Type A Behavior Scale Test

Designed to explore behavioral patterns across work, competition, emotion, energy, and time pressure, the Type A Behavior Scale Test contains 86 questions and takes about 16 minutes. Results outline a broader behavioral style, helping respondents identify personal tendencies and reflect on how intensity, ambition, and stress may shape daily life.

Questions: 8616 minutes

Type A Behavior Scale: situation and reply bubbles

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Work InvolvementWI

This scale measures how interested, energized, and involved a person feels in their work activities.

example score29/56

29/56Moderateexample score

14 – 27Low

28 – 56Moderate

A score of 29 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a generally engaged and involved work style without consistently high intensity.

CompetitivenessC

Competitiveness measures the drive to compete and the desire to be first in goal-oriented situations.

example score10/24

10/24Lowexample score

6 – 11Low

12 – 24Moderate

A score of 10 falls in the Low range, suggesting a relatively modest focus on competing or needing to be first.

Emotional SuppressionES

Measures the degree to which a person restrains and controls emotional reactions, especially under pressure.

example score14/28

14/28Moderate restraintexample score

7 – 13Low restraint

14 – 20Moderate restraint

21 – 28High restraint

A score of 14 falls in the Moderate restraint range, suggesting a generally controlled style of emotional expression with some flexibility depending on the situation.

Behavioral SpecificityBS

This scale measures how strongly a person shows structured, control-oriented behavior patterns typically associated with Type A style.

example score13/32

13/32Low Type A specificityexample score

8 – 15Low Type A specificity

16 – 32High Type A specificity

A score of 13 falls in the Low Type A specificity range, suggesting less pronounced control-and-organization driven Type A behavior patterns in everyday behavior.

Time UrgencyTU

Measures the subjective sense of time pressure and rushing due to perceived insufficient time for tasks.

example score16/20

16/20High time pressureexample score

5 – 9Low time pressure

10 – 14Moderate time pressure

15 – 20High time pressure

A score of 16 falls in the High time pressure range, suggesting a frequent feeling of rushing and limited time that may be associated with higher day-to-day stress from workload intensity.

HostilityH

Hostility measures the tendency toward irritability, conflict-proneness, and negative attitudes toward others under stress or frustration.

example score40/72

40/72Moderate/Highexample score

18 – 35Low

36 – 72Moderate/High

A score of 40 falls in the Moderate/High range, suggesting a more noticeable tendency toward irritability or conflict in challenging situations compared with lower scores.

VigorV

Measures everyday activity, vitality, and readiness to take initiative and act under demands.

example score8/16

8/16Moderate energyexample score

4 – 7Lower energy

8Moderate energy

9 – 16Higher energy

A score of 8 indicates moderate energy, suggesting a generally adequate level of activity and initiative without pronounced high-drive intensity.

ImpatienceI

Measures the tendency to rush, struggle with waiting, and seek quick results under pressure.

example score34/40

34/40High impatienceexample score

10 – 19Low impatience

20 – 40High impatience

A score of 34 falls in the High impatience range, suggesting a strong preference for fast progress and greater difficulty tolerating delays.

AmbitiousnessA

Measures the strength of achievement drive, desire to excel, and motivation to pursue high goals and recognition.

example score40/56

40/56Moderate ambitionexample score

14 – 27Lower ambition

28 – 40Moderate ambition

41 – 56Higher ambition

A score of 40 falls in the Moderate ambition range, suggesting a solid goal focus and interest in advancement without a consistently strong push to outcompete others.

Behavior Pattern TypeBPT

Assesses the overall behavioral style on the Type A–Type B spectrum, reflecting typical pace, tension, and goal-driven intensity under pressure.

example score170/250

170/250Type AB (mixed)example score

86 – 159Type B (calmer)

160 – 180Type AB (mixed)

181 – 250Type A (high intensity)

A score of 170 falls in the Type AB (mixed) range, suggesting an active, hardworking style with a generally balanced work–rest pattern and moderate stress reactivity.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Overloaded high achievers

41%OF USERS

Ambitious professionals take it to check if constant urgency, perfectionism, and work intensity are pushing them toward chronic stress and burnout.

HR and team leads

34%OF USERS

Managers and HR specialists use it to spot employees prone to overwork, impatience, and conflict under pressure and plan support or workload changes.

Therapy and coaching clients

25%OF USERS

People in counseling or coaching take it to understand their tension, time urgency, and hostility triggers and build healthier coping strategies.

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.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

Engagement at WorkEaW

You?

Average38.5

Typical rangeTypical31.5 – 45.5

Possible14 – 56

CompetitivenessC

You?

Average13.2

Typical rangeTypical10.3 – 16.1

Possible6 – 24

Controlling EmotionsCE

You?

Average13

Typical rangeTypical10.3 – 15.8

Possible7 – 28

Specificity of BehaviorSoB

You?

Average23.8

Typical rangeTypical20.4 – 27.3

Possible8 – 32

Lack of TimeLoT

You?

Average14.1

Typical rangeTypical11.4 – 16.7

Possible5 – 20

HostilityH

You?

Average49.3

Typical rangeTypical42.5 – 56

Possible18 – 72

EnergeticE

You?

Average11.3

Typical rangeTypical9.2 – 13.3

Possible4 – 16

ImpatienceI

You?

Average24.7

Typical rangeTypical20.3 – 29.2

Possible10 – 40

AmbitionA

You?

Average43.7

Typical rangeTypical36.1 – 51.3

Possible14 – 56

Type of behavioral activityToba

You?

Average171.1

Typical rangeTypical147.1 – 195

Possible86 – 250

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- No, that is not true
- Probably true
- True
- Completely true
- No, that is not true
- Probably true
- True
- Completely true
- No, that is not true
- Probably true
- True
- Completely true

These are 3 of the 86 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Type A Behavior Scale Test - Description and methodology of the test

type a behavior

For readers who want a structured view of achievement, speed, emotional restraint, and interpersonal intensity, the Type A Behavior Scale Test offers a profile of behavioral tendencies. As a Type A behavior assessment, it connects work habits, competition, pressure, and reactions to delay without reducing personality to one fixed category. The result highlights patterns that may merit closer reflection in daily life.

What This Assessment Explores

Questions examine how a person approaches work, competition, control, emotion, activity, waiting, schedules, achievement, and conflict. They use familiar situations such as interruptions, leisure choices, rapid speech or eating, line-cutting, disagreement, responsibility, and keeping thoughts private. The result offers a Type A personality traits profile: separate dimensions show where intensity is concentrated and which tendencies accompany it.

This format suits people who want to compare their usual reactions across work and social settings. It describes behavioral tendencies rather than a fixed identity, so the overall pattern is most informative when read alongside component results and situations that feel typical. It can also support practical self-observation.

Methodology and Evidence Base

Four choices run from “No, that is not true” to “Completely true”; responses yield displayed totals and an overall pattern, with no stated item weights or conversion rules. The closest source is Type A Behavior Diagnostic Scale (Polozhentsev & Rudnev, 1990), conceptually consistent with, but not a direct adaptation of, the Jenkins Activity Survey and Friedman-Rosenman work. Norms are undocumented; stress and self-awareness affect self-report.

The displayed dimensions are:

Work Involvement (14-56) and Competitiveness (6-24) show engagement and winning, respectively: Low 14-27/6-11; Moderate 28-56/12-24.
Emotional Suppression (7-28) and Hostility (18-72) show restraint and irritability: Low restraint 7-13, Moderate restraint 14-20, High restraint 21-28; Low 18-35, Moderate/High 36-72.
Behavioral Specificity (8-32) shows Type A organization: Low Type A specificity 8-15; High Type A specificity 16-32.
Time Urgency (5-20) and Impatience (10-40) show rushing and waiting difficulty: Low time pressure 5-9, Moderate 10-14, High 15-20; Low impatience 10-19, High impatience 20-40.
Vigor (4-16), Ambitiousness (14-56), and Behavior Pattern Type (86-250) show activity, achievement, and style: Lower energy 4-7, Moderate energy 8-8, Higher energy 9-16; Lower ambition 14-27, Moderate ambition 28-40, Higher ambition 41-56; Type B (calmer) 86-159, Type AB (mixed) 160-180, Type A (high intensity) 181-250.

Author: M. Friedman, R. H. Rosenman

Literature:

S. D. Polozhentsev and D. A. Rudnev. (1990). Behavioral Risk Factor for Ischemic Heart Disease (Type A). Leningrad: Nauka.
C. D. Jenkins, S. J. Zyzanski, and R. H. Rosenman. (1979). Jenkins Activity Survey: JAS Manual, Form C. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
M. Friedman and R. H. Rosenman. (1959). Association of Specific Overt Behavior Pattern with Blood and Cardiovascular Findings; Blood Cholesterol Level, Blood Clotting Time, Incidence of Arcus Senilis, and Clinical Coronary Artery Disease. Journal of the American Medical Association, 169(12), 1286-1296. 10.1001/jama.1959.03000290012005
S. Booth-Kewley and H. S. Friedman. (1987). Psychological Predictors of Heart Disease: A Quantitative Review. Psychological Bulletin, 101(3), 343-362. 10.1037/0033-2909.101.3.343

Updated: 2025-10-02