Home
Psychological tests
Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS)

Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS) Test

In 3 minutes, see how employees view the organization in thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Get a fast read on trust gaps and tension points to guide clear, targeted improvements.

Start Online Test

Questions: 133 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

10172 views

1025 completions

885 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

3/5

Behavioral Dimension (BD)

Measures how strongly an employee’s skepticism toward the organization shows up in critical, dismissive, or sarcastic behavior.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.3: Low | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate | 3.7 – 5: High

A score of 3 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting occasional critical or dismissive behaviors toward the organization rather than a consistently negative behavioral stance.

example score

3/5

Emotional Aspect (EA)

Measures the intensity of negative emotions (e.g., frustration, anger, contempt, anxiety) an employee feels toward the organization.

Low negativity

Moderate negativity

High negativity

1 – 2.3: Low negativity | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate negativity | 3.7 – 5: High negativity

A score of 3 indicates a moderate level of negative emotional response toward the organization, suggesting occasional frustration or disappointment without strong persistent hostility.

example score

4/5

Cognitive Aspect (CA)

Measures the extent to which an employee believes the organization and its leadership are dishonest, unfair, and driven by hidden motives.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.3: Low | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate | 3.7 – 5: High

A score of 4 indicates a high level of cognitive cynicism, with pronounced skepticism about the organization’s honesty, fairness, and transparency.

example score

3/5

Organizational Cynicism (OC)

Measures the overall level of an employee’s cynical attitude toward their organization, including distrust and negative expectations about its actions and leadership.

Low cynicism

Moderate cynicism

High cynicism

1 – 2.3: Low cynicism | 2.4 – 3.6: Moderate cynicism | 3.7 – 5: High cynicism

A score of 3 falls in the moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not pervasive level of skepticism and distrust toward organizational processes and leadership.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

HR and People Ops

41%OF USERS

Use it to spot rising distrust and negativity, compare teams, and track culture changes after key decisions.

Team Leaders and Managers

34%OF USERS

Take it to understand whether skepticism is hurting engagement and to decide how to improve communication and trust.

Employees in Uncertainty

25%OF USERS

Complete it to make sense of their own frustration or disappointment and clarify what is driving their attitude at work.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.

Practical
Recommendations

Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Detected
Insights

Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Psychologist

Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.

Start Online Test

Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.

Behavioral Aspect (BA)

Average

2.5

Normal range

1.9 — 3.2

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Emotional aspect (Ea)

Average

Normal range

1.5 — 2.6

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Cognitive Aspect (CA)

Average

2.5

Normal range

2 — 3.1

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS)

Average

2.8

Normal range

2.2 — 3.5

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Start Online Test

Featured On

Rated 4.8/5 by Our Customers

“Freudly really helped me discover parts of my personality I hadn’t noticed before. It strengthened the areas where I needed to grow and made me feel more grounded and confident in the parts that already worked well.”

— Emma C., US

“I wanted to understand how serious my ADHD is, and now I finally do. I also realized I need to work on my self-esteem. It has been low for a long time, and that makes daily life harder than it should be.”

— Mateo R., CA

“Reading each question felt like someone really understood me. Even though I’ve already dealt with much of this, reflecting still helped me learn something new about myself.”

— Caroline F., US

“The process is simple. The test covers everything you need, and you’ll get a clear breakdown of your results. For just a few dollars, it’s a great value.”

— Klara N., CZ

“I kept thinking there might be a small chance, but now I know for sure. The questions were easy to understand, and the whole process was straightforward.”

— Bruno M., BR

“I really enjoyed this experience. I learned a lot, and it helped me make sense of my thoughts and the feeling I’ve had for a long time that I may have grown up with undiagnosed ADHD.”

— Alice B., FR

“Great platform — the insights were genuinely meaningful!”

— Daniel W., DE

“Everything was easy to follow. The tools you get at the end are genuinely helpful for self-growth, and the price is very reasonable. I really appreciate that.”

— Sofia M., ES

“Surprisingly accurate — honestly didn’t expect it to nail things so well.”

— Adir B., IL

“There are lots of different tests to pick from, and the price is surprisingly low for how much insight you get.”

— Olivia W., CA

“I was pleasantly surprised when I read the results. It was as if someone had sorted out my messy thoughts and given me useful tips to help me speak with more confidence.”

— Grace O., IE

“It was really solid, very detailed, and it actually helped me make sense of a lot of things.”

— Carla T., TT

“I was really impressed with the report. It was clear, thoughtful, and it reflected things I’ve been noticing about myself.”

— Jade H., US

“The questions made me think deeply and helped me become more self-aware.”

— Brooke S., US

“Reading through most of the questions made me feel understood. Although I’ve already worked through some of these issues, the questions still gave me useful insights and helped me learn more about myself.”

— Ryan M., US

“I usually take one or two tests each month, and this has become a good way for me to see how I’m doing.”

— Lucas W., US

“Most of the time, my results are in the 90 to 98th percentile compared to others. It really makes me feel like there’s something unique about me.”

— Ethan C., US

“I tried out some of the AI’s suggestions, and to be honest, they worked much better than I thought they would. Maybe this thing really is smarter than me.”

— Reece D., AU

Trusted by 22k+ Users Worldwide

CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions left?

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures negative attitudes toward an organization across cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components. Scores indicate the presence and intensity of cynical beliefs, feelings, and related actions.

What types of items are included?

Items cover beliefs about organizational honesty and consistency, emotional reactions such as irritation or disappointment, and behavioral tendencies such as criticism or withdrawal. Responses are based on typical reactions rather than isolated events.

How long does it take and how many questions are there?

Completion time is about 3 minutes. The questionnaire contains 13 items.

How should responses be selected?

Select the option that best reflects usual perceptions and reactions. Answer all items; if uncertain, choose the closest available response.

How are results used?

Results support group-level climate assessment and help identify areas of low trust and engagement risk. They are not intended for clinical diagnosis or as the sole basis for employment decisions.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS) Test

arrange

This brief self-report measure is used to assess employees’ negative beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies toward their organization. The Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS) provides a structured way to gauge the extent to which individuals view the organization as lacking integrity and to identify cynicism-related reactions that may affect workplace climate.

The instrument includes 13 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. Items are designed to capture cognitive, affective, and behavioral facets of organizational cynicism, supporting screening and monitoring in organizational research, consultation, and HR assessment contexts. The Organizational Cynicism Scale (OCS) was developed by Dharwadkar Ravi, Pamela Brandes, and James W. Dean.

Author: Dharwadkar Ravi, James W. Dean, Pamela Brandes

Literature: Dean, J. W., Brandes, P., & Dharwadkar, R. Organizational cynicism. Academy of Management Review. 1998.; Brandes, P., Dharwadkar, R., & Dean, J. W. Does organizational cynicism matter? Employee and supervisor perspectives on work outcomes. Eastern Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings. 1999.; Bellini, D., Ramaci, T., & Bonaiuto, M. The restorative effect of the environment on organizational cynicism and work engagement. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies. 2015.

Test Question Form