Values Test
Where you land on each of Schwartz's ten universal values, from Self-Direction to Tradition. Which of your values pull against each other — Achievement against Benevolence, Security against Stimulation. The values module the European Social Survey has fielded across Europe for two decades.
What You'll Discover
🧭All ten values, ranked
Where you land on each of Schwartz's ten universal values, from Self-Direction to Tradition
⚖️The trade-offs inside your profile
Which of your values pull against each other — Achievement against Benevolence, Security against Stimulation
🌍A result that means something outside this site
The values module the European Social Survey has fielded across Europe for two decades
Sample Result
🔬 Research & Sources
This is the Schwartz Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-21): 21 short portraits of a person, each rated on a six-point similarity scale, scoring the ten universal values Shalom Schwartz set out in 1992 — Self-Direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, Security, Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence and Universalism. It is the values module of the European Social Survey and is in the public domain. Every item is positively keyed, so nothing is reverse-scored. What a short scale costs is worth knowing: with two or three items per value, Schwartz reports internal consistency between .54 and .72 (Schwartz, 2012) — enough to rank your ten values against each other, not enough to read any single one in isolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Schwartz PVQ-21?
The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-21) was developed by social psychologist Shalom Schwartz and is used by the European Social Survey. It measures 10 universal value types — Self-Direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, Security, Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence, and Universalism — that have been validated across 80+ countries. The instrument is in the public domain.
How does the portrait format reduce bias?
Most values tests ask you directly what you value, which leads to socially desirable answers (everyone claims to value honesty). The PVQ-21 uses a portrait format — you rate how similar you are to brief third-person descriptions — which bypasses this response bias. Research shows this indirect method produces more accurate and stable value profiles.
What do the 10 Schwartz values mean for my career?
High Power and Achievement predict satisfaction in competitive, metric-driven environments. High Benevolence and Universalism predict fulfillment in mission-driven or helping roles. High Self-Direction and Stimulation predict entrepreneurial or creative fit. High Security and Conformity predict preference for structured, stable workplaces. Understanding your value hierarchy helps you spot misalignments before accepting a job — value-work mismatches are a stronger predictor of burnout than workload.
Is this the same as the Values Assessment?
They measure related but distinct things. The Values (PVQ-21) test uses Schwartz's validated scientific framework with portrait-format questions and 10 dimensions. The Values Assessment is a separate, scenario-based test using work-specific dimensions like autonomy, achievement, and recognition. The PVQ-21 is more suitable for cross-cultural research; the Values Assessment is more directly mapped to career planning.