Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire Test
How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- (would not bother you at all) 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 (would bother you very much)
- 1 (very unlikely)
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 (most likely)
- (not at all bothersome) 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 (extremely bothersome)
Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire Test - Description and methodology of the test
For readers who worry that appearance may influence dating, social contact, or feelings of belonging, the Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire Test offers a focused self-report profile. This appearance rejection sensitivity assessment shows how strongly anticipated judgments about appearance may shape emotional reactions and expectations, giving people a clearer starting point for reflecting on body image and social expectations.
What This Assessment Explores
The questionnaire examines anticipation of rejection, appearance-based interpretations of uncertain social outcomes, and distress about negative judgment. Its situations involve dating, messages, callbacks, social selection, group activities, and relationship changes, so the result concerns interpersonal consequences rather than satisfaction with physical appearance.
Its role as an appearance-based rejection sensitivity questionnaire is to show how appearance concerns enter social predictions. The scenarios cluster around these situations:
- Dating and romantic interest show whether appearance-related rejection feels threatening during connection.
- Contact and responsiveness show whether missed communication is interpreted through appearance.
- Social inclusion shows how strongly exclusion is linked to perceived looks.
- Romantic and social appeal show concern about becoming less interesting, attractive, or wanted.
Results use Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity, 0-100: Low sensitivity 0-33, Moderate sensitivity 34-66, and High sensitivity 67-100. Higher scores may signal stronger sensitivity to appearance-related rejection.
Methodology and Scientific Basis
Each scenario asks for two linked judgments: how bothersome an appearance-based rejection would feel and how likely the respondent thinks it is. Answers use six-point scales, ranging from low to high bother or from very unlikely to most likely. This paired format captures emotional sensitivity and anxious expectation without requiring an explanation.
The online scoring converts responses into a 0-100 summary. Because item weights and the formula are not specified, individual points should not be inferred from the range. Its theoretical anchor is the appearance rejection sensitivity scale associated with the Appearance-RS Scale (Park, 2007). The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with that work, not a documented adaptation of it. Park and Pinkus (2009) connected the construct with reactions to appearance-related rejection and social contact; Calogero and colleagues (2010) examined its association with excessive body image concerns.
Interpret the result as a profile of self-reported expectations. Responses may shift with mood, criticism, dating experiences, self-awareness, and the social context imagined in each item. The bands are descriptive for this online measure, while the score should be considered alongside experiences rather than used as a clinical conclusion.
- Park, Lora E. (2007). Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity: Implications for Mental and Physical Health, Affect, and Motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33(4), 490-504. 10.1177/0146167206296301
- Park, Lora E., and Rebecca T. Pinkus (2009). Interpersonal Effects of Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(4), 602-612. 10.1016/j.jrp.2009.02.003
- Calogero, Rachel M., Lora E. Park, Zara K. Rahemtulla, and Katherine C. D. Williams (2010). Predicting Excessive Body Image Concerns among British University Students: The Unique Role of Appearance-Based Rejection Sensitivity. Body Image, 7(1), 78-81. 10.1016/j.bodyim.2009.09.005
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