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Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale-II (MSTAT-II)3

Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale-II (MSTAT-II) Test

In 3 minutes, see how comfortable you are with uncertainty and unclear situations. Get fast, practical insights to guide coping skills, communication, and support under stress.

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Questions: 133 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

21,982 views

1,967 completions

1,457 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

45/91

Tolerance of Ambiguity (ToA)

Measures how comfortable a person is with uncertainty, complexity, and unclear situations without needing rigid structure.

Low tolerance

Moderate tolerance

High tolerance

13 – 41: Low tolerance | 42 – 64: Moderate tolerance | 65 – 91: High tolerance

A score of 45 falls in the Moderate tolerance range, suggesting a generally workable comfort with ambiguity alongside a preference for clarity in some situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People in major transitions

41%OF USERS

Those changing jobs, moving, starting or ending relationships, or facing health and life uncertainty use it to see how they handle unclear outcomes.

Managers and team leads

34%OF USERS

Leaders take it to understand their comfort with shifting priorities, incomplete information, and fast-changing team situations.

Clients in counseling or coaching

25%OF USERS

People working on anxiety, perfectionism, or control issues use it to spot how much uncertainty triggers stress and rigid planning.

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.

Tolerance for uncertainty (Tfu)

Average

57.6

Normal range

45.6 — 69.6

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

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 13 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

Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale, MSTAT-II Test

Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale-II (MSTAT-II) Test - Symptoms and Signs

uncertainty

tolerance

This self-report measure is used to assess individual differences in tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty in everyday situations. The Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale-II (MSTAT-II) provides a brief, standardized way to quantify comfort with unclear, complex, or unpredictable circumstances.

Developed by David J. McLain, it consists of 13 items and typically takes about 3 minutes to complete, using graded response options to indicate level of agreement with each statement. Scores from the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale-II (MSTAT-II) may inform case formulation by describing a respondent’s tendency to seek structure and clarity versus remain flexible when information is incomplete, and can be used alongside other clinical data rather than as a standalone diagnostic indicator.

Author: David J. McLain

Literature: Budner, S. Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality. 1962.; McLain, D. L. Evidence of the properties of an ambiguity tolerance measure: The multiple stimulus types ambiguity tolerance scale-II (MSTAT-II). Psychological Reports. 2009.; Furnham, A., & Marks, J. Tolerance of ambiguity: A review of the recent literature. Psychology. 2013.; McLain, D. L. The MSTAT-I: A new measure of an individual’s tolerance for ambiguity. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 1993.