Temporal Focus Scale (TFS) Test

Understand whether your attention leans to the past, present, or future in about 3 minutes. In 12 items, get a clear profile to support planning, motivation, and wellbeing.

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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

12641 view

1319 completions

1141 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

4/7

Past (P)

Measures how strongly a person’s attention and thoughts are oriented toward past events through memories and reflection.

Low past focus

Moderate past focus

High past focus

1 – 3: Low past focus | 4 – 5: Moderate past focus | 6 – 7: High past focus

A score of 4 indicates a moderate tendency to revisit and reflect on past experiences, without the past being a dominant focus.

example score

3/7

Present (P)

Measures how much attention and thinking are directed toward what is happening in the here and now.

Low present focus

Moderate present focus

High present focus

1 – 3: Low present focus | 4 – 5: Moderate present focus | 6 – 7: High present focus

A score of 3 indicates a low present focus, suggesting current events occupy your thoughts less consistently than past or future concerns.

example score

4/7

Future (F)

Measures how strongly a person’s attention is directed toward anticipating, imagining, and planning for future events.

Low future focus

Moderate future focus

High future focus

1 – 2: Low future focus | 3 – 5: Moderate future focus | 6 – 7: High future focus

A score of 4 indicates a moderate tendency to think ahead and plan for upcoming events without the future consistently dominating attention.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Therapy and coaching clients

41%OF USERS

People working on motivation, emotional balance, or life direction take it to see whether they dwell on the past, stay in the present, or worry about the future.

Psychology students and researchers

34%OF USERS

Learners and researchers use it in studies or coursework to measure temporal attention and link it to behavior, decision-making, and wellbeing.

Goal setters and planners

25%OF USERS

People trying to improve planning, productivity, or habit change take it to understand if their attention profile supports long-term goals or gets stuck in other time frames.

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

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.

Practical
Recommendations

Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Detected
Insights

Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Psychologist

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

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.

Past (P)

Average

4.1

Normal range

3.2 — 4.9

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Present (P)

Average

3.3

Normal range

2.3 — 4.3

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Future (F)

Average

4.5

Normal range

3.6 — 5.5

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions left?

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures where attention is most often directed in thought: the past, the present, or the future. Results describe the relative strength of each focus.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

It takes about 3 minutes to complete. It includes 12 statements.

How should responses be selected?

Rate each statement based on how often it reflects typical thoughts and attention. Answer all items using the same response scale.

How are results reported?

Responses are combined into separate scores for past, present, and future focus. Higher scores indicate greater attentional emphasis on that time period.

What should be considered when interpreting scores?

Scores describe attention patterns, not ability, mental health status, or character. Interpretation should consider current context, stress level, and recent life events.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Temporal Focus Scale (TFS) Test

temporal perspective

This measure assesses the degree to which an individual’s attention is oriented toward the past, present, or future. The Temporal Focus Scale (TFS) is administered as a brief self-report inventory of 12 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete.

Respondents rate statements describing how often they think about or attend to different time frames, yielding separate indicators of past-, present-, and future-focused attention. Results are commonly used in clinical, counseling, and research contexts to characterize temporal attention patterns that may be relevant to decision-making, affect, and behavior. The Temporal Focus Scale (TFS) was originally developed by Shipp, Edwards, and Lambert.

Author: john-n-boyd, philip-g-zimbardo

Literature: Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1999.; Shipp, A. J., Edwards, J. R., & Lambert, L. S. Conceptualization and measurement of temporal focus: The subjective experience of the past, present, and future. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 2009.

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