Self-Assessment
Locus of Control Test
Do you believe your life is shaped by your choices, or by forces beyond your control?
Your Results
Based on your 23 scored responses
Your Orientation
Understanding Your Score
You tend to believe outcomes result from your own actions and decisions.
You see both personal effort and external factors as influencing outcomes.
You tend to attribute outcomes to luck, fate, or forces outside your control.
What This May Mean for You
A note on interpretation: Rotter himself emphasized that locus of control exists on a continuum. Most people fall somewhere in the middle, and your orientation can shift depending on the situation. This score reflects general tendencies, not a fixed trait.
The Research Behind This Test
From the Research
"If the person perceives that the event is contingent upon his own behavior or characteristics, we have termed this a belief in internal control. If... it is typically perceived as the result of luck, chance, fate, as under the control of powerful others, or as unpredictable... we have labeled this a belief in external control."
— Rotter, J.B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80(1), 1-28.
Julian Rotter introduces the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, establishing the foundational measure for this psychological construct.
Mirels (1970) and others identify multiple dimensions within the scale, including personal efficacy and sociopolitical control factors.
Rotter emphasizes that locus of control is a continuum, not a binary classification, and cautions against oversimplifying the construct.
From the Research
"Rotter's (1966) internal-external control of reinforcement scale has been widely used since its introduction."
— Furnham, A. & Steele, H. (1993). Measuring locus of control: a critique of general, children's, health- and work-related locus of control questionnaires. British Journal of Psychology, 84(4), 443-479.
Achievement
Research shows internal orientation is linked to higher academic achievement and persistence in challenging tasks.
Well-being
Internal locus often correlates with better mental health outcomes, while extreme external orientation is associated with feelings of helplessness.
Context Matters
Neither extreme is ideal. An overly internal view can lead to self-blame for uncontrollable events; overly external can reduce motivation.
How This Assessment Works
This assessment uses the original Rotter I-E Scale format published in 1966. The scale consists of 29 forced-choice item pairs, where you select the statement that better reflects your beliefs.
Each item measures your tendency toward internal or external attribution.
Included to reduce response bias, these items do not affect your score.
Higher scores indicate more external orientation; lower scores indicate more internal.
Rotter (1966) reported internal consistency (KR-20) ranging from 0.65 to 0.79 across samples, with test-retest reliability around 0.70-0.80. The forced-choice format was designed to reduce social desirability bias.
The Locus of Control Continuum
Locus of control isn't binary. Here's how different orientations compare.
Internal Orientation
- Believes effort determines outcomes
- Takes responsibility for successes and failures
- More likely to seek information and take action
- May struggle when outcomes truly are uncontrollable
External Orientation
- Attributes outcomes to luck, fate, or others
- May feel less responsible for negative outcomes
- Can be more accepting of uncontrollable situations
- May feel less motivated to take action
About This Assessment
This tool uses Rotter's original I-E Scale for educational self-reflection. Here's what you should know.
This is an educational tool for self-reflection based on Rotter's (1966) Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. It is not a clinical diagnostic instrument. Scores provide insight into general tendencies, not definitive personality assessments. For clinical evaluation, consult a licensed psychologist.
The Rotter I-E Scale was published in Psychological Monographs (1966) and is widely considered public domain for academic and non-commercial educational use. This implementation follows the original 29-item forced-choice format with standard scoring. We are not affiliated with any institution or estate.
Your results can prompt useful self-reflection about how you explain life events. Locus of control is not fixed and can shift with experience. If you're concerned about persistent feelings of helplessness or excessive self-blame, consider speaking with a mental health professional who can provide personalized guidance.