One criticism notes that the way she frames the questions affects the answers-in order to score high, a respondent must answer the perseverance questions in the affirmative but the passion questions in the negative. Critiques of Angels Duckworth’s Grit TestĪ number of psychologists have critiqued Duckworth’s test. It’s hard to maintain that passion over a consistent period of time without giving up. It’s easy to get attracted to a new idea. It seems to be easier for most people to work hard than to maintain a consistent focus. The second questions deal with passion-how consistently you maintain your interests over time.ĭuckworth notes that many people score higher in perseverance than in passion. The first six questions deal with perseverance-your ability to persist through obstacles. The 99th percentile, or the very top, has a grit score of 5.9Īngela Duckworth’s grit test measures both perseverance and passion.The 80th percentile, or above average, has a grit score of 5.2.The 50th percentile, or average, has a grit score of 4.6.The 10th percentile, or well below average, has a grit score of 3.0.Here are the approximate percentiles of grit across the population: The higher your score, then the more grit you have. Now add up your score-there’s a possible total of 60. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete.įor the first six questions, score your choices as:įor the second six questions, score your choices as:.I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest.I become interested in new pursuits every few months.New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones.I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one.I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.I have achieved a goal that took years of work.You can find this test, and a shorter, 8-question version, on her website.) (Shortform note: The book covers only 10 items, but the quiz we’re including below is an adaptation of the original 12-item Grit Scale from Duckworth’s landmark 2007 study. You can take it yourself and see how much grit you have.
How do you measure grit? Duckworth quantifies grit through a self-assessment that she developed. Here is Angela Duckworth’s grit test and its critiques. However, many psychologists have critiqued her test for a number of reasons. In her book Grit, Angela Duckworth put together a grit test to measure where you are on the grit scale-in other words, to see how gritty you are. Is Angela Duckworth’s grit test in Grit actually useful? What are some criticisms of the grit test?
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This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Grit" by Angela Duckworth.