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Pedagogical Problem-Solving Difficulty Level Assessment3

Pedagogical Problem-Solving Difficulty Level Assessment Test

Learn how challenging you find common teaching scenarios in just 3 minutes. Use the 12 quick items to guide coaching, training plans, and steady professional growth.

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Questions: 123 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

23,139 views

1,342 completions

1,170 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

10/12

Difficulty in Educational Upbringing Situations (DiEUS)

Measures how difficult the respondent perceives disciplinary pedagogical situations to be and how readily they can resolve them.

Low difficulty

Moderate difficulty

High difficulty

0 – 6: Low difficulty | 7 – 9: Moderate difficulty | 10 – 12: High difficulty

A score of 10 falls in the High difficulty range, suggesting disciplinary situations are perceived as challenging and may be handled more at a situational level than a supra-situational one.

example score

10/12

Problematicness in Academic Learning Situations (PiALS)

Assesses how difficult and problem-saturated a person perceives academic educational situations and tasks to be.

Low perceived difficulty

Moderate perceived difficulty

High perceived difficulty

0 – 4: Low perceived difficulty | 5 – 9: Moderate perceived difficulty | 10 – 12: High perceived difficulty

A score of 10 indicates a high perceived difficulty level, suggesting a more situational approach and a greater likelihood of experiencing challenges when resolving academic educational tasks.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Classroom Teachers Facing Challenges

41%OF USERS

Teachers take it to quickly judge how difficult everyday and unusual classroom situations feel and which problem-solving style they rely on.

New Educators in Training

34%OF USERS

Student teachers and early-career educators use it to understand how they perceive pedagogical problems and what skills to develop first.

School Leaders and Mentors

25%OF USERS

Department heads, mentors, and methodologists use it to spot patterns in staff responses and plan targeted coaching or professional development.

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.

Problematic nature in disciplinary situations (Pnids)

Average

4.6

Normal range

2.9 — 6.3

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.

Problematic Aspects in Educational Situations (PAiES)

Average

5.7

Normal range

3.6 — 7.7

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

You will be presented with several different problem situations and possible ways of responding to them. Select the response option that seems most acceptable and effective. If you have difficulty choosing, you may select both options. In the original version of the measure, you may also provide your own response; this is not possible in the online version.

- You postpone the new topic and review the previous lesson.
- You present the new material without having a lesson plan.
- Both options
- a) Given the situation, you assign your own helpers.
- b) You highlight the appealing aspects of the task and continue to hope that volunteers will help.
- Both options
- You go into this aspect in more detail, using the audience's increased attention.
- You do not approve of the class's behavior, ask them to stop laughing, and continue the lesson.
- Both options

These are 3 of the 12 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

Problem Level Assessment Tool for Educational Task Solving Test

Pedagogical Problem-Solving Difficulty Level Assessment Test - Symptoms and Signs

pedagogy

This brief self-report measure is designed to describe perceived difficulty when addressing pedagogical problem-solving situations. The Pedagogical Problem-Solving Difficulty Level Assessment is administered in about 3 minutes and consists of 12 items.

Respondents rate the extent to which selected teaching-related scenarios or challenges are experienced as problematic, supporting a structured snapshot of perceived complexity in professional practice. Results may be used to inform reflective supervision, training needs, or broader professional development planning, and should be interpreted in the context of other clinical or organizational information.

The Pedagogical Problem-Solving Difficulty Level Assessment is attributed to John R. Anderson and Robert J. Sternberg.

Author: John R. Anderson, Robert J. Sternberg

Literature: Sternberg, R. J. Handbook of creativity. Cambridge University Press. 1999.