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Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ)3

Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) Test

Understand how you perceive and process emotions in about 8 minutes. Get a clear profile of where identifying, describing, or fully feeling emotions breaks down to guide next steps.

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Questions: 408 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

27,921 view

2,311 completions

1,372 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

21/40

Verbalizing (E) (V)

Assesses the tendency and ability to put one’s emotional states into words and communicate them to others.

Low

Moderate

High

8 – 15: Low | 16 – 29: Moderate | 30 – 40: High

A score of 21 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a generally adequate ability to describe feelings with occasional difficulty expressing emotions clearly.

example score

23/40

Analyzing (D) (A)

Assesses the tendency and ability to analyze and explain one’s own emotional reactions.

Low analysis

Moderate analysis

High analysis

8 – 19: Low analysis | 20 – 29: Moderate analysis | 30 – 40: High analysis

A score of 23 falls in the Moderate analysis range, suggesting a generally present ability to reflect on emotions with some situations still feeling hard to make sense of.

example score

19/40

Identifying (C) (I)

Measures how well a person can recognize and identify the nature of their own emotional experiences.

Low

Moderate

High

8 – 13: Low | 14 – 25: Moderate | 26 – 40: High

A score of 19 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting generally adequate emotion identification with some possible difficulty clearly recognizing emotions at times.

example score

26/40

Fantasizing (F)

Measures the capacity for daydreaming and creating vivid mental images and fantasies.

Low

Typical

High

8 – 10: Low | 11 – 24: Typical | 25 – 40: High

A score of 26 falls in the High range, suggesting a relatively strong tendency toward fantasizing and mental imagery.

example score

29/40

Emotionality (A) (E)

Measures how strongly and readily a person becomes emotionally excited or reactive across situations.

Low emotional reactivity

Moderate emotional reactivity

High emotional reactivity

8 – 14: Low emotional reactivity | 15 – 24: Moderate emotional reactivity | 25 – 40: High emotional reactivity

A score of 29 falls in the High emotional reactivity range, suggesting a tendency toward stronger emotional excitability in everyday situations.

example score

136/200

Alexithymia Level (AL)

Measures overall severity of difficulties in identifying, understanding, and expressing one’s own emotions (alexithymia).

Low

Moderate

High

40 – 72: Low | 73 – 110: Moderate | 111 – 200: High

A score of 136 falls in the High range, indicating pronounced overall difficulties with recognizing, analyzing, and verbally describing emotions.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People struggling to name feelings

41%OF USERS

They often feel confused about what they feel, have trouble putting emotions into words, or come across as emotionally “numb.”

Therapy and diagnostics clients

34%OF USERS

They take it as part of psychological assessment to clarify whether emotional difficulties are mainly cognitive (identifying/verbalizing) or affective (experiencing/imagery).

Researchers and psychology students

25%OF USERS

They use it in studies or training to measure different components of emotional processing in a structured, time-efficient way.

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.

Verbalization (E) (V()

Average

16.5

Normal range

12 — 21.1

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.

Analysis (D) (A()

Average

24.7

Normal range

19.3 — 30.2

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.

Identification (C) (I()

Average

Normal range

11.7 — 22.2

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.

Daydreaming (B) (D()

Average

28.3

Normal range

24.2 — 32.4

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.

Emotionality (A) (E()

Average

17.5

Normal range

12 — 22.9

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.

Level of alexithymia (Loa)

Average

140.8

Normal range

113.7 — 167.8

min.

max.

200

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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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below is a series of statements. Please use the scale to indicate the extent to which each statement most accurately describes you. For each statement, select the one response option that best applies.

- Definitely not true of me
- Partly untrue of me
- Neither true nor untrue of me
- Partly true of me
- Definitely true of me
- Definitely does not apply to me
- Somewhat untrue
- Neither true nor untrue
- Somewhat true
- Definitely applies to me
- Definitely does not apply to me
- Somewhat untrue
- Neither true nor untrue
- Somewhat true
- Definitely applies to me

These are 3 of the 40 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

alexithymia

autism

This self-report measure assesses individual differences in alexithymia, including difficulty identifying and describing feelings and a reduced tendency toward fantasy or emotional experience. The Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) is commonly used in clinical and research settings to characterize emotional awareness and related processing.

It consists of 40 items and typically takes about 8 minutes to complete. Items are designed to sample multiple components of alexithymia, supporting a differentiated profile of strengths and difficulties that may inform case conceptualization or research hypotheses. The Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) was developed by A. J. Vorst and H. Bermond.

Author: A. J. Vorst, H. Bermond

Literature: Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. A. Disorders of affect regulation: Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness. Cambridge University Press. 1997.; Vorst, H. C. M., & Bermond, B. Validity and reliability of the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences. 2001.