About the test
Narcissism test
Explore four traits related to grandiose narcissism with a free self-report questionnaire based on CAT-PD scales. See how your answers relate to dominance, attention, entitlement and exploitation, with explanations to support reflection.
Questionnaire / instrument: CAT-PD (IPIP)
The test at a glance
- Price
- Free, including results
- Registration
- No account required
- Length
- 25 statements
- Time
- About 4 minutes
- Format
- Self-report · five response options
- Your report
- Four traits and an overall index
The four traits
Each part uses a different CAT-PD scale. Our result labels describe the following tendencies:
Leadership and authority
Wanting authority, control and influence over decisions. The source scale is Domineering; it does not assess leadership ability.
Attention and self-display
Seeking attention and enjoying standing out. The source scale is Exhibitionism.
Entitlement and superiority
Expecting special treatment and feeling superior to others. The source scale is Grandiosity.
Exploitativeness
Using or deceiving others for personal gain. The source scale is Manipulativeness.
What your results show
Your report is available after completing the questionnaire. Preview an example before starting.
- Four trait scores with explanations and estimated comparisons to a research sample.
- An overall index averaging the four estimated percentiles.
- Notes on interpretation, the reference sample and the limits of the method.
What does it measure?
Four self-reported traits related to grandiose narcissism: dominance, attention-seeking, grandiosity and manipulativeness. The profile separates these tendencies rather than assigning a personality type.
Where does it come from?
The statements come from four CAT-PD static form v1.1 scales by Simms and colleagues, published through IPIP. Our selection, presentation and overall summary are our own adaptation, not the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI).
How is the result calculated?
Answers are scored from 1 to 5, with reverse-keyed statements reversed, then averaged within each scale. Published means and standard deviations from a New Zealand university sample (Sellbom and colleagues, 2024, Table S3a) give estimated percentiles under a normal-distribution assumption. The overall score averages the four percentiles; it is an index, not an overall percentile.
What can the result tell you?
Our overall summary has not been validated as a separate narcissism scale. Skewed reference distributions make the percentiles approximate, and the student sample does not represent everyone. This profile cannot diagnose or rule out narcissistic personality disorder and does not comprehensively assess vulnerable narcissism.
Languages and adaptations
English follows the source statements. Other languages are our own AI-assisted translations and have not been independently validated. Our explanations and result commentary are written for this website.
Frequently asked questions
Is the test and result report free?
Yes. You can answer all statements and read your report without paying or creating an account.
Does a score of 70 mean I am 70% narcissistic?
No. The overall score is an average of four estimated percentiles. It is neither a percentage of narcissism nor the probability of a diagnosis.
Is this the NPI or a clinical diagnostic test?
Neither. We use four CAT-PD scales and our own summary. Neither a high nor a low score establishes or rules out a personality disorder.
Can I take it for my partner or someone else?
This is a self-report questionnaire. Answer about yourself, not someone else. It cannot provide a valid assessment of another person through your answers.
How should I answer?
Describe your usual behaviour honestly, rather than an ideal version of yourself or one unusual day. There are no right or wrong answers.
License and reuse
Public domainIPIP places its items and scales in the public domain. They may be used, copied, adapted and translated for commercial and non-commercial purposes without a fee or separate permission.
The terms below apply to the test materials. Articles, translations, software and our result descriptions may have separate terms.
Sources and further reading
Simms, L. J., Goldberg, L. R., Roberts, J. E., Watson, D., Welte, J., & Rotterman, J. H. (2011). Computerized adaptive assessment of personality disorder: Introducing the CAT-PD project. Journal of Personality Assessment, 93(4), 380-389. Items from the CAT-PD static form (v1.1) in the International Personality Item Pool (ipip.ori.org), public domain.