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Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ)3

Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) Test

Understand the values that drive your choices and behavior in about 8 minutes. Get a clear, action-focused values profile to support coaching, counseling, and culture fit.

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Questions: 408 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

18,489 views

3,575 completions

1,839 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

5/6

Security (10) (S)

Measures the importance a person places on stability, safety, and predictability in personal life and society.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.9: Low | 3 – 4.4: Moderate | 4.5 – 6: High

A score of 5 indicates a high emphasis on security and reducing uncertainty through stable, predictable conditions.

example score

3/6

Stimulation (9) (S)

Stimulation measures the degree to which a person seeks novelty, variety, and challenging experiences to stay energized and engaged.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.9: Low | 3 – 4: Moderate | 4.1 – 6: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate preference for novelty and challenge, balancing new experiences with familiar routines.

example score

4/6

Power (8) (P)

Power measures the extent to which a person values social status, prestige, and influence over others.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.6: Low | 2.7 – 4.3: Moderate | 4.4 – 6: High

A score of 4 indicates a moderate emphasis on seeking status and influence, suggesting these motives are present but not dominant compared to other values.

example score

3/6

Achievement (A)

Measures the importance you place on personal success, effectiveness, and gaining social approval within cultural standards.

Lower priority

Moderate priority

Higher priority

1 – 2.9: Lower priority | 3 – 4.4: Moderate priority | 4.5 – 6: Higher priority

A score of 3 suggests achievement is a moderate priority, with some motivation for recognition and effectiveness without it consistently driving choices.

example score

3/6

Conformity (6) (C)

Conformity measures how strongly a person prefers to restrain impulses and follow group norms to preserve social harmony and avoid disrupting others.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2: Low | 3 – 4: Moderate | 5 – 6: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate preference for adhering to rules and considering social expectations, balanced with some willingness to act independently when needed.

example score

3/6

Universalism (5) (U)

Universalism measures the extent to which a person prioritizes understanding, tolerance, and the well-being of all people and nature.

Lower emphasis

Moderate emphasis

Higher emphasis

1 – 2: Lower emphasis | 3 – 4: Moderate emphasis | 5 – 6: Higher emphasis

A score of 3 suggests a moderate emphasis on universalism, with concern for fairness and broader well-being present but not consistently guiding choices.

example score

4/6

Tradition (T)

Tradition measures the extent to which a person values respecting and maintaining cultural or religious customs and established ways of doing things.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2: Low | 3 – 4: Moderate | 5 – 6: High

A score of 4 indicates a moderate orientation toward Tradition, suggesting you generally respect and follow customary norms while remaining flexible when circumstances call for change.

example score

4/6

Benevolence (2) (B)

Measures how strongly a person prioritizes supporting and enhancing the well-being of people they interact with.

Lower benevolence

Moderate benevolence

Higher benevolence

1 – 2.9: Lower benevolence | 3 – 4.4: Moderate benevolence | 4.5 – 6: Higher benevolence

A score of 4 indicates a moderate tendency to be supportive and considerate toward close others, with this value playing a noticeable but not dominant role in everyday choices.

example score

3/6

Self-Direction (1) (SD)

Independence (Self-Direction) measures how strongly a person values autonomous thinking and action, including freedom of choice, creativity, and exploration.

Lower independence

Moderate independence

Higher independence

1 – 2.9: Lower independence | 3 – 4: Moderate independence | 4.1 – 6: Higher independence

A score of 3 indicates a moderate preference for independent decision-making and self-directed action, balanced with some openness to external guidance or constraints.

example score

2/6

Hedonism (H)

Measures how strongly a person is motivated by pleasure, sensual enjoyment, and seeking joy in everyday life.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.6: Low | 2.7 – 4.3: Moderate | 4.4 – 6: High

A score of 2 indicates a low emphasis on hedonism, suggesting pleasure-seeking and sensual enjoyment are less central drivers of choices and behavior.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People in self-discovery

41%OF USERS

They want a clear picture of what truly motivates their everyday choices, especially during life or career transitions.

Coaches and therapists

33%OF USERS

They use it to quickly map a client’s value priorities and connect them to behavior patterns and decision-making.

HR and culture researchers

26%OF USERS

They run it in teams or studies to understand value fit, cultural differences, and what drives collaboration and conflict.

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.

Safety (10) (S()

Average

3.8

Normal range

3 — 4.5

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.

Stimulation (9) (S()

Average

3.5

Normal range

2.7 — 4.3

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.

Power (8) (P()

Average

4.3

Normal range

3.6 — 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.

Achievement (7) (A()

Average

3.8

Normal range

3 — 4.5

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.

Conformity (6) (C()

Average

4.6

Normal range

3.7 — 5.5

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.

Universalism (5) (U()

Average

3.9

Normal range

3.1 — 4.7

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.

Tradition (3) (T()

Average

3.1

Normal range

2.3 — 3.8

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.

Benevolence (2) (B()

Average

2.7

Normal range

1.8 — 3.7

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.

Independence (1) (I()

Average

4.5

Normal range

3.7 — 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.

Hedonism (4) (H()

Average

4.3

Normal range

3.6 — 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.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below are descriptions of some people. Please read each description and consider how similar or dissimilar each person is to you. Select the response option that best indicates how much the person described is like you.

- Not at all like me
- Not like me
- A little like me
- Somewhat like me
- Like me
- Very much like me
- Not like me at all
- Not like me
- A little like me
- Somewhat like me
- Like me
- Very much like me
- Not at all like me
- Not like me
- Not much like me
- A little like me
- Like me
- Very much like me

These are 3 of the 40 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

Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire, PVQ Test

Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

ethnopsychology

cultural values

This instrument is designed to assess an individual’s value priorities using a structured set of brief portrait-based statements. The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) asks respondents to rate how similar they are to described people, supporting a behavior-proximal view of values rather than endorsement of abstract ideals.

The measure includes 40 items and typically takes about 8 minutes to complete. Results are commonly summarized as relative value priorities that can be used to inform clinical formulation, counseling discussions, or research on motivational patterns and social-context influences. Interpretation of the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) should consider cultural and situational factors and is best integrated with other assessment data rather than used in isolation.

Author: S. H. Schwartz

Literature: Schwartz, S. H. Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 1992.; Schwartz, S. H. An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. 2012.; Berry, J. W., Poortinga, Y. H., Breugelmans, S. M., Chasiotis, A., & Sam, D. L. Cross-cultural psychology: Research and applications. Cambridge University Press. 2011.