World Assumptions Scale (WAS) Test

Taking 37 questions in about 7 minutes, the World Assumptions Scale (WAS) Test explores how you view the world, other people, yourself, luck, and personal control. Your result can highlight underlying assumptions that shape trust, confidence, and coping, offering a focused starting point for self-reflection.

Questions: 377 minutes

World Assumptions Scale (WAS): situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Benevolence of the WorldBotW

Measures the degree to which a person believes the world and other people are generally kind, fair, and safe.

example score7/10

7/10Moderate trustexample score

0 – 4Low trust

5 – 7Moderate trust

8 – 10High trust

A score of 7 suggests a moderately trusting view of the world, with an overall sense of benevolence and safety that may still feel somewhat conditional in certain situations.

JusticeJ

Measures the extent to which a person believes that the world is fair and that outcomes generally align with what people deserve.

example score8/10

8/10High belief in justiceexample score

0 – 4Low belief in justice

5 – 7Moderate belief in justice

8 – 10High belief in justice

A score of 8 indicates a strong tendency to view events as governed by fair principles and to expect that people generally get what they deserve.

Self-ImageSI

This scale measures how positively and confidently a person perceives their own worth and capabilities.

example score6/10

6/10Moderateexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 7Moderate

8 – 10High

A score of 6 suggests a generally stable self-image with some room for stronger self-confidence and self-acceptance.

LuckL

Measures how strongly a person believes that luck and favorable circumstances tend to be on their side.

example score4/10

4/10Moderateexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 7Moderate

8 – 10High

A score of 4 indicates a moderate sense of being lucky, suggesting a mixed or situational expectation of favorable outcomes rather than a consistently optimistic view.

Control BeliefsCB

Measures how strongly a person believes they can influence and manage events in their own life (sense of control).

example score5/10

5/10Moderate controlexample score

0 – 4Low control

5 – 7Moderate control

8 – 10High control

A score of 5 suggests a moderate sense of control, indicating some confidence in influencing outcomes alongside situations that may still feel outside one’s control.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Recovering after trauma

41%OF USERS

People who have gone through a traumatic event and want to understand how it has changed their trust, safety, and view of themselves and the world.

Depression and burnout seekers

34%OF USERS

Those experiencing depression, emotional numbness, or burnout who want to pinpoint negative core beliefs that may be keeping them stuck.

Clients starting therapy

25%OF USERS

People beginning counseling who want a quick, structured snapshot of their basic beliefs to help set clear therapy goals.

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

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

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.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

The Benevolence of the WorldTBotW

You?

Average5

Typical rangeTypical3.5 – 6.4

Possible0 – 10

JusticeJ

You?

Average2.8

Typical rangeTypical1.1 – 4.4

Possible0 – 10

The "Self" ImageT"I

You?

Average5.1

Typical rangeTypical3.2 – 7

Possible0 – 10

LuckL

You?

Average6.6

Typical rangeTypical5.1 – 8.1

Possible0 – 10

Beliefs about controlBac

You?

Average4.5

Typical rangeTypical3.2 – 5.9

Possible0 – 10

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Generally agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 37 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

World Assumptions Scale (WAS) Test - Description and methodology of the test

depression

irrational beliefs

cbt

ptsd

Readers who want to examine the assumptions guiding trust, confidence, and personal agency may use the World Assumptions Scale (WAS) Test as a structured self-reflection exercise. A world assumptions questionnaire can help someone notice how they interpret relationships, setbacks, fairness, opportunity, and control. The profile describes current tendencies rather than fixed character traits, making it useful for personal reflection and discussion.

What This Assessment Explores

It examines beliefs about a benevolent world, fair outcomes, personal worth, luck, and control. Statements address trust, betrayal, deservingness, strengths, fortune, and difficult decisions. A worldview assessment maps assumptions about a safe or threatening world, fair or unfair life, a worthy or doubtful self, favorable or unfavorable luck, and strong or limited personal control.

The five displayed dimensions are:

Benevolence of the World (0-10) shows trust and safety: Low trust 0-4; Moderate trust 5-7; High trust 8-10.
Justice (0-10) shows belief in fair consequences: Low belief in justice 0-4; Moderate belief in justice 5-7; High belief in justice 8-10.
Self-Image (0-10) shows self-worth and confidence: Low 0-3; Moderate 4-7; High 8-10.
Luck (0-10) shows perceived good fortune: Low 0-3; Moderate 4-7; High 8-10.
Control Beliefs (0-10) shows perceived influence over events: Low control 0-4; Moderate control 5-7; High control 8-10.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

Each statement uses six ordered response choices ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Statements range from favorable to unfavorable views, so answer from your usual perspective rather than an idealized self-description. Responses are grouped by dimension, and the profile summarizes each group.

The conceptual reference is Janoff-Bulman’s World Assumptions Scale, published in 1989, which treats benevolence, justice, self-worth, luck, and control as schemas shaping interpretation. This online world assumptions test is conceptually consistent with that work, not a direct reproduction or validated adaptation.

Research published by Elklit and colleagues in 2007, Kaler and colleagues in 2008, and van Bruggen and colleagues in 2018 examined factor structure, validity, and psychometric properties in published WAS versions. Their findings contextualize the constructs but do not establish population norms, reliability, or clinical cutoffs for this online questionnaire.

Interpret the profile alongside current mood, stress, history, and self-awareness. Scoring for this online questionnaire is not standardized, so the profile is descriptive and may reflect response style and present circumstances.

Author: Ronnie Janoff-Bulman

Literature:

Janoff-Bulman, R. (1989). Assumptive Worlds and the Stress of Traumatic Events: Applications of the Schema Construct. Social Cognition, 7(2), 113-136. 10.1521/soco.1989.7.2.113
Elklit, A., Shevlin, M., Solomon, Z., & Dekel, R. (2007). Factor structure and concurrent validity of the World Assumptions Scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20(3), 291-301. 10.1002/jts.20203
Kaler, M. E., Frazier, P. A., Anders, S. L., Tashiro, T., Tomich, P., Tennen, H., & Park, C. (2008). Assessing the psychometric properties of the World Assumptions Scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21(3), 326-332. 10.1002/jts.20343
van Bruggen, V., ten Klooster, P. M., van der Aa, N., Smith, A. J. M., Westerhof, G. J., & Glas, G. (2018). Structural validity of the World Assumption Scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31(6), 816-825. 10.1002/jts.22348

Updated: 2025-10-02