daily life
- The ASRS adult attention deficit hyperactivity test: six questions about the past six months.
- The insomnia test: eight questions about difficulty sleeping and its effect during the day, prepared by Riviera Life.
- The SCOFF eating disorders test: five yes-or-no questions.
Is an online test enough for a diagnosis?
No. A screening test is like a thermometer: it tells you there is something that deserves attention, but it doesn't determine the cause. Symptoms of depression, for example, may be due to an underactive thyroid, certain medicines or substance use, and difficulty concentrating may be anxiety or lack of sleep rather than hyperactivity. That is why the doctor combines the scale's result with the interview, the medical history and tests before making a diagnosis.
On the other hand, a low result doesn't mean everything is fine if you feel your life is being affected. Scales pick up common symptoms, and a different picture of suffering may slip past them.
How do you read your result and what do you do next?
- Answer about your condition in the period the test specifies, not about your worst or best days.
- Consider the result a starting point for a conversation with a specialist, not a final verdict.
- Keep the result and repeat the test after a few weeks if you want to follow the change.
- If thoughts of self-harm appear, seek help today whatever your total score. Read Suicidal thoughts.
Psychological tests within the medical assessment
In an integrated psychological assessment, the scale alone isn't the basis, but part of a bigger picture that includes a detailed interview with the doctor, a history from the family when needed, and medical tests that rule out physical causes; then the doctor chooses the specialized tests that answer a specific question. The details of this step are in the article When do you need a psychiatrist.
When should you seek help?
If any test points to moderate or severe symptoms, or your daily life is already affected, the next step is a conversation with a psychiatrist. The first consultation at Riviera Life is free and confidential on +201507999722.
