What the GSES measures
Rooted in Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, "self-efficacy" is defined as the belief in one's own ability to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) was created to assess a general, pervasive sense of personal agency, as opposed to domain-specific self-efficacy (e.g., math self-efficacy). High self-efficacy is a powerful buffer against stress and burnout, as individuals view difficulties as challenges to be mastered rather than threats to be avoided.
The dimensions it assesses
- Set ambitious goals and maintain commitment to them.
- Recover quickly from setbacks and failures.
- Exert control over threatening or unpredictable environments.
- Adapt to novel challenges by transferring past successful coping strategies.
Already have a GSES score from somewhere else? Look it up without retaking the questionnaire.
What your score means
(Theoretical Range: 10 to 40)
| Score | Interpretation | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 10 – 20 | Low Self-Efficacy (Vulnerable) | The individual doubts their capabilities, shies away from difficult tasks, and has low aspirations. Highly susceptible to stress and learned helplessness. |
| 21 – 30 | Moderate Self-Efficacy (Average) | The individual possesses adequate confidence for routine challenges but may waver or give up prematurely when faced with severe, prolonged adversity. |
| 31 – 40 | High Self-Efficacy (Robust) | The individual approaches threatening situations with assurance, maintains strong commitment to goals, and quickly recovers their sense of efficacy after failures. |
These ranges describe groups of people, not individuals. A score near a boundary is not meaningfully different from one just across it, and no range on this table is a diagnosis.
What to do with your result
- Rebuilding Low Efficacy: Self-efficacy is built through "mastery experiences." Individuals scoring low must break large goals into micro-tasks that guarantee a 100% success rate. Success breeds success.
- Vicarious Modeling: If a person doubts their own abilities, they should surround themselves with peers who are succeeding at similar tasks (observational learning). Seeing someone similar succeed raises the observer's belief in their own capabilities.
- Reframing Anxiety: High self-efficacy individuals view a racing heart before a presentation as "excitement and readiness to perform." Low self-efficacy individuals view it as "impending failure." Cognitive reframing of physiological arousal is key.
Common questions about the GSES
- What does the GSES measure?
- Measurement of a broad and stable sense of personal competence to deal effectively with a variety of stressful situations.
- Can the GSES diagnose me?
- No. Self-Belief & Confidence (GSES) is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic tool. It can flag that something may need a closer look. It cannot tell you what is causing it. It describes tendencies rather than diagnosing anything, and no result here is a condition or something to fix.
- How long does the GSES take?
- 10 questions, which most people finish in 3 – 5 minutes. There is no time limit, and answering honestly matters more than answering quickly. The results page checks for patterns suggesting the questions were rushed.
- Is this GSES test really free?
- Yes. No account, no email address, no payment. Psychometrics Today is funded by donations rather than advertising, which is also what allows us to publish instruments whose authors permit free but non-commercial use.
- Are my answers stored or shared?
- No. Your answers are scored inside your browser and never sent to us. There is no database of responses, because we never receive any. Closing the tab erases them, which is why results cannot be recovered afterwards.
- How often should I retake the GSES?
- Traits and preferences move slowly, so retaking this every few months is more informative than retaking it often. Larger shifts usually follow a genuine change in circumstances.
- Who created the GSES, and is this the real version?
- It was published by Schwarzer & Jerusalem. Distributed free by the authors for research and practice. The items here are the published ones rather than a paraphrase, and the scoring follows the original rules. Both are documented on this page so they can be checked.
- How accurate is the GSES?
- Screening questionnaires are good at flagging that something merits attention and poor at establishing what it is. This one is sensitive to how you feel on the day you take it, and many instruments were validated on narrow populations whose cut-offs may not transfer cleanly to everyone. The references at the foot of this page are the primary sources.
Sources
Rights held by Schwarzer & Jerusalem. Developed and validated by the researchers cited below.
- Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-Efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston, Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35-37). NFER-NELSON.
- Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W H Freeman/Times Books/ Henry Holt & Co.
Licensing
Public domain. Distributed free by the authors for research and practice.