ARE YOU SUPER-CRITICAL? TAKE THIS SHORT TEST
Author: Denis Tesdell

There are many names for people who criticize to excess. Some are called nags, bossy, perfectionists, picky, and other terms of a more graphic and profane nature. Some people know they are critical and others never see it. This test will give you an objective way to test yourself. It is meant to be general, due to space considerations, but the results if you answer honestly can be quite enlightening.

Answer YES or NO to the following:

1. Are you generally happy with your life?
2. When you ask someone for something, do you wait until you feel the time is right before asking?
3. Do you treat the members of your family as politely and respectfully as you do total strangers?
4. Do you know what the talents, abilities and basic intelligence levels are of the people you deal with at home, and at work?
5. Do you get any sense of satisfaction when you know you have made someone else feel inferior to you?
6. Are you often mentioning and thinking about the things that you do not have in your life?
7. Do you frequently criticize or belittle the appearance or personal grooming of others?
8. Do you find yourself comparing the negative traits of someone you know or knew to members of your family or co-workers?
9. If you consistently repeat demands of others, do you honestly feel it is your way of getting a constructive point or criticism across?
10. Are you aware of a specific time schedule for others as well as yourself?

SCORING: Give Yourself 10 points if you answered YES to question # 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Give NO points for Yes answers to questions 1 and 4.

Total your score up. Possible maximum total is 100 points.

70-100: People in this range are usually pretty critical and oftentimes have probably been called a "nag" or worse. If you are in this range, you are a person who wants what you want exactly when you want it. You probably have poor timing and little if any tact in communicating with people around issues where you are displeased or where you find some mistakes or fault.

40-60: People in this middle range are usually somewhat critical, but they are critical when there is some cause or when they know they are right and the criticism is justified, and also constructive. Sometimes however, these people don't pay as much attention to their own standards and practices as they do others. This can cause them to not get the respect and attention they want or deserve from others.

0-30: If you scored this low the chances are slim you would ever be called a nag or critical by your friends, your family, or your co-workers. By anyone's standards (except someone scoring 70-100 on this test!) you would no doubt be seen as a very pleasant, accommodating, and understanding person.

Again, any test I present here is going to be fairly general and simplistic, since I do not have room (and you probably do not have the time or patience) to give you a comprehensive multiple choice 50-100 question quiz or test. These short tests are accurate enough however, to show tendencies, problem areas, and general conclusions.

This test was written by Dennis Tesdell.






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About the Author
Dennis R. Tesdell is a personal development and self-care coach with over 20 years of experience working with personal growth and self-development issues. He writes a weekly e-zime, "Self Care Weekly" which is read by thousands Weekly in 10 countries. Visit his web site where subscription and coaching information can be found at http://www.coachdt.com

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