Sociologist Morris Rosenberg proposed one of the most widely used self-esteem scales in psychology in 1965, combining direct statements ("I feel I'm a person of worth") with reverse-worded ones ("at times I think I am no good at all"), to keep people from just answering whatever "sounds better."
- Low: you struggle to recognize your own worth, even in the face of real achievements.
- Moderate: your self-esteem varies quite a bit depending on context or mood.
- High: you hold a stable, positive view of yourself, without relying solely on outside approval.
15 statements, about 3-4 minutes. Some are deliberately worded in reverse, as in the original scale: read each one carefully before answering.
All possible results
Low Self-Esteem
You struggle to recognize your own worth, even in the face of real achievements, and tend to need other people's validation to feel good about yourself.
See the detail
“Self-esteem, in Rosenberg's definition, is the overall (positive or negative) evaluation a person makes of themselves. It isn't the same as confidence in a specific skill: it's a deeper judgment about your own worth as a person.”
What this score means
Your answers show difficulty recognizing your own qualities and achievements without playing them down. A mistake or a criticism likely affects you more than it proportionally should, and you probably need outside approval to feel reasonably good about yourself.
How it shows up day to day
- You find it hard to accept a compliment without downplaying it.
- A mistake can make you doubt your overall worth, not just that specific result.
- You tend to compare yourself with others and come up short in that comparison.
An important note
This result is for orientation and informational purposes only, inspired by Morris Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (1965): it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a professional psychological assessment.
Moderate Self-Esteem
How you see yourself varies quite a bit depending on context or mood, without being consistently negative.
See the detail
“Self-esteem usually isn't a fixed trait: it fluctuates with context, recent successes and failures, and the relationships around you.”
What this score means
Your answers show a self-view that depends a fair amount on the situation: in some areas you feel confident and capable, in others you struggle more to recognize your own worth. There's no consistently negative pattern, but no stable foundation across every context either.
How it shows up day to day
- You accept a compliment more easily in some areas than in others.
- A mistake affects you, but it doesn't always define how you feel about yourself for the rest of the day.
- Your confidence depends partly on how things have gone recently, not on a stable foundation.
An important note
This result is for orientation and informational purposes only, inspired by Morris Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (1965): it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a professional psychological assessment.
High Self-Esteem
You hold a stable, positive view of yourself, without relying solely on outside approval to feel good.
See the detail
“Healthy self-esteem doesn't mean believing you're better than others: it means recognizing your own worth with the same fairness you'd extend to anyone else.” — in the spirit of Rosenberg's approach
What this score means
Your answers show a stable foundation of self-regard: you recognize your qualities and achievements without needing to downplay them, and a mistake or a criticism doesn't collapse your overall opinion of yourself.
How it shows up day to day
- You accept a compliment without discomfort or the urge to minimize it.
- You make decisions without constantly relying on other people's approval.
- A one-off slip-up doesn't make you question your overall worth as a person.
An important note
This result is for orientation and informational purposes only, inspired by Morris Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (1965): it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a professional psychological assessment.
Indicative result, not a diagnosis. It describes how you described yourself today, not a disorder or a clinical condition, and it does not replace assessment by a mental health professional. If what you are feeling overwhelms you or persists over time, consider talking it through with a professional.
How this test was built
This test measures your level of self-esteem : the overall, positive or negative, evaluation you make of yourself as a person.
This result is not a clinical diagnosis of depression or any other disorder: self-esteem is a dimensional psychological construct.
This is an orientation-only, informational approximation, inspired by the Rosenberg scale but not identical to it nor psychometrically validated.
See the full methodology
What it measures
This test measures your level of self-esteem: the overall, positive or negative, evaluation you make of yourself as a person.
What model it uses
It's organized into three levels:
- Low self-esteem: it's hard to recognize your own worth, even in the face of real achievements.
- Moderate self-esteem: your self-evaluation varies quite a bit depending on context or mood.
- High self-esteem: a stable, positive evaluation that doesn't depend solely on outside approval.
Where that model comes from
It's inspired by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), proposed by sociologist Morris Rosenberg in 1965 and one of the most widely used instruments in psychological research, which combines direct statements with others phrased in reverse.
How the result is calculated
Each of the 15 statements distributes points across the three levels; several are phrased in reverse, as in the original scale, to avoid automatic answers. The level with the most accumulated points defines your result.
What your result means
The result describes how you evaluate yourself overall, not your confidence in a specific skill or your mood at a given moment.
What it does NOT mean
This result is not a clinical diagnosis of depression or any other disorder: self-esteem is a dimensional psychological construct. It does not replace an evaluation by a psychology professional.
Limitations
This is an orientation-only, informational approximation, inspired by the Rosenberg scale but not identical to it nor psychometrically validated. For a formal evaluation, the original instrument and professional support are recommended.
Academic references
- Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton University Press.
Frequently asked questions
Why are some questions worded 'in reverse'?
To keep people from answering automatically or based on what 'sounds better.' It's the same technique Morris Rosenberg used in his original 1965 scale: combining direct statements with reverse-worded ones to get a more reliable measure.
Is self-esteem fixed, or can it change?
It can change. While it has some baseline stability, research in psychology describes self-esteem as sensitive to context, relationships, and experiences, not as a completely fixed trait.
Does having high self-esteem mean I never doubt myself?
No. It means those occasional doubts don't collapse your underlying sense of self-worth, not that they never happen.
Is this test reliable?
It's an orientation-only, informational approximation, inspired by Rosenberg's scale but not identical to it. For a formal psychometric evaluation, the recommended path is the original instrument together with guidance from a professional.
How long does the test take?
Between 3 and 4 minutes: 15 statements with five response options each.
See all 6 questions
Is it free?
Yes, it's completely free: no sign-up or payment needed to take the test and see your result.
