About the test
Dark personality test (Dark Tetrad)
The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) is a brief research questionnaire for four socially aversive traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism. Our free version uses the published items and compares your scores with a university student sample. The traits describe normal variation that everyone has to some degree, not disorders.
Questionnaire / instrument: SD4
The test at a glance
- Price
- Free, including your results
- Registration
- No account required
- Length
- 28 statements
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- Format
- Self-report · five response options
- Your report
- Four traits with percentiles
The four traits
Following the authors’ advice for feedback, the report uses milder labels and shows the scientific name under each one. Each trait is measured with seven statements.
Crafty (Machiavellianism)
Strategic manipulation: planning ahead, keeping your cards close and using people and alliances to reach your goals.
Special (Narcissism)
A grand view of yourself: feeling special, wanting admiration and enjoying being the centre of attention.
Wild (Psychopathy)
Impulsivity, risk-taking, defiance of authority and a tough, reckless way of dealing with others. This is the everyday trait, not the clinical concept.
Mean (Sadism)
Taking some pleasure in other people’s suffering or embarrassment, from violent entertainment to harsh words.
What your results show
Your scores are calculated as soon as you finish. You can preview an example report before taking the test.
- Four trait scores, each with an estimated percentile compared with the reference sample.
- A level for each trait: lower than most (below the 16th percentile), typical, or higher than most (above the 84th).
- An explanation of your level for each trait, a note on the comparison sample and a link to an article about the dark side of personality.
What does it measure?
Four socially aversive personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism. The questions explore manipulation, self-importance, disinhibition and enjoyment of others’ discomfort.
Where does it come from?
The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) was developed by Delroy Paulhus, Erin Buckels, Paul Trapnell and Daniel Jones. We use their 28-item questionnaire, published in 2021 and provided on Paulhus’s university website.
How is the result calculated?
Seven answers are averaged for each trait. Each average is compared with the means and standard deviations supplied with the original questionnaire, from 637 University of Winnipeg students, and converted to an approximate percentile assuming a normal distribution. Below the 16th percentile is shown as lower than most, above the 84th as higher than most.
What can the result tell you?
Trait names are research terms, not diagnoses or labels to apply to another person. The reference sample is not a representative population, and approximate percentiles should not be read as clinical thresholds.
Languages and adaptations
English follows the source instrument. Our other language versions include AI-assisted translations that have not been independently validated. Our explanations and result commentary are written for this website.
Frequently asked questions
Is the test free, including the results?
Yes. You can answer all the statements and read your full report without paying or creating an account.
What is the difference between the Dark Triad and the Dark Tetrad?
The Dark Triad consists of Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy. The Dark Tetrad adds everyday sadism. Paulhus and colleagues (2021) developed the SD4 to measure all four briefly, with seven statements per trait.
Does a high score mean I am a psychopath or a narcissist?
No. The SD4 measures normal personality variation, not mental disorders. Neither a high nor a low score establishes or rules out a personality disorder. Dark traits can also come with strengths such as strategic thinking, self-confidence and boldness; what matters is how you act.
How is it different from the narcissism and psychopathy tests on this site?
This test gives a quick overview of four traits using the published SD4. The narcissism and psychopathy tests each go deeper into one area with more statements: they are our own groupings of CAT-PD scales, with four traits for narcissism and three dimensions and nine traits for psychopathy. Their scores are calculated differently and cannot be compared directly with SD4 scores.
Who am I compared with?
With 637 students at the University of Winnipeg in Canada (73 percent women, average age 20), using the means and standard deviations published with the questionnaire. Percentiles are estimated assuming a normal distribution, so treat them as approximate. The sample does not represent the general population.
How accurate is it?
In the reference sample, the internal consistency (alpha) of the four scales was .76 to .81. With seven statements per trait, the SD4 is designed for screening and research rather than detailed assessment of individuals. Our translations into other languages have not been validated.
Can I take it for my partner or someone else?
No. The SD4 is a self-report questionnaire, so the person taking it answers about themselves. Answering on someone else’s behalf does not give a valid assessment of them. Answer honestly about yourself: there are no right or wrong answers, and the result is only shown to you and anyone you share it with.
License and reuse
Public-domain permissionDelroy Paulhus lists SD4 among questionnaires available in the public domain without requesting permission. This is the author’s published permission statement, rather than a Creative Commons license.
The terms below apply to the test materials. Articles, translations, software and our result descriptions may have separate terms.
Sources and further reading
Paulhus, D. L., Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Jones, D. N. (2021). Screening for dark personalities: The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 37(3), 208-222.