Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire Test

How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- Help people who are ill and treat them
- Create tables, diagrams, and computer programs
- a) Repair things (clothing, equipment), or your home
- b) Find and correct errors in texts, tables, and figures
- a) Treat animals
- b) Do computations and calculations
Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test
People considering education, training, or a change of direction can use this career preference questionnaire to identify activities that feel more appealing. It is intended for readers seeking a structured way to reflect on work interests before comparing study or occupational options. The Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire Test turns paired choices into a profile of relative preferences, rather than prescribing one career.
What This Assessment Measures
It focuses on attraction to work types, not ability or a fixed job title. Paired situations represent creative expression, symbolic information, interpersonal service, technology, and nature. As a vocational interest test, it compares preferred activities across five dimensions:
- Artistic Image (A), 0–8, measures interest in creative and artistic professions: Low interest 0–3, Moderate interest 4–6, High interest 7–8.
- Sign System (Z), 0–8, measures interest in numbers, letters, codes, and related work: Low interest 0–3, Moderate interest 4–6, High interest 7–8.
- People, 0–8, measures interest in service and interpersonal communication: Low 0–2, Moderate 3–6, High 7–8.
- Technical (T), 0–8, measures interest in machines and technical occupations: Low 0–2, Moderate 3–6, High 7–8.
- Nature (P), 0–8, measures interest in plants, animals, forestry, and related work: Low interest 0–2, Some interest 3–6, Strong interest 7–8.
Methodology and Scientific Basis
Each item offers two vocational activities and asks which the respondent prefers. Examples contrast caring for animals with operating machines, helping people with symbolic tasks, or plant work with product design. This forced-choice format shows relative attraction within each pair, not skill or experience.
Scores are reported through the five dimensions above. The questionnaire displays score bands but does not state how many points each answer contributes, so no additional formula or cutoff should be inferred. This occupational preference assessment compares patterns of attraction rather than selecting one best occupation.
The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with the Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire (Klimov, 1984), a framework organized around broad work objects. Osnitsky (1998) discusses a subject-oriented adaptation, while Gretsov and Azbel (2012) present related material. These sources support domain interpretation, but do not establish that this online version is a direct adaptation or shares published norms, reliability, or validation results.
Self-report answers can shift with current circumstances, self-awareness, and socially desirable responding. Read the profile as a starting point for comparing educational and work environments, not as a standalone basis for a consequential choice.
- Klimov, Evgeny Alexandrovich. (1984). How to Choose a Profession: A Book for Students. Moscow: Prosveshchenie. 159 pp.
- Osnitsky, Aleksandr Konstantinovich. (1998). Vocational Orientation of Students During Educational Specialization: A Subject-Oriented Adaptation of E. A. Klimov's Differential Diagnostic Questionnaire. Questions of Psychology, 3, 136–148.
- Gretsov, Andrei Gennadievich, and Anastasia Anatolievna Azbel. (2012). Psychological Tests for High School Students and University Students. Saint Petersburg: Piter. 208 pp. ISBN 978-5-459-01074-9.
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