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Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ)

Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) Test

In 2 minutes, see how much you avoid or accept tough thoughts and feelings and keep moving toward goals. Quick, clear results support ACT progress tracking and help target what is holding you back.

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Questions: 92 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

28,379 views

2,668 completions

2,274 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

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How the Scales are Structured

example score

43/63

Acceptance and Action (AaA)

Assesses psychological flexibility versus rigidity, indicating how much a person avoids or accepts internal experiences while continuing goal-directed action.

Higher flexibility

Mixed flexibility/avoidance

Higher rigidity/avoidance

9 – 26: Higher flexibility | 27 – 44: Mixed flexibility/avoidance | 45 – 63: Higher rigidity/avoidance

A score of 43 falls in the mixed flexibility/avoidance range, suggesting a moderate tendency to resist or avoid difficult thoughts and feelings at times while still sometimes staying engaged in actions aligned with goals.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Anxiety and stress strugglers

41%OF USERS

People who feel overwhelmed by anxious thoughts or stress take it to see how much they avoid uncomfortable feelings and what might help them stay on track with goals.

Therapy and ACT clients

34%OF USERS

People already in therapy use it to track psychological flexibility over time and pinpoint where they get stuck in avoidance.

Self-improvement goal seekers

25%OF USERS

People working on habits, confidence, or performance take it to understand whether fear or discomfort is steering their choices more than their values.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

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Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

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Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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Used in 52+ countries

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Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Acceptance and Action Scale (AaAS)

Average

48.8

Normal range

41.7 — 55.9

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures psychological flexibility and experiential avoidance. It reflects how strongly thoughts and feelings are resisted versus accepted while continuing goal-directed behavior.

How long does it take to complete and how many items are included?

It takes about 2 minutes to complete. It includes 9 statements.

How should responses be selected?

Choose the option that best reflects how things have been recently. Answer all items without spending too much time on any one statement.

How are the results interpreted?

Higher scores typically indicate greater experiential avoidance and psychological rigidity, while lower scores indicate greater flexibility. Results are intended for screening and tracking change over time rather than making a diagnosis.

How are results commonly used in clinical practice?

They help identify patterns of avoidance and monitor changes during intervention. They can support treatment planning by highlighting areas where internal experiences interfere with valued action.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

flexibility cbt openness to experience tpo

This brief self-report measure is used to screen for patterns of psychological inflexibility, including experiential avoidance and efforts to control unwanted internal experiences. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) provides a rapid snapshot of how strongly a person reports struggling with thoughts and emotions versus engaging in valued actions. It contains 9 items and typically takes about 2 minutes to complete.

Items assess the extent to which internal experiences interfere with behavior and goal-directed activity, supporting monitoring over time in clinical or research contexts. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) is commonly referenced in the acceptance- and mindfulness-based literature (Strosahl & Wilson) as an index of willingness to experience distressing private events while maintaining behavioral engagement.

Author: Kelly G. Wilson, Kirk D. Strosahl, steven-c-hayes

Literature: Bond, F. W., Hayes, S. C., Baer, R. A., Carpenter, K. M., Guenole, N., Orcutt, H. K., Waltz, T., & Zettle, R. D. Preliminary psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II: A revised measure of psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance. Behavior Therapy. 2011.; Bond, F. W., & Bunce, D. The role of acceptance and job control in mental health, job satisfaction, and work performance. Journal of Applied Psychology. 2003.; Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., Wilson, K. G., Bissett, R. T., Pistorello, J., Toarmino, D., Polusny, M. A., Dykstra, T. A., Batten, S. V., Bergan, J., Stewart, S. H., Zvolensky, M. J., Eifert, G. H., Bond, F. W., Forsyth, J. P., Karekla, M., & McCurry, S. M. Measuring experiential avoidance: A preliminary test of a working model. The Psychological Record. 2004.; Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2006.; Barlow, D. H. Anxiety and its disorders: The nature and treatment of anxiety and panic. Guilford Press. 2002.

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