Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness describes how organized, dependable and goal-directed you tend to be. It is one of the five broad traits in the Big Five model of personality. It is a continuum rather than a type: most people fall somewhere in the middle, and both high and low scores come with strengths and trade-offs.
What high and low scores look like
People who score high on conscientiousness tend to plan ahead, keep their commitments, pay attention to detail and keep working on a task until it is done. They like order and often feel uneasy when things are left unfinished.
People who score low on conscientiousness tend to be more spontaneous and flexible. They are comfortable improvising, less bothered by mess, and more likely to follow what feels interesting in the moment than a fixed plan. They can adapt quickly when plans change, but may find deadlines and routine paperwork harder.
The six facets
The longer version of the test (the IPIP-NEO, built from the public-domain International Personality Item Pool) splits conscientiousness into six narrower facets:
- Self-efficacy: confidence that you can get things done.
- Orderliness: a liking for tidiness, lists and structure.
- Dutifulness: a strong sense of obligation and keeping promises.
- Achievement-striving: working hard towards ambitious goals.
- Self-discipline: starting tasks and sticking with them despite boredom.
- Cautiousness: thinking before acting rather than acting on impulse.
Researchers who compared conscientiousness scales from seven different questionnaires found a similar layered structure, with industriousness, order and self-control among its clearest parts.[1]
How it is measured
Conscientiousness is measured with short statements such as "I get chores done right away" that you rate for how well they describe you. Your answers are averaged and compared with a large reference group to give a percentile. It describes how you see yourself now. It is not a diagnosis and not a judgement of your worth.
What research says
Conscientiousness is one of the most consistent predictors of performance at work and in study. A review of job performance studies found that it was related to performance across every occupational group examined, from professionals to skilled and semi-skilled work.[2] A review of studies with over 70,000 students found that conscientiousness was related to academic performance largely independently of intelligence.[3]
It is also linked to health. A review of 194 studies found that conscientiousness-related traits were associated with fewer risky health behaviours, such as smoking and risky driving, and with more healthy ones, such as exercise.[4] Another review that combined 20 samples found that people higher in conscientiousness tended to live longer, with the clearest links for persistence and orderliness.[5] In long-term studies, the size of personality's link with outcomes such as mortality, divorce and career attainment was comparable to that of socioeconomic status and cognitive ability.[6]
Conscientiousness tends to change across adulthood. Combining long-term studies, researchers found that it rises, on average, especially between the ages of 20 and 40.[7]
These are average patterns across many people, and the links are modest in size for any one person. A high score does not guarantee success, and a low score does not prevent it.
Living with your conscientiousness score
If you score high, your reliability is a strength; it can help to notice when perfectionism or rigid plans cost more than they give. If you score low, simple external structure (calendar reminders, short to-do lists, working alongside others) can make follow-through easier without forcing you to become someone you are not. Your flexibility and ease with change are real strengths too.
The free test takes about three minutes and shows your personality archetype, based on all five traits. A full report with your scores on each trait is available after the test.