Online Psychological Self-Assessments: Choose a Test That Fits Your Question

Companion reading: Taking an Online Psychology Test: Process, Report, and Privacy.

In the article that follows, I explore the big personality traits. If you recognize yourself in this theme, I designed a Big Five (OCEAN) test that helps you take stock of your five main personality traits. It comes with a guide to extend your reflection beyond the results. I also wrote a book on this subject, The Practical CBT Guide, if you would like to go further.

What is the psychological testing platform?

Psychology and Serenity is an online psychological testing platform developed by a certified CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) psychotherapist. It brings together a catalogue of tests (197 at last count), organized into nine thematic categories.

The model is straightforward: taking the test is completely free. You answer the questions and get a preview of your score. If you want to go further — with detailed interpretation, dimension-specific graphics, and personalized recommendations — the full personalized report is a paid product; the current offer and price are shown before payment.

The catalogue contains self-assessment tools covering different topics, combining in-house design with reference frameworks drawn from CBT foundations, Young's schema therapy, and clinical research. Their purpose, reference frameworks, and limitations should be read on the individual test page — not every tool in the catalogue is a validated clinical scale, and each was designed to give a first level of self-reflection, without replacing a professional diagnosis.

The 9 test categories

General diagnosis

A single test, but strategic: 72 questions covering all the platform's themes. It can help you choose a topic to explore, but it is not a clinical triage assessment. Rather than choosing randomly, the general diagnosis points to your priority areas and recommends the evaluations most suited to your answers.

Personality (25 tests)

The most comprehensive category. It includes classics like the Big Five (OCEAN) — the most scientifically validated personality model — as well as the Enneagram, relationship dependency test, high sensitivity test, assessment of Young's early schemas, impostor syndrome, emotional intelligence, and assertiveness. These 25 tests allow you to map your psychological functioning in depth: how you perceive the world, how you interact with others, what defense mechanisms you've developed over the years.

Take the test: Big Five (OCEAN) → — To map your five core personality dimensions, start with the platform's most validated model.

ADHD (6 tests)

Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity is one of the most under-diagnosed conditions in adults. This category offers six complementary evaluations: Adult ADHD (global assessment), hyperactivity, attention deficit, executive functions (planning, working memory, cognitive flexibility), and daily life impact. The value of this multidimensional approach is distinguishing different profiles — predominantly inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, or combined — and measuring concrete repercussions on your professional and relational life.

Anxiety (16 tests)

Sixteen evaluations covering the full spectrum of anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety, social anxiety, health anxiety (hypochondriasis), separation anxiety, performance anxiety, burnout (Maslach scale), chronic stress, PTSD (post-traumatic stress), panic attacks, and stress management. Each test targets a specific mechanism. Generalized anxiety is not social anxiety, which is not burnout. Understanding them separately allows you to identify precisely what affects you and adapt the therapeutic strategy accordingly.

OCD (5 tests)

Obsessive-compulsive disorders are often reduced to the image of someone repeatedly washing their hands. Reality is far more nuanced. This category offers five tests: obsessions, compulsions, intrusive thoughts, pathological perfectionism, and mental rumination. Pathological perfectionism, for example, is rarely identified as OCD — yet the compulsive need for control and fear of error often stem from this family of disorders. Mental rumination, meanwhile, forms a bridge between OCD and depression. To take this further out loud, Psy Lounge offers a listening space run by a CBT-trained AI.

Relationships (20 tests)

This is the category most directly related to what we do at ScanMyLove. Twenty tests to explore your relational dynamics: attachment style (secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized), couple communication, codependency, jealousy, fear of abandonment, manipulation, empathy, toxic relationship, breakup management, and winning back your ex. The attachment style test is particularly illuminating — it helps you understand why you react in specific ways in intimacy, and why certain patterns repeat from one relationship to another.

Phobias (9 tests)

Nine evaluations going beyond classic phobias: social phobia, agoraphobia, specific phobias, eating disorders, screen addiction, social media addiction, and internet addiction. These are grouped together in the catalogue's navigation for convenience, not because eating disorders or behavioral addictions are classified as phobias — each has its own diagnostic criteria, detailed on its own test page. Some can share related mechanisms with phobias in certain presentations, such as avoidance and anticipatory anxiety, but that is a similarity, not a scientific classification.

Childhood (9 tests)

Nine tests to explore the traces childhood has left on your adult functioning: childhood trauma, inner child, parentification, emotional deprivation, core wounds, and family loyalty. Parentification — having to play a parental role toward your own parents — is one of the least-known but most impactful phenomena on adult life. These tests allow you to put words to experiences that often remained in the shadows.

Personal Development (11 tests)

Eleven evaluations oriented toward personal growth: self-confidence, self-esteem, resilience, life balance, emotion management, relational intelligence, leadership, motivation, and a comprehensive 100-question assessment. The comprehensive assessment is the platform's most complete evaluation — it synthesizes all dimensions into a single report.

The general diagnostic test: your starting point

If you're not sure where to start in the catalogue, try the general diagnosis. Its 72 questions cover all the platform's themes: anxiety, mood, relationships, attention, personality, trauma. After the test, you get a map of your priority areas and pointers toward the tests most relevant to your answers.

It can help you choose a topic to explore, but it is not a clinical triage assessment. Many people discover dimensions they hadn't considered — a high pathological perfectionism score in someone exploring anxiety, for example.

Take the general diagnostic test

Scientific foundations

The catalogue draws on reference frameworks and scales used in clinical research. Not every test is a validated clinical scale — some are in-house self-assessment tools inspired by these frameworks; each test's own page states which applies. Here are the main references used across the catalogue:

• DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders): diagnostic criteria for ADHD, OCD, anxiety disorders, PTSD
• Goldberg's Big Five Model: personality in five dimensions (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism)
• Young's early schemas: 18 maladaptive schemas from schema therapy
• Bowlby's attachment theory: attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized)
• Maslach Scale: professional burnout in three dimensions
• Gottman's model: relational dynamics and predictors of breakup
• Beck Scales: anxiety and depression

The tests do not claim to replace a clinical diagnosis. They constitute a structured self-assessment tool, based on the same frameworks used by mental health professionals. Their objective is to give you a reliable first level of understanding and concrete action paths.

Who are these tests for?

Personal self-assessment

You feel a vague unease — anxiety, relational difficulties, lack of confidence — but you can't name it precisely. The tests help you put words to what you're experiencing. Taking an early schema test or attachment style test can be a moment of intense clarity: "So that's what explains why I always react the same way."

Preparing for a consultation

Arriving at a psychologist or psychiatrist with results from a structured test changes the dynamics of the first session. Instead of starting from scratch, you already have vocabulary, scores, and identified dimensions. The professional can get straight to the point. Several therapists even recommend their patients take online tests between sessions.

Therapeutic monitoring

Tests allow you to measure your progress over time. Taking the same anxiety test three months apart and seeing your score drop by 15 points is concrete motivation. It's also an objective indicator for your therapist.

Curiosity and personal development

You don't have a particular problem, but you want to know yourself better. Personality tests (Big Five, Enneagram), emotional intelligence, or resilience are excellent self-knowledge tools. They reveal tendencies you're not always aware of and open pathways for personal development.

Take action

Self-knowledge is the first step toward change. Whether you're seeking to understand a relational pattern, evaluate an anxiety disorder, or simply explore your personality, the tests at Psychology and Serenity are there to support you. Choose the question you want to explore, read what the assessment covers, and view a sample report — the full personalized report is available after payment.

• Browse the available tests
• Start with the general diagnostic test
• Analyze your couple's conversation with ScanMyLove

The tests require no account and are immediately accessible. Read the privacy policy for details on how your answers and payment information are handled.

---

The tests offered on this platform are self-assessment tools and do not constitute a medical or psychological diagnosis. They do not replace consultation with a mental health professional. If you are in crisis, contact 3114 (suicide prevention) or 15 (medical emergencies) in France, or find a helpline in your country at findahelpline.com.

---

Related articles

• ADHD or Manipulation? Analyse Your Messages to See Clearly