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Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ)3

Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ) Test

Understand your brain’s behavioral brakes and accelerators in about 7 minutes. Get a clear 36 item profile to guide coaching, therapy, and growth, from risk taking to caution.

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Questions: 367 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

21,140 views

2,530 completions

2,081 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/24

BAS Approach (BA)

SAP-Approximation reflects how strongly a person is driven to approach rewards and pleasure, including a tendency toward impulsive pursuit of desired outcomes.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 8: Low | 9 – 16: Moderate | 17 – 24: High

A score of 13 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a balanced level of reward-seeking drive and approach motivation with some potential for occasional impulsive choices.

example score

14/24

SAPS Fight (SF)

SAP-Struggle measures tendencies toward hostility, behavioral disinhibition, and disregard for social norms.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 8: Low | 9 – 16: Moderate | 17 – 24: High

A score of 14 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a situationally elevated tendency toward confrontational or norm-challenging responses without being consistently extreme.

example score

16/24

Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) (BIS)

STP reflects the strength of the behavioral inhibition system that drives caution and anxiety-like responding to potential punishment or missed rewards.

Low inhibition

Moderate inhibition

High inhibition

0 – 8: Low inhibition | 9 – 16: Moderate inhibition | 17 – 24: High inhibition

A score of 16 falls in the Moderate inhibition range, suggesting a balanced tendency to anticipate negative outcomes and avoid potentially unpleasant situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Self-improvement seekers

41%OF USERS

People who want to understand why they act impulsively or cautiously and learn how to balance their inner “accelerator” and “brakes” in daily decisions.

Therapy and coaching clients

34%OF USERS

Individuals working on anxiety, avoidance, motivation, or self-control who use results to discuss patterns and plan behavior-change strategies with a specialist.

Psychology and HR professionals

25%OF USERS

Specialists who need a quick, structured way to assess activation and inhibition tendencies for assessment, counseling, or development planning.

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.

SAP-Approximation (S)

Average

9.8

Normal range

6 — 13.6

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.

SAP-Struggle (S)

Average

8.9

Normal range

4.7 — 13.1

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.

STP (S)

Average

17.7

Normal range

14.5 — 21

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

Please answer the following questions using “Yes” or “No.” If you find it difficult to answer a question, select “I don’t know.” Work as quickly as possible without spending too much time thinking about each question. There are no right or wrong answers.

- Yes
- I don't know
- No
- Yes
- I don't know
- No
- Yes
- I don't know
- No

These are 3 of the 36 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

Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

activation/inhibition

structure of temperament

This questionnaire is used to assess individual differences in approach- and avoidance-related motivational tendencies within a psychometric framework. The Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ) provides a brief, self-report profile of dispositional behavioral activation and inhibition as described in reinforcement sensitivity theory. It was developed by Andrew Pickering and Neil McNaughton.

The measure includes 36 items and typically takes about 7 minutes to complete. Responses are summed to yield scale scores that may help characterize patterns of impulsivity, caution, and sensitivity to reward and threat cues. In clinical and research contexts, the Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ) may be used to support case formulation and to inform hypotheses about temperament-related factors relevant to behavior and symptom expression.

Author: Andrew Pickering, Jeffrey A. Gray, Neil McNaughton

Literature: Corr, P. J. Reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality questionnaires: psychometric and theoretical issues. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2001.; Smillie, L. D., Pickering, A. D., & Jackson, C. J. The new reinforcement sensitivity theory: implications for personality measurement. Personality and Social Psychology Review. 2006.; Wilson, G. D., Gray, J. A., & Barrett, P. T. Human reactions to reward and punishment: a questionnaire examination of Gray's personality theory. British Journal of Psychology. 1989.