INSPIRIT 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
- Not at all religious
- Not very religious
- Moderately religious
- Very religious
- Once a year or less
- From once a month to several times a year
- From once a week to several times a month
- From several times a day to several times a week
- Never
- Once or twice
- Several times
- Often
INSPIRIT Test - Description and methodology of the test
People who want to examine how faith, religious or spiritual practice, and meaningful experiences fit into their lives may find a questionnaire about spiritual beliefs useful. It asks about those themes in denomination-neutral terms, while its result reads the development of religious-psychological beliefs and attitudes, including internal religious orientation and experiences connected with belief in God or an inner connection with God. The INSPIRIT Test offers reflection on that pattern.
What This Assessment Explores
The questionnaire examines religious or spiritual orientation through religious or spiritual practice and significant experiences. It asks about spiritual activity, closeness to God, divine presence, and whether unusual experiences strengthen faith. This assessment of religious beliefs measures development of religious-psychological beliefs and attitudes, with a God-oriented result rather than spirituality in every possible sense.
Results appear on the Index of Core Spiritual Experiences, scored from 1-4. Higher scores reflect stronger internal religious orientation; scores greater than 3 indicate pronounced spiritual experiences associated with belief in God or a perceived inner connection with God. The bands are Low 1-2.9 and Pronounced 3-4.
The questions bring together three themes:
- Practice shows how central faith-related activity is in daily life.
- Relationship with God reflects closeness, belief, and divine presence.
- Transformative experiences show whether peace, healing, unity, or unusual events affect belief.
Methodology and Scientific Basis
Respondents give self-reported answers through four ordered options. Frequency items move from rare to frequent religious or spiritual practice; belief items range from disagreement or distance to agreement or closeness; experience items distinguish no event from one that strengthens faith. Together, these responses form a spiritual experience assessment that captures occurrence and meaning.
The questionnaire displays one index with the range and bands; individual point values and response-weighting rules are not specified. No norms, standardization, or validation are stated for the online version, so its scoring should not be treated as equivalent to the published instrument. The result assesses spiritual experience by summarizing reported orientation without showing each answer’s contribution.
Its evidence base is conceptually consistent with the published INSPIRIT index, a structured aid for spiritual assessment discussed by VandeCreek, Ayres, and Bassham. The online questionnaire should not be treated as that same validated instrument; the study provides context, not proof of equivalence for this version.
Interpretation depends on honesty, recall, vocabulary, cultural interpretation, religious background, and current circumstances. The score does not establish a diagnosis or verify an experience; response bias can shape the result.
- Kass, Jared D., Richard Friedman, Jane Leserman, Patricia C. Zuttermeister, and Herbert Benson. "Health Outcomes and a New Index of Spiritual Experience." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 30(2), 203-211, 1991. 10.2307/1387214.
- VandeCreek, Larry, Susan Ayres, and Meredith Bassham. "Using INSPIRIT to Conduct Spiritual Assessments." Journal of Pastoral Care, 49(1), 83-89, 1995. 10.1177/002234099504900110.
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