Free Locus of Control Test
Do you believe your outcomes come from your own actions, from luck, or from powerful others? Locus of control describes where you place the control over events in your life.
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IPIP Locus of Control Scale
A public-domain 55-item IPIP measure of general and Levenson-model locus of control (Internal, Chance, Rational, External).
Internal-External Locus of Control Short Scale-4
4-item measure of locus of control via two 2-item subscales: internal locus of control and external locus of control.
General Self-Efficacy Scale
10-item unidimensional self-report measure of general self-efficacy — the belief in one's overall competence to cope with challenging deman…
Schwarzer Self-Regulation Scale
10-item self-report scale measuring the ability to focus attention and control distracting thoughts/feelings during goal-directed activity.
What these tests measure
A person with an internal locus of control tends to believe that effort and ability drive results. An external locus of control places more emphasis on chance, fate or other people. The IPIP Locus of Control Scale here follows Levenson's model, with internal, chance, external and rational facets, and the short IE-4 gives a quick internal-external check.
Who it is for
Students, managers and anyone curious about how they explain success and failure.
How to use your result
Your score is a snapshot of how you have been feeling or behaving recently. It is meant for self-reflection, education and research and is not a diagnosis or medical advice. Where a scale has no published norm entered on PsiQ, we do not invent one, so you will see raw scores rather than made-up percentiles.
Frequently asked questions
Is an internal locus of control always better?+
Not always. It is linked to motivation and persistence, but believing you control everything can lead to unfair self-blame when things go wrong.
Who developed locus of control theory?+
Julian Rotter developed the concept in the 1950s and 1960s, and Hanna Levenson later distinguished internality, powerful others and chance.
Can locus of control change?+
It can shift with experience, education and life circumstances.