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Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ)

Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) Test

In 3 minutes, learn whether an athlete defines success through personal growth or outperforming others. Fast, 12 items give clear insight to tailor coaching, motivation, and mental support.

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Questions: 123 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

17,019 views

1,090 completions

964 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

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How the Scales are Structured

example score

16/30

Task Orientation (TO)

Task Orientation measures the extent to which an athlete defines success through skill development, effort, and progress toward personal goals.

Lower task focus

Moderate task focus

Higher task focus

6 – 13: Lower task focus | 14 – 22: Moderate task focus | 23 – 30: Higher task focus

A score of 16 indicates a moderate task focus, suggesting a fairly consistent emphasis on improving skills and meeting personal goals, with room to strengthen persistence and process-based motivation.

example score

18/30

Ego Orientation (EO)

This scale measures how strongly an athlete defines success through self-affirmation and outperforming others via interpersonal comparisons.

Low comparison focus

Moderate comparison focus

High comparison focus

6 – 13: Low comparison focus | 14 – 22: Moderate comparison focus | 23 – 30: High comparison focus

A score of 18 indicates a moderate tendency to judge success by doing better than others rather than primarily by personal improvement.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Competitive athletes in-season

44%OF USERS

Athletes take it to see whether their motivation comes more from personal improvement or from winning and outperforming others.

Coaches shaping team mindset

33%OF USERS

Coaches use it to understand what drives each athlete and to tailor feedback, goals, and training focus after wins and losses.

Sport psychologists and counselors

23%OF USERS

Practitioners administer it to quickly assess an athlete’s success orientation and guide motivation and resilience work.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

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Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

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Used in 52+ countries

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.

Task Orientation (TO)

Average

12.5

Normal range

9.1 — 15.9

min.

max.

Majority

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.

Focus on Yourself (FoY)

Average

22.4

Normal range

18 — 26.7

min.

max.

Majority

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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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures how success is defined in sport settings. It distinguishes between a process focus (improvement and mastery) and an outcome focus (winning and outperforming others).

How long does it take to complete?

Most respondents finish in about 3 minutes. The questionnaire includes 12 items.

How should items be answered?

Select the response that best matches what success usually means, not what is preferred in an ideal situation. Answer each item based on typical thoughts and feelings in sport.

Is there a right or wrong score?

There are no correct or incorrect answers. Scores reflect relative emphasis on process-based versus outcome-based definitions of success.

How are results typically used?

Results can guide goal-setting, feedback style, and motivational planning in training and competition. They can also support discussions about reactions to wins and losses.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

sport

This measure assesses how individuals define and evaluate success in sport and achievement contexts. The Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) is designed to differentiate achievement goal orientations reflected in respondents’ self-reported criteria for feeling successful. It was developed by John G. Nicholls and Joan L. Duda.

The instrument includes 12 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete. Responses are commonly used to characterize the relative emphasis on personal improvement and effort (task orientation) versus normative comparison and winning (ego orientation).

Results from the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) may inform clinical or sport psychology case formulation, coaching consultation, and motivational interventions by clarifying the standards an athlete uses to judge performance and outcomes. Interpretation should be integrated with contextual information (e.g., competitive level, training environment) and other relevant assessment data.

Author: Joan L. Duda, John G. Nicholls

Literature: Roberts, G. C., Treasure, D. C., & Balagué, G. Achievement goals in sport: The development and validation of the Perception of Success Questionnaire. Journal of Sports Sciences. 1998.

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