Extremism Propensity Scales Test

Understand a teen or young adult’s openness to radical or violent ideas in about 13 minutes. Get a clear risk snapshot to guide prevention and spot early warning shifts without labeling.

Start Online Test

Questions: 6613 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

13,691 view

983 completions

817 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

14/23

Conformity (C)

Measures susceptibility to group pressure and readiness to follow a group’s influence in decisions and actions.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 14 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a comparatively higher tendency to align with group expectations and act under group influence.

example score

7/23

Anti-Introspection (AI)

Measures the tendency to reject introspection and emotional experiences, prioritizing physical reality and straightforward action.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 7 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a more pronounced preference for concrete action over reflection on inner feelings and experiences.

example score

8/23

Normative Nihilism (NN)

Measures the tendency to dismiss social norms and view breaking rules as acceptable for achieving goals.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 8 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a more permissive attitude toward violating norms when pursuing personal aims.

example score

12/23

Protest Activity (PA)

Measures inclination toward protest-oriented behavior, including novelty-seeking, risk-taking, readiness for sacrifice for a cause, and potential maladaptive acting out.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 12 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a more pronounced tendency toward risk-taking and protest-driven actions compared with lower scores.

example score

7/23

Destructiveness and Cynicism (DaC)

Measures a tendency toward cynical, destructive attitudes that downplay the value of life and justify sacrifices for an idea.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 7 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a noticeable but not definitive tendency toward cynical, destructive justification of harm for an idea.

example score

13/23

Mysticism (M)

Measures the tendency to avoid responsibility and prefer mystical or intuitive explanations over rational analysis and personal agency.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 13 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a stronger-than-average inclination to rely on intuition or external forces and to shift responsibility away from oneself in explanations and decisions.

example score

6/23

Social Pessimism (SP)

Measures the tendency to view the world as dangerous and unpredictable and to expect negative outcomes in the future.

Low

Moderate

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 23: Moderate

A score of 6 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting occasional pessimistic expectations and some perception of the world as unsafe or uncertain.

example score

13/23

Conventional Coercion (CC)

Measures a tendency to seek restoration of justice through stricter demands and punitive responses toward those seen as violating commonly accepted norms.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 13 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a comparatively stronger preference for enforcing conventional values through strictness and punishment when others are perceived as breaking rules.

example score

6/23

Intolerance (I)

Measures a tendency to reject differences in others, prefer certainty, and be less accepting of dissenting opinions.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 6 falls in the Low range, suggesting relatively flexible views and a lower tendency to dismiss differing perspectives.

example score

16/23

Acceptability of Aggression (AoA)

Measures readiness to display aggression and to justify violent actions when experiencing frustration or dissatisfaction.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 16 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a comparatively higher acceptance of aggression and greater likelihood of viewing violent responses as justified in frustrating situations.

example score

15/23

Cult of Force (CoF)

Measures a disposition to view force and dominance as acceptable or preferred ways to achieve goals and resolve conflicts.

Low

Elevated

0 – 6: Low | 7 – 23: Elevated

A score of 15 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting a stronger-than-average tendency to identify with power and to see coercion or dominance as an effective way to deal with conflicts.

example score

166/330

Propensity for Violent Extremism (PfVE)

Measures how strongly a person tends to justify or accept violence as a means of achieving goals.

Low

Moderate

High

66 – 153: Low | 154 – 242: Moderate | 243 – 330: High

A score of 166 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not pronounced tendency to view violence as acceptable for achieving objectives.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

School and college counselors

41%OF USERS

Use it to quickly gauge risk tendencies in students and decide where preventive conversations or support may be needed.

Youth program specialists

34%OF USERS

Run it in group settings to spot early shifts toward aggressive or radical attitudes and tailor prevention activities.

Concerned parents and guardians

25%OF USERS

Take it to better understand a teen’s views and decide whether to seek guidance from a psychologist or educator.

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.

Conformity (C)

Average

8.9

Normal range

5.4 — 12.3

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.

Anti-interoception (A)

Average

16.8

Normal range

13.4 — 20.3

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.

Normative Nihilism (NN)

Average

15.6

Normal range

12.1 — 19

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.

Protest Activity (PA)

Average

6.1

Normal range

3 — 9.2

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.

Destructiveness and Cynicism (DaC)

Average

9.5

Normal range

5.6 — 13.4

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.

Mysticism (M)

Average

6.2

Normal range

3.3 — 9.1

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.

Social pessimism (Sp)

Average

Normal range

7.6 — 14.3

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.

Conventional Coercion (CC)

Average

11.9

Normal range

9.1 — 14.8

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.

Intolerance (I)

Average

8.5

Normal range

5.3 — 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.

Acceptability of Aggression (AoA)

Average

12.3

Normal range

9.4 — 15.2

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.

Cult of Power (CoP)

Average

10.2

Normal range

6 — 14.3

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.

Propensity for Violent Extremism (PfVE)

Average

207.3

Normal range

174.1 — 240.5

min.

max.

330

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

You are invited to participate in a study examining young people’s views on the most pressing issues of today. For each question, please indicate your opinion by selecting one response option.

- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Not sure
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Not sure
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Rather disagree
- Not sure
- Rather agree
- Completely agree

These are 3 of the 66 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Extremism Propensity Scales Test - Symptoms and Signs

extremism

beliefs

In adolescent and young adult evaluations, it can be useful to assess attitudes and dispositions that may be associated with radical or violent ideation. The Extremism Propensity Scales is a self-report measure designed to screen for such tendencies across a range of potentially antisocial or violent orientations.

The instrument contains 66 items and typically requires about 13 minutes to complete. Items ask respondents to endorse beliefs and attitudes, allowing clinicians or researchers to identify elevated endorsement of themes relevant to risk formulation and prevention planning. The Extremism Propensity Scales (F. M. Moghaddam; J. M. Post) is intended to inform broader assessment and should not be used on its own to infer criminal behavior, group involvement, or to establish diagnostic conclusions.

Author: F. M. Moghaddam, J. M. Post

Literature: Borum, R. Psychology of terrorism. Tampa: University of South Florida. 2004.