Home1
Psychological tests2
Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale (BPNSS)3

Therapy Test

Understand how well your core psychological needs are being met in just 4 minutes. Pinpoint unmet needs and link your inner well-being to your social environment to guide support.

Start Online Test

Questions: 214 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

22,862 views

2,090 completions

1,229 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

6/7

Relatedness (R)

Measures the extent to which a person seeks and values warm, supportive, harmonious relationships with others.

Low connectedness

High connectedness

1 – 4.9: Low connectedness | 5 – 7: High connectedness

A score of 6 indicates a high level of connectedness, suggesting a strong preference for mutual support and maintaining harmony in relationships.

example score

3/7

Competence (C)

Measures how effective and capable a person feels in achieving desired outcomes and handling everyday challenges.

Low competence

High competence

1 – 4.9: Low competence | 5 – 7: High competence

A score of 3 suggests a relatively low sense of effectiveness and confidence in achieving goals in daily life.

example score

4/7

Autonomy (A)

Measures how strongly a person feels able to act from internal choice and maintain a coherent sense of self despite external pressures.

Low autonomy

High autonomy

1 – 4.9: Low autonomy | 5 – 7: High autonomy

A score of 4 suggests lower autonomy, with independence and self-directed choice present but more influenced by external expectations or pressures.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People feeling stuck

41%OF USERS

They take it to understand why motivation is low and which needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) feel unmet in daily life.

Therapy and coaching clients

34%OF USERS

They use it with a practitioner to pinpoint need satisfaction vs. frustration and guide a support or behavior-change plan.

Researchers and HR teams

25%OF USERS

They administer it in studies or workplace assessments to link well-being and social environment factors to basic psychological needs.

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.

Connectedness (C)

Average

4.2

Normal range

3.4 — 5

min.

max.

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.

Competence (C)

Average

4.1

Normal range

3.2 — 5.1

min.

max.

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.

Autonomy (A)

Average

3.9

Normal range

3 — 4.9

min.

max.

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.

Start Online Test

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements. Do not spend too much time thinking about your responses. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers.

- Absolutely not true
- Not true
- Mostly not true
- Not sure
- Mostly true
- True
- Completely true
- Completely untrue
- Not true
- Mostly untrue
- Not sure
- Mostly true
- True
- Completely true
- Completely untrue
- Untrue
- Mostly untrue
- Not sure
- Mostly true
- True
- Completely true

These are 3 of the 21 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Therapy Test - Symptoms and Signs

well-being

self-determination

This self-report measure assesses the extent to which an individual perceives their core psychological needs as being met in everyday contexts. The Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale (BPNSS) is commonly used to characterize need fulfillment relevant to well-being and functioning.

The questionnaire includes 21 items and typically requires about 4 minutes to complete. Items reflect key domains described in self-determination theory-autonomy, competence, and relatedness-and can be used to inform case formulation, monitor change over time, or support research examining associations between perceived need satisfaction and adjustment.

Interpretation is based on the respondent’s pattern of endorsements across domains, with higher scores generally indicating greater perceived satisfaction of the respective needs. Results from the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale (BPNSS) should be considered alongside clinical interview data and other relevant measures.

Author: Edward L. Deci, Richard M. Ryan

Literature: Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry. 2000.; Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist. 2000.; Sheldon, K. M., Elliot, A. J., Kim, Y., & Kasser, T. What is satisfying about satisfying events? Testing 10 candidate psychological needs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2001.; Gagné, M. The role of autonomy support and autonomy orientation in prosocial behavior engagement. Motivation and Emotion. 2003.