Score yourself using this table:
Reflect on this → If you scored:
8 - 13
Right now, you believe that your intelligence is fixed—that it doesn’t change much. On the whole, if you can’t perform perfectly, you would rather not do something. You probably think that smart people don’t have to work hard to succeed.
You are probably hard on yourself when you don't perform well. Maybe you even avoid things you would like to try because you are afraid that you may fail or look bad while trying. This may be holding you back from achieving all that you could if you put forth your best effort in all areas. For example, maybe there are things that you think you are “just not good at,” and you've cut yourself off from opportunities to learn. Maybe you give up quickly when something seems difficult. And maybe you experience a lot more stress than you would like when you feel that you are being evaluated.
Chances are that you probably have a lot more potential than you are using! People who believe that they can increase their intelligence through effort and challenge actually get smarter and do better in school, work, and life over time. They know that mental exercise makes their brains grow smarter—the same way that exercise makes an athlete stronger and faster. And they are always learning new ways to work smart and build their brains.
Your mindset is definitely something that you can change.
14 -18
Right now, you are unsure about whether you can develop your intelligence. You probably care about performing well and you do want to learn, but you may not want to have to work too hard for it. You may feel a bit discouraged when you perform poorly at something.
This could be holding you back from doing your best, if it deters you from taking on challenges or causes you to experience anxiety when you aren’t sure that you will do well at something. Maybe there are things that you think you are “just not good at.” You may be coasting when you could be excelling.
You probably have more potential than you are using! People who believe that they can increase their intelligence through effort and challenge actually get smarter and do better in school, work, and life over time. They know that mental exercise makes their brains grow smarter—the same way that exercise makes an athlete stronger and faster. And they are always learning new ways to work smart and build their brains.
Remember that a growth mindset is something that you can develop.
19 -24
You know that you can increase your intelligence by learning, and you like a challenge. You believe that the best way to learn is to work hard, and you don’t mind making mistakes while you do it. This is what we call the “growth mindset.”
Even though you have a great foundation, there may be some areas where you could benefit from learning how to cultivate your growth mindset practices. Maybe you could use techniques to make the most of negative feedback, or explore the possibility of growth in areas that you have neglected. You might gain from strategies to boost learning and productivity. Or you might like to learn how to help others develop growth mindset thinking. You probably still have lots of ways to grow! People who believe that they can increase their intelligence through effort and challenge actually get smarter and do better in school, work, and life over time. They know that mental exercise makes their brains grow smarter—the same way that exercise makes an athlete stronger and faster. And they are always learning new ways to work smart and build their brains.
Remember that a growth mindset is something that you should continue to develop throughout life.