Optimism Questionnaire Test

See how strongly you expect good outcomes and stay resilient, in about 3 minutes. Get a quick, clear snapshot of your mindset with 12 items to guide coaching, therapy, or research.

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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

25,039 views

2,967 completions

2,497 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

20/32

Optimism (O)

Measures the degree to which a person tends to hold positive expectations and confidence in favorable outcomes.

Low optimism

Moderate optimism

High optimism

0 – 10: Low optimism | 11 – 21: Moderate optimism | 22 – 32: High optimism

A score of 20 indicates a moderate level of optimism, suggesting generally positive expectations while still allowing for doubts in some situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People under stress

41%OF USERS

They take it to see whether their mindset stays hopeful during tough periods at work, school, or home.

Therapy and coaching clients

33%OF USERS

They use it as a quick starting point to discuss thinking patterns, strengths, and areas to improve in sessions.

Psychology students and researchers

26%OF USERS

They take it to get a fast, standardized optimism measure for coursework, studies, or group comparisons.

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.

Optimism Scale (OS)

Average

14.5

Normal range

9.9 — 19.1

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.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Difficult to say
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
- Strongly agree
- Agree
- Not sure
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree
- Completely agree
- Agree
- Hard to say
- Disagree
- Strongly disagree

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

Optimism Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

optimism

This instrument is designed to assess dispositional optimism, or the tendency to hold positive expectations about future outcomes. The Optimism Questionnaire provides a brief self-report snapshot of optimistic versus pessimistic outlook that can be used to inform clinical formulation or research hypotheses.

It consists of 12 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. Items are intended to be answered based on the respondent’s usual way of thinking, supporting a quick appraisal of generalized expectations.

Developed by Michael F. Scheier and Charles S. Carver, the Optimism Questionnaire may be used as a screening or adjunct measure to guide discussion of coping style, expectancy-related beliefs, and potential targets for intervention when interpreted alongside other clinical information.

Author: Charles S. Carver, Michael F. Scheier

Literature: Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. Optimism. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology. Oxford University Press. 2002.