Home1
Psychological tests2
Sport Participation Motives Questionnaire3

Sport Participation Motives Questionnaire Test

Understand what motivates an athlete in 5 minutes, from health goals to winning drive. Get clear, actionable results fast to tailor coaching, training, or mental support.

Start Online Test

Questions: 245 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

25,324 views

2,345 completions

2,063 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

13/16

Obligation Motivation (OM)

Measures how strongly a person’s engagement in sports is driven by a sense of duty, obligation, or perceived necessity to exercise.

Low obligation

Moderate obligation

High obligation

0 – 5: Low obligation | 6 – 11: Moderate obligation | 12 – 16: High obligation

A score of 13 indicates high obligation-based motivation, suggesting exercise is currently driven more by duty or perceived pressure than by purely intrinsic interest.

example score

12/16

Reward Motivation (RM)

Measures how strongly a person is motivated by external rewards such as prizes, awards, or recognition in sport.

Low reward focus

Moderate reward focus

High reward focus

0 – 5: Low reward focus | 6 – 10: Moderate reward focus | 11 – 16: High reward focus

A score of 12 indicates a high orientation toward external reinforcement, with rewards and recognition being a prominent driver of current sports engagement.

example score

12/16

Self-Improvement Motivation (SIM)

Measures the extent to which sports participation is driven by a desire for personal growth and developing one’s abilities.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 11: Moderate | 12 – 16: High

A score of 12 indicates high self-improvement motivation, suggesting sports are currently strongly linked to developing skills and personal growth.

example score

5/16

Social Interaction Motivation (SIM)

Measures how strongly an athlete is motivated by social interaction and communication within sports activities.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 11: Moderate | 12 – 16: High

A score of 5 suggests communication is a relatively minor driver of motivation in sports right now, with social interaction playing a limited role.

example score

11/16

Enjoyment of the Process (EotP)

Measures how strongly a person is motivated by enjoyment of the training process itself rather than outcomes.

Low process enjoyment

Moderate process enjoyment

High process enjoyment

0 – 5: Low process enjoyment | 6 – 11: Moderate process enjoyment | 12 – 16: High process enjoyment

A score of 11 suggests a moderate level of enjoyment-based motivation, with workouts generally experienced as engaging even if not always the primary driver.

example score

6/16

Performance Motivation (PM)

Measures how strongly an athlete is driven by achieving concrete results, goals, and winning in sport.

Low result focus

Moderate result focus

High result focus

0 – 5: Low result focus | 6 – 11: Moderate result focus | 12 – 16: High result focus

A score of 6 indicates a moderate emphasis on results, suggesting goal achievement matters but is not the sole driver for engaging in sport.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Coaches and trainers

41%OF USERS

They use it to quickly understand what drives each athlete and adjust training, feedback, and goals accordingly.

Competitive athletes

34%OF USERS

They take it to clarify what motivates them right now and prepare mentally for training blocks or upcoming competitions.

Beginners and fitness newcomers

25%OF USERS

They take it to see whether they are motivated more by health, enjoyment, social support, or personal achievement so they can stay consistent.

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.

Motivation of Obligation (MoO)

Average

7.8

Normal range

5.2 — 10.4

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.

Motivation for reward (Mfr)

Average

9.8

Normal range

7.7 — 11.8

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.

Motivation for Self-Improvement (MfS)

Average

8.5

Normal range

6.5 — 10.4

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.

Motivation for Communication (MfC)

Average

8.8

Normal range

5.9 — 11.7

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.

Motivation for Enjoying the Process (MfEtP)

Average

6.5

Normal range

4 — 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.

Motivation for Results (MfR)

Average

6.6

Normal range

4.4 — 8.7

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.

Start Online Test

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Not at all important
- Somewhat unimportant
- Moderately important
- Somewhat important
- Very important
- Not at all important
- Rather unimportant
- Moderately important
- Rather important
- Very important
- Not at all important
- Rather unimportant
- Moderately important
- Rather important
- Very important

These are 3 of the 24 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Sport Participation Motives Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

sport

sports motivation

This measure is used to quickly characterize an athlete’s current reasons for engaging in sport participation. The Sport Participation Motives Questionnaire is a brief self-report inventory intended to support applied decision-making in sport psychology and related settings.

It consists of 24 items and typically takes about 5 minutes to complete. Responses provide a structured profile of participation motives that may inform goal setting, training adherence strategies, and the focus of psychological skills support.

The Sport Participation Motives Questionnaire is commonly cited in the literature associated with G. C. Roberts.

Author: G. C. Roberts

Literature: Roberts, G. C. (Ed.). Advances in motivation in sport and exercise. Human Kinetics. 2001.