Parenting Style 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
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Almost always
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Almost always
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Almost always
Parenting Style Test - Description and methodology of the test
Ever typed what is my parenting style into a search bar after a long evening? Bedtime is late, the tablet is still on and your child has just said no for the third time. What you do next shows your real style better than any good intention. This parenting style test turns such ordinary moments into a clear picture of how you raise your child.
What the test measures
Psychologist Diana Baumrind described three ways of raising children, and Eleanor Maccoby and John Martin later added a fourth. These four types of parenting styles grow out of two simple questions: how much warmth does your child get, and how firm are the rules? The authoritative style combines both, with clear limits that you explain and keep. The authoritarian style is high on control and low on warmth, so obedience comes first and arguments end with your word. The permissive style is warm but soft, and a no can turn into yes after enough asking. The uninvolved style offers little of either, often because work, stress and tiredness use up the attention. Research has long linked authoritative parenting with confident children who cope well at school. Each style gets its own score here.
How it works and what you get
You rate 28 short statements about real moments at home, such as bedtime, screen time, chores, broken promises and tears after a no. For each one you choose how often it happens, from Never to Almost always. A third of the statements are worded the other way round, which keeps the scores honest when you answer quickly. Most parents finish in about six minutes. Your result includes:
- a score from 0 to 100 for each of the four styles;
- your leading style and the one you use least;
- the situations in which your no bends or your patience runs out;
- a comparison with other parents who took the test.
Almost nobody is a pure type. Many parents who follow gentle parenting find that their warmth is high and their limits are softer than they thought. Others discover a strict streak that only shows up on tired evenings. That mix, and the moments that trigger it, is what makes your result useful.
- Baumrind, D. (1966). Effects of authoritative parental control on child behavior. Child Development, 37(4), 887-907.
- Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology, 4(1, Pt. 2), 1-103.
- Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (pp. 1-101). Wiley.
- Robinson, C. C., Mandleco, B., Olsen, S. F., & Hart, C. H. (1995). Authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting practices: Development of a new measure. Psychological Reports, 77(3), 819-830.
- Darling, N., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting style as context: An integrative model. Psychological Bulletin, 113(3), 487-496.