Locus of Control Assessment — Internal vs External Personality Quiz
Determines whether a person believes outcomes are controlled by internal or external factors.
Discover whether you tend to believe life outcomes are shaped by your own actions or by outside forces with the Locus of Control Assessment. This Character and Traits quiz uses evidence-based prompts to measure your tendency toward an internal or external locus of control. Knowing your locus of control can help you improve decision-making, increase self-efficacy, and develop resilience in both personal and professional settings.
This Locus of Control Assessment is designed for anyone curious about personality traits, personal responsibility, and motivation. It takes only a few minutes and offers clear insights into whether you are more internally driven—believing you influence outcomes—or externally oriented—believing fate, luck, or other people determine results. Complete the quiz to get actionable recommendations tailored to your score and tips to strengthen your preferred locus where useful.
When a project at work goes well, what do you most often think?
Choose the response that best reflects your instinctive attribution.
If you fail an important task, how do you typically react?
Consider your first reaction when you experience a setback.
How likely are you to take action to change an outcome you don’t like?
Think about how proactive you are when outcomes disappoint you.
When planning for the future, how much do you believe your choices will determine outcomes?
Assess your confidence in the effect of your planning.
If you’re passed over for a promotion, what’s your first thought?
Your immediate attribution reveals your locus orientation.
How do you view feedback from others?
Does feedback prompt action or resignation?
When you set a personal goal, how confident are you that you can achieve it?
Gauge your belief in personal agency and control.
How do you explain others’ successes?
Your attribution style for others' success reflects broader beliefs.
When unexpected problems arise, what is your instinct?
Do you take corrective action or wait for conditions to change?
How often do you credit planning and effort when things go right?
This question assesses the degree you recognize your influence.
When faced with an obstacle, what approach do you prefer?
Choose the option that best describes your problem-solving style.
Which statement best matches your view of success and failure?
This summarizes your general outlook on outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
Locus of control is a psychological concept that describes whether people believe the outcomes in their lives are primarily the result of their own actions (internal locus) or are caused by external forces like luck, fate, or other people (external locus). Understanding your locus of control helps explain how you approach goals, setbacks, and responsibility.
This assessment typically takes 5–10 minutes to complete. It consists of 12 multiple-choice questions designed to give a quick, reliable snapshot of your orientation toward internal versus external control.
The quiz is based on well-established psychological concepts and common attribution-style items used to assess locus of control. While it provides useful personal insights and practical recommendations, it is a self-report screening tool and not a formal clinical diagnosis. For clinical or diagnostic needs, consult a licensed psychologist.
Each answer has a numeric value; the quiz sums these values to produce a total score. Higher positive totals indicate a stronger internal locus of control, negative totals indicate a stronger external locus, and scores near zero indicate a balanced or situational orientation. The results page explains ranges and offers tailored action steps.
Yes. Locus of control can shift due to life experiences, deliberate training (like goal-setting and reflection), coaching, and changes in circumstances. Retaking the quiz after practice or major life events can help you track those changes.
Start with small, measurable goals and track progress so you can see the connection between actions and outcomes. Use self-reflection to identify choices that influence results, practice problem-solving skills, and build competence through stepwise challenges to reinforce personal agency.
Not necessarily. An external orientation can reflect realism in situations where external factors legitimately dominate outcomes, and it may reduce self-blame in uncontrollable circumstances. The goal is balance: use an internal approach where it increases agency and an external perspective when appropriate to accept genuine limits.
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