Perceptual Awareness Scale Test

Understand how clearly someone notices sensations and the world around them in about 3 minutes. With 15 items, it delivers a fast, dependable snapshot for counseling, screening, or mindfulness work.

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Questions: 153 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

19,360 views

1,309 completions

1,101 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

4/12

Olfactory (O)

Assesses the extent to which smell sensations are salient and used in perceiving and processing information.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 8: Moderate | 9 – 12: High

A score of 4 indicates low salience of olfactory cues, with smell sensations typically playing a minor role in moment-to-moment awareness and interpretation.

example score

27/60

Sensory-Perceptual Awareness Level (SPAL)

Measures how strongly a person is aware of and attuned to sensory perceptions of the surrounding world.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 20: Low | 21 – 40: Moderate | 41 – 60: High

A score of 27 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting an average level of sensory-perceptual awareness and sensitivity.

example score

3/12

Gustatory (G)

Measures how strongly taste sensations contribute to a person’s moment-to-moment perception of the surrounding world.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 9: Moderate | 10 – 12: High

A score of 3 falls in the Low range, suggesting taste sensations play a relatively minor role in your overall perceptual awareness compared to other sensory cues.

example score

8/12

Tactile (T)

Measures how strongly a person relies on touch and bodily sensations when perceiving and processing information.

Low tactile focus

Moderate tactile focus

High tactile focus

0 – 5: Low tactile focus | 6 – 9: Moderate tactile focus | 10 – 12: High tactile focus

A score of 8 indicates a moderate tendency to notice and use tactile and bodily sensations as part of everyday awareness and understanding.

example score

4/12

Auditory (A)

Measures the extent to which a person predominantly processes and recalls information through hearing.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 8: Moderate | 9 – 12: High

A score of 4 falls in the Low range, suggesting auditory cues are a less prominent channel for how you take in and remember information compared with other modalities.

example score

8/12

Visual (V)

Measures the extent to which a person tends to perceive and process information through visual images.

Low visual orientation

Moderate visual orientation

High visual orientation

0 – 5: Low visual orientation | 6 – 9: Moderate visual orientation | 10 – 12: High visual orientation

A score of 8 falls in the Moderate visual orientation range, suggesting a noticeable but not dominant reliance on visual imagery in perception and memory.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Clients in therapy

41%OF USERS

People in counseling take it to quickly see how present they are “here and now” and how clearly they notice sensations, thoughts, and emotions.

Mindfulness and self-growth seekers

34%OF USERS

People focused on improving attention and awareness use it as a fast check of how fully they perceive their body and surroundings.

Psychology students and trainees

25%OF USERS

Learners use it to practice psychological assessment and understand differences in perceptual awareness across individuals.

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.

Olfactory (O)

Average

3.7

Normal range

2.1 — 5.3

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.

Level of sensory-perceptual consciousness (Losc)

Average

19.3

Normal range

11.6 — 27

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.

Gustatory (G)

Average

5.5

Normal range

3.4 — 7.6

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.

Tactile (T)

Average

5.9

Normal range

3.8 — 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.

Auditory (A)

Average

5.9

Normal range

3.9 — 7.9

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.

Visual (V)

Average

Normal range

7.5 — 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.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- No image at all
- Barely noticeable image
- More pronounced image
- Clearly defined image
- Extremely vivid image (as if real)
- No mental image
- Barely noticeable mental image
- More distinct mental image
- Clearly distinct mental image
- Very vivid mental image (lifelike image)
- No mental image
- Faint mental image
- Moderately clear mental image
- Clearly defined mental image
- Extremely vivid mental image (as if real)

These are 3 of the 15 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

Perceptual Awareness Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

representational system

This brief self-report measure is designed to characterize an individual’s subjective clarity and accessibility of perceptual experience. The Perceptual Awareness Scale provides a quick index of how consistently a person notices and reflects on ongoing sensory and perceptual experience.

The instrument consists of 15 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. It may be used as an adjunct in psychological assessment or consultation to support discussion of attention to internal experience and moment-to-moment awareness.

The Perceptual Awareness Scale is attributed to Nicholas A. Macmillan and George A. Gescheider.

Author: George A. Gescheider, Nicholas A. Macmillan

Literature: Baars, B. J. A cognitive theory of consciousness. Cambridge University Press. 1988.