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University Students' Achievement Motivation Scale3

University Students' Achievement Motivation Scale Test

Understand what drives a student’s academic success in just 7 minutes. This 36 item check-in clarifies key motivators to guide targeted support, boost engagement, and remove roadblocks.

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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

25,067 views

1,899 completions

1,602 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

16/20

Calling (C)

Measures how strongly a student experiences their future professional activity as personally meaningful and vocation-like.

Low

Moderate

High

4 – 13: Low | 14 – 17: Moderate | 18 – 20: High

A score of 16 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a fairly developed sense of meaningful professional direction, though not consistently experienced as a clear vocation.

example score

13/20

Overcoming Obstacles (OO)

Measures persistence and readiness to overcome difficulties in pursuit of academic success goals.

Lower persistence

Moderate persistence

High persistence

4 – 13: Lower persistence | 14 – 17: Moderate persistence | 18 – 20: High persistence

A score of 13 falls in the Lower persistence range, suggesting obstacles may more often reduce drive to keep working toward goals.

example score

9/20

Mental State (MS)

Measures the emotional tone and satisfaction a student experiences in connection with perceived academic success.

Low positive tone

Moderate positive tone

High positive tone

4 – 13: Low positive tone | 14 – 17: Moderate positive tone | 18 – 20: High positive tone

A score of 9 falls in the Low positive tone range, suggesting comparatively limited satisfaction and positive emotional uplift associated with success experiences right now.

example score

13/20

Personal Success (PS)

Measures how strongly a student’s motivation is driven by self-evaluation of achievements and aspirations for personal growth.

Low personal-success focus

Moderate personal-success focus

High personal-success focus

4 – 13: Low personal-success focus | 14 – 17: Moderate personal-success focus | 18 – 20: High personal-success focus

A score of 13 falls in the low range, suggesting personal growth and self-respect motives are present but are not the primary drivers of academic effort compared with other motivators.

example score

13/20

Results of One's Own Performance (RoOOP)

Measures how strongly a student is oriented toward achieving concrete, efficient results through their own actions.

Low result focus

Moderate result focus

High result focus

4 – 13: Low result focus | 14 – 17: Moderate result focus | 18 – 20: High result focus

A score of 13 falls in the low result focus range, suggesting results and productivity are a less central driver in the student’s own activity compared with other motives.

example score

43/100

Success Internalization (SI)

Measures the degree to which striving for success is driven by internal values, self-development, and personal standards rather than external rewards.

Low internalization

Moderate internalization

High internalization

20 – 65: Low internalization | 66 – 89: Moderate internalization | 90 – 100: High internalization

A score of 43 indicates low internalization of success, suggesting motivation is less consistently anchored in personal growth and internal standards and may rely more on external factors or situational prompts.

example score

17/20

Power (P)

Measures the strength of the student’s need to influence, lead, and control others as part of achievement motivation.

Low power drive

Moderate power drive

High power drive

4 – 13: Low power drive | 14 – 17: Moderate power drive | 18 – 20: High power drive

A score of 17 suggests a moderately strong drive for leadership and influence, with control and dominance motives present but not at the highest level.

example score

11/20

Recognition (R)

Measures how strongly a student seeks social approval and recognition as part of their sense of academic success.

Low need for recognition

Moderate need for recognition

High need for recognition

4 – 13: Low need for recognition | 14 – 17: Moderate need for recognition | 18 – 20: High need for recognition

A score of 11 suggests a relatively low emphasis on others’ approval, with motivation and self-evaluation less dependent on social recognition.

example score

7/20

Material Standard of Living (MSoL)

Measures how strongly material achievements and wealth are viewed as indicators of success in academic and life goals.

Low material focus

Moderate material focus

High material focus

4 – 13: Low material focus | 14 – 17: Moderate material focus | 18 – 20: High material focus

A score of 7 falls in the Low material focus range, suggesting material rewards are a relatively minor driver of this student’s motivation for success.

example score

6/20

Luck (L)

Measures how strongly a student attributes academic success to luck or random circumstances rather than personal effort and stable factors.

Low reliance on luck

Mixed attribution

High reliance on luck

4 – 13: Low reliance on luck | 14 – 17: Mixed attribution | 18 – 20: High reliance on luck

A score of 6 falls in the Low reliance on luck range, suggesting the student tends to see achievement as less dependent on chance and more on controllable factors.

example score

63/100

Externalization of Success (EoS)

Measures the extent to which academic success is driven by external rewards and social approval such as luck, status, recognition, and power.

Low external focus

Moderate external focus

High external focus

20 – 65: Low external focus | 66 – 89: Moderate external focus | 90 – 100: High external focus

A score of 63 falls in the Low external focus range, suggesting achievement motivation is less centered on recognition, material gains, or outward status cues.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Students feeling stuck

41%OF USERS

University students who are procrastinating, underperforming, or burned out take it to pinpoint what really motivates them and how to regain momentum.

Career-focused achievers

34%OF USERS

Ambitious students use it to clarify whether grades, professional growth, recognition, or personal satisfaction most drives their effort and choices.

Advisors and counselors

25%OF USERS

Academic advisors, tutors, and psychologists administer it to quickly map a student’s motivation profile and tailor support strategies.

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.

Calling (C)

Average

10.6

Normal range

8.1 — 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.

Overcoming Obstacles (OO)

Average

8.7

Normal range

6.2 — 11.3

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.

Mental state (Ms)

Average

13.3

Normal range

11.2 — 15.4

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.

Personal Success (PS)

Average

15.2

Normal range

12.9 — 17.5

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.

Result of own activity (Rooa)

Average

Normal range

5.2 — 10.8

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.

Internalization of Success (IoS)

Average

46.2

Normal range

33.3 — 59.1

min.

max.

100

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.

Power (P)

Average

13.1

Normal range

10.5 — 15.7

min.

max.

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Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Admission (A)

Average

12.3

Normal range

9.4 — 15.1

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.

Material standard of living (Msol)

Average

12.9

Normal range

10.8 — 14.9

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.

Luck (L)

Average

14.4

Normal range

12.2 — 16.6

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.

Externalization of success (Eos)

Average

58.9

Normal range

48 — 69.8

min.

max.

100

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 rate 36 highlighted meanings of the concept “Success for me is…” in key areas of your life, reflecting the meaning of achievements and successful outcomes in a person’s behavior and activities. Please read all statements about success carefully and consider each in terms of its subjective usefulness, social significance, and desirability. Rate each statement using the response scale provided.

- Very significant
- Significant
- Rather significant
- Rather not significant
- Not significant
- Very significant
- Significant
- Rather significant
- Rather insignificant
- Insignificant
- Very significant
- Significant
- Rather significant
- Rather not significant
- Not significant

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

Motivation for Academic Success Among University Students Test

University Students' Achievement Motivation Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

achieving success

motivation

This measure is designed to assess achievement-related motivation in college or university settings. The University Students' Achievement Motivation Scale is intended to help characterize the relative importance of academic outcomes, career-oriented goals, self-evaluative satisfaction, and social recognition as drivers of student effort. It is commonly used to support motivational profiling in educational or counseling contexts.

The instrument includes 36 items and typically takes about 7 minutes to complete. Response patterns may be interpreted to describe an individual’s achievement motivation profile and to inform case formulation, goal setting, or intervention planning. The University Students' Achievement Motivation Scale is attributed to John W. Atkinson and David C. McClelland.

Author: David C. McClelland, John W. Atkinson

Literature: Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. A 2×2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2001.