Self
Confidence in coping
10 questions · 3 min
This short questionnaire looks at how much you believe you can handle difficult or unexpected situations and find a way through problems. It’s about how you see your ability to cope in general, not in one specific area.
It’s a belief, not a test of skill, and it can change over time with experience and support. Taking it again later can show how your confidence shifts.
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What it shows
How much you believe you can cope with challenges and solve problems.
What it doesn’t
A measure of your actual skills, or a diagnosis.
Who it’s for
This check is for anyone curious about how much they trust themselves to handle what life brings. It can be especially interesting during a time of change, such as starting a new job or course, taking on more responsibility, or finding your feet again after a setback.
If you’re working on your confidence, on your own, with a coach or with a counsellor, taking it now and again later can show whether your belief in yourself is growing.
Questions people ask
What does the General Self-Efficacy Scale measure?
It measures self-efficacy: how much you believe you can cope with challenges and solve problems. It looks at your confidence in general, not in one particular area like work or study.
How long does it take?
There are ten statements, which take about 3 minutes. For each one, you choose how true it is for you.
How is the GSE scored?
Each answer counts from 1 (not at all true) to 4, and the ten are added up for a score from 10 to 40. There are no official cut-offs, so the result groups scores into rough thirds (10–19, 20–29 and 30–40), which aren’t norms.
Is this a test of my abilities?
No. It measures your belief in your ability to cope, not your actual skills, and it isn’t a diagnosis. That belief often changes with experience and support.
How often can I retake it?
About every eight weeks. Confidence tends to shift gradually, so a longer gap makes changes easier to see.
Who developed the GSE?
Psychologists Matthias Jerusalem and Ralf Schwarzer developed it in Germany in 1979. It has since been used around the world in more than 30 languages.
Where it comes from
Developed by psychologists Matthias Jerusalem and Ralf Schwarzer in Germany in 1979 and used around the world in more than 30 languages.
General Self-Efficacy Scale
On iPhone or iPad?
Sprout is an app there too, and this link opens the test straight away if you have it.
Coming soon to the App Store