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Character Traits Questionnaire (CTQ-20)3

Character Traits Questionnaire (CTQ-20) Test

Understand your core character traits and key accentuations in about 4 minutes. Get a balanced profile with clear results that support counseling, hiring, and practical recommendations.

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Questions: 204 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

27,753 views

1,720 completions

1,408 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

5/10

Cyclothymia (C)

Cyclothymia measures the tendency toward mood variability and emotional lability over time.

Stable

Moderate variability

Pronounced swings

2 – 4: Stable | 5 – 7: Moderate variability | 8 – 10: Pronounced swings

A score of 5 suggests moderate mood variability, with occasional shifts in emotional tone without strong instability.

example score

6/10

Emotionality (E)

Emotiveness measures the depth of feelings, sensitivity, and compassion toward others.

Low

Average

High

2 – 4: Low | 5 – 7: Average | 8 – 10: High

A score of 6 falls in the Average range, suggesting a balanced level of emotional responsiveness and empathy without strong extremes.

example score

6/10

Exaltation (E)

Exaltation reflects the intensity of emotional reactions and the tendency toward enthusiastic, strongly felt experiences.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 4: Low | 5 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 6 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a balanced pattern of emotional expressiveness and enthusiasm without pronounced intensity.

example score

5/10

Anxiety (A)

Anxiety measures the tendency to experience fear, insecurity, and persistent worry in response to everyday situations.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 4: Low | 5 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 5 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but generally manageable level of worry and caution in new or uncertain situations.

example score

8/10

Dysthymia (D)

Measures the tendency toward sustained low mood, reduced energy, passivity, and social withdrawal as a character accentuation.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 5: Low | 6 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 8 falls in the High range, suggesting a more pronounced tendency toward low mood and withdrawal in everyday behavior.

example score

7/10

Hyperthymia (H)

Hyperthymia measures a person’s typical level of activity, initiative, and cheerfulness.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 5: Low | 6 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 7 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting generally good energy and initiative that are expressed in a balanced, situational way.

example score

6/10

Excitability (E)

Excitability reflects impulsivity and the tendency to react with strong, rapidly escalating emotions.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 4: Low | 5 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 6 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting generally controlled behavior with occasional impulsive or intense emotional reactions under stress.

example score

8/10

Pedantry (P)

Pedantry measures a person’s preference for order, precision, and conscientious adherence to rules and details.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 5: Low | 6 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 8 falls in the High range, suggesting pronounced attention to detail, punctuality, and careful, structured work habits.

example score

9/10

Perseveration (P)

Measures the tendency to ruminate on emotions and grievances, with difficulty letting go and forgiving over time.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 5: Low | 6 – 8: Moderate | 9 – 10: High

A score of 9 falls in the High range, suggesting a pronounced tendency to dwell on upsetting experiences and hold onto emotional reactions for longer periods.

example score

8/10

Demonstrativeness (D)

Demonstrativeness measures the tendency to express emotions vividly and seek attention or centrality in social situations.

Low

Moderate

High

2 – 5: Low | 6 – 7: Moderate | 8 – 10: High

A score of 8 falls in the High range, suggesting a pronounced preference for expressive, attention-attracting communication and strong emotional display.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Counseling and therapy clients

41%OF USERS

People in counseling take it to quickly pinpoint dominant character traits that may shape emotions, relationships, and coping styles.

Hiring and HR assessments

34%OF USERS

Recruiters and HR teams use it to get a fast, structured snapshot of behavior tendencies relevant to teamwork, reliability, and role fit.

Self-development explorers

25%OF USERS

Individuals curious about themselves use it for a quick profile that highlights their strongest traits and potential blind spots.

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.

Cyclothymia (C)

Average

7.1

Normal range

6 — 8.1

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.

Emotiveness (E)

Average

6.5

Normal range

5.1 — 7.8

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.

Exaltation (E)

Average

5.9

Normal range

4.6 — 7.2

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.

Anxiety (A)

Average

Normal range

3.6 — 6.4

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.

Dysthymia (D)

Average

6.6

Normal range

5.5 — 7.6

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.

Hyperthymia (H)

Average

Normal range

5.7 — 8.3

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.

Excitability (E)

Average

Normal range

3.9 — 6

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.

Pedantry (P)

Average

7.3

Normal range

5.9 — 8.7

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.

Getting Stuck (GS)

Average

5.4

Normal range

4.1 — 6.8

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.

Demonstrativeness (D)

Average

5.6

Normal range

4.4 — 6.8

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.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

You are asked to answer 20 questions designed to assess your personality characteristics. Please think of the most typical situations and provide the first natural response that comes to mind. Respond quickly and accurately. Remember that there are no “bad” or “good” answers. Answer promptly and do not spend too much time on any one question. Your initial reaction is important, rather than prolonged reflection on each question.

- Not true of me
- Somewhat untrue of me
- True of me
- Clearly true of me
- Very true of me
- Not true
- Rather untrue
- True
- Clearly true
- Very clearly true
- Not present
- Probably not present
- Present
- Clearly present
- Very strongly present

These are 3 of the 20 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

Character Traits Questionnaire (CTQ-20) Test - Symptoms and Signs

accentuations

This brief self-report measure is intended to screen for prominent character traits and broadly describe an individual’s personality profile. The Character Traits Questionnaire (CTQ-20) provides a rapid snapshot that may help organize clinical impressions and inform follow-up assessment when indicated.

The instrument consists of 20 items and typically requires about 4 minutes to complete. Respondents select from fixed response options, and results are summarized as scale scores to support interpretation in clinical, counseling, or applied settings. Raymond B. Cattell and Lewis R. Goldberg are cited as associated authors.

Scores from the Character Traits Questionnaire (CTQ-20) should be interpreted within the context of the referral question, response validity considerations, and other available clinical information; it is not a stand-alone diagnostic tool.

Author: Lewis R. Goldberg, Raymond B. Cattell

Literature: Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual. Psychological Assessment Resources. 1992.; John, O. P., Naumann, L. P., & Soto, C. J. Paradigm shift to the integrative Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and conceptual issues. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research. Guilford Press. 2008.; Roberts, B. W., Wood, D., & Caspi, A. The development of personality traits in adulthood. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research. Guilford Press. 2008.