Perfectionism Test (SAPS-8)
Score your personal Standards separately from the Discrepancy gap that the research ties to burnout — the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS-8), Rice, Richardson & Tueller (2014).
What You'll Discover
Your Standards score — how high the personal bar you set for yourself actually is
Your Discrepancy score — the gap between that bar and how you rate your own performance against it
Which of the two the research ties to distress and burnout — it is not the one most people assume
Whether your pattern reads closer to healthy ambition or to chronic dissatisfaction
Your Result Bands
Low
Little daylight between what you expect of yourself and how you rate your own performance — standards, if present, feel met rather than chased.
Medium
A real but manageable gap between your Standards and your Discrepancy — the most common pattern, usually more drive than distress.
High
A sizable gap between what you expect and what you feel you deliver — the combination research ties most consistently to chronic dissatisfaction and burnout.
🔬 Scientific Basis
The Perfectionism check-in is a faithful implementation of the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS), an 8-item instrument developed by Rice, Richardson, and Tueller in 2014 as a compact form of the widely-used Almost Perfect Scale-Revised. It splits perfectionism into two separate scores — Standards (the bar you set) and Discrepancy (the gap between that bar and how you rate your own performance) — because decades of research show only one of the two is reliably linked to distress.
Perfectionism is not one thing: Standards (high personal expectations) and Discrepancy (feeling you fall short of them) behave as two distinct, only loosely correlated components.
Discrepancy, not Standards, is the component the research consistently ties to anxiety, depression, and burnout — high Standards paired with low Discrepancy tends to look like ordinary conscientiousness and drive.
This adaptive/maladaptive split traces back to Frost's 1990 multidimensional model and Hewitt & Flett's 1991 self-oriented/socially-prescribed distinction, both converging on the same idea from different angles.
Gaudreau (2019) argues the adaptive pattern is better called 'excellencism' — striving for excellence without the punishing self-evaluation — to stop conflating it with the maladaptive pattern in casual use of the word 'perfectionism'.
Perfectionism is a personality trait and self-report pattern, not a DSM-5 diagnosis; a high Discrepancy score is a signal worth acting on, not a clinical label.
Citations
Rice, K. G., Richardson, C. M., & Tueller, S. (2014). The Short Form of the Revised Almost Perfect Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 96(4), 368-379.
Slaney, R. B., Rice, K. G., Mobley, M., Trippi, J., & Ashby, J. S. (2001). The Almost Perfect Scale-Revised. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34(3), 130-145.
Stoeber, J., & Otto, K. (2006). Positive conceptions of perfectionism: Approaches, evidence, challenges. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(4), 295-319.
Important
This is a self-reflection exercise, not a diagnostic tool, screening instrument, or medical device. Perfectionism is a personality trait, not a disorder — a high score is a reason to look at the gap between your standards and how you judge yourself, and possibly speak to a healthcare professional if that gap feels unmanageable, not a label. If you are in crisis, contact Samaritans (116 123, UK) or 988 (US).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS)?
SAPS is an 8-item questionnaire developed by Rice, Richardson, and Tueller (2014) that measures perfectionism through two subscales: Standards (how high your personal expectations are) and Discrepancy (how much distress you feel about not meeting them). It's a validated shortening of the longer Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, built for fast, accurate screening.
Is perfectionism always a bad thing?
No. Research consistently shows that high Standards paired with low Discrepancy is closer to healthy ambition than to a problem, people in this pattern tend to be driven and quality-focused without the emotional toll. It's the Discrepancy component, the gap between your goals and how you feel you're doing, that's linked to anxiety, procrastination, and burnout.
What do the Standards and Discrepancy scores mean?
Standards reflects your personal drive: how demanding the goals you set for yourself are. Discrepancy reflects distress: how frustrated or inadequate you feel when your performance falls short of those goals. Two people can have identical Standards scores and very different Discrepancy scores, which is why the test reports both separately rather than one blended number.
Is this a clinical diagnosis?
No. The SAPS-8 is a self-reflection research instrument, not a diagnostic tool for OCPD, anxiety, or any other clinical condition. A high score, especially on Discrepancy, is a signal worth paying attention to, not a label. If perfectionism is causing ongoing distress, a licensed mental health professional is the right next step.
How is my score calculated?
All 8 items use the same 1-7 Likert range with no reverse-scored items. Four items (1, 3, 5, 7) make up the Standards subscale; the other four (2, 4, 6, 8) make up Discrepancy. Your overall score and both subscales are shown as percentages, with results banded into low (0-40%), medium (41-70%), and high (71-100%).
Related Assessments
Ready to see your Standards vs Discrepancy split?
Take the Assessment