difficultpersontest

Form DPT-45Rev 2026-10-26Self-report

Are you thedifficult one?

A free test of the seven traits that make people hard to get along with: callousness, grandiosity, domineering, manipulativeness, mistrust, hostile aggression and risk taking. Answer 45 statements about yourself. Every item and the scoring are public.

Start the testRate someone else
  • About 6 minutes
  • No sign-up
  • Answers stay in your browser

Describe yourself as you generally are now

Not as you wish to be, and not how you were years ago. Rate how true each statement is of you. There are no trick questions; a few are worded in reverse.

0 of 45 answered

Scoring runs in your browser and needs JavaScript. You can still read every statement below, or see the items and scoring rules.

01Care about others.
02Deserve special treatment from others.
03Boss people around.
04Take advantage of others.
05Feel like people often are out to get something from me.
06Am often out for revenge.
07Love dangerous situations.
08Am not a caring person.
09Should get special privileges.
10Like having authority over others.
11Cheat to get ahead.
12Feel that others are out to get me.
13Am excited to inflict pain on others.
14Like to do frightening things.
15Am a cold-hearted person.
16Believe that I am better than others.
17Insist that others do things my way.
18Like to trick people into doing things for me.
19Believe that, sooner or later, people always let you down.
20Get even with others.
21Get a thrill out of doing things that might kill me.
22Do not care how my actions affect others.
23Don't think I should have to wait in lines like others.
24Make demands on others.
25Deceive people.
26Suspect hidden motives in others.
27Hurt people.
28Would do anything to get an adrenaline rush.
29Can't be bothered with others' needs.
30Feel that others are beneath me.
31Have a strong need for power.
32Have exploited others for my own gain.
33Believe that people are basically honest and good.
34Will spread false rumors as a way to hurt others.
35Prefer safety over risk.
36Am not a sympathetic person.
37Believe that I am always right.
38Am known as a controlling person.
39Am an honest person.
40Am pretty trusting of others' motives.
41Am ready to hit someone when I get angry.
42Am indifferent to the feelings of others.
43Treat people as inferiors.
44Like to start fights.
45Enjoy a good brawl.

What happens after you answer

You get an average score from 1 (“very untrue”) to 5 (“very true”) on each of the seven traits, with what each one tends to look like and what helps. Then you can send a link to someone who knows you: they rate you on the same statements and you both see the two profiles side by side.

Scores are averages of your own answers. They are not percentiles, because there is no published reference group we can compare you with. A high score means you endorsed those statements, not that you have a disorder.

The seven traits

The seven come from a 2021 study that factor-analyzed 234 antagonism items from seven personality measures (Sleep et al., 2021). The statements here are from the public-domain International Personality Item Pool versions of matching scales.

  1. 01

    Callousness

    Not much concern for how other people feel or how your actions land on them.

  2. 02

    Grandiosity

    Feeling entitled to special treatment and seeing yourself as above others.

  3. 03

    Domineering

    A strong need to be in charge and to have things done your way.

  4. 04

    Manipulativeness

    Using deception or other people for your own gain.

  5. 05

    Mistrust

    Expecting others to have hidden motives or to let you down.

  6. 06

    Hostile aggression

    Wanting to hurt, get even with or fight other people.

  7. 07

    Risk taking

    Seeking danger and thrills, sometimes at real cost.

Is this the same as the viral difficult person test?

It measures the same seven traits, but it is a separate test with different items. The best-known version is published by another site, which says it was inspired by the same research. This one uses public-domain items so that every statement and scoring rule can be shown openly; read how accurate these tests are and all 45 items and the scoring.