A questionnaire for self-observation of personality traits and everyday difficulties. 2209 items, 27 scales. Questions describe life situations and the frequency of experiences, each with four response options. Results show a percentage of the maximum score for answered items on each scale, from 0 to 100%.

The test is not a diagnostic instrument and does not replace a clinical interview. Its purpose is to provide you and your client with a structured starting point for discussion.

A percentage is the share of the maximum available score for answered items on that scale. It is not a percentile, a diagnostic probability or a comparison with other people. Scores across scales do not add up to 100%.

Counts show answered items relevant to each scale. Skips are excluded from the denominator. Coverage reflects answer counts, not validated diagnostic accuracy; unavailable metadata is marked “Unknown”.

The main profile includes INA and HYI (attention, activity and impulses; 9 items each), AAX and AAV (anxiety and avoidance in a chosen safe close relationship; 10 each), and HON (honesty and humility; 15). These are author-developed scales, not ASRS, ECR-R or HEXACO. Once a scale’s items run out, its result remains available, but later portions no longer refine it.

The report includes a radar, a table of 27 scales with percentages and answer counts, interpretations and practices. The professional cabinet adds the three experimental indicators separately. A portion’s results and the cumulative profile are clearly labelled.

Select “Save as PDF” on the results screen, in the expanded “My profile” section or in a client’s record. The browser opens a complete report in its print dialog; choose “Save as PDF”.

The browser creates the file. Individual answers, email, private professional notes and internal data are excluded. A client report contains the client’s name if provided. Obtain the client’s agreement before sharing the report with them or another professional.

Scales refer to established psychological constructs. Items are author-developed: they are not versions of the listed questionnaires, and their norms cannot be transferred to Archetest. The sources below explain the conceptual background; our bank requires its own measurement studies.

The general profile contains 27 scales with original wording. Reference to an established construct or validated instrument does not transfer its measurement properties. New INA/HYI describe attention and activity, AAX/AAV experiences within a selected close bond, and HON honesty and humility. They are not ASRS, ECR-R or HEXACO-PI-R. HON is not an Agreeableness scale and does not resolve the debate about D and antagonism. Results support self-observation and discussion, not diagnosis.

Three experimental measures remain outside the general profile of 27 scales: physical armor, affective resonance and special interests. They are available only in the clinician’s dashboard. The Armor & Radar index uses RES_PHYS and RES_AFF.

The Light and Dark triads are not opposite ends of a single axis: per Kaufman et al. (2019), the correlation between them is moderate (r ≈ −.48), not absolute. Elevated scores on both triads simultaneously are a normal data pattern, not a paradox or a filling error.

The dark core: a general factor and its “flavors”

Contemporary work on dark traits has shifted from enumerating triads toward a general factor. The Dark Factor of Personality (D) is defined as the general tendency to maximize one’s individual utility — disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking disutility for others — accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications. Within this frame, individual dark traits are not standalone entities but “flavored manifestations”: the common core plus a unique, essentially non-aversive component. For narcissism that is admiration seeking, for psychopathy disinhibition, for Machiavellianism planfulness. In a 2023 study, the triad as a set of three distinguishable traits failed empirical scrutiny.

The clinician’s dashboard includes a “Dark core” index built from four scales of the test (MAC/NAR/ANT/SAD) — with explicit limitations we prefer to state ourselves. First, it is an approximation, not a measurement of D: D itself is measured with the D70/D35/D16 inventories. Second, the tetrad composite correlates with full D at r ≈ .85 — below the median of random four-trait combinations (r ≈ .90), and the authors explicitly warn against treating the tetrad as the prime representation of the core; the shortfall comes from narcissistic admiration, which is why the index also reports an estimate without narcissism. Third, there is substantive criticism of the construct itself: latent D and antagonism (the low pole of Agreeableness) correlate at about −.90, and no incremental validity of D over antagonism has been demonstrated — so these may be two names for one thing. The test has no Agreeableness scale, so this cannot be checked on our data even in principle. The index should be read as a structural hint — an even core versus a core with a pronounced “flavor” — not as a score comparable to a population: the test has no normative percentiles yet.

Sources: Moshagen, Hilbig & Zettler, 2018; Moshagen, Zettler & Hilbig, 2020; Bader et al., 2023; Hilbig et al., 2023; Vize, Miller & Lynam, 2021; Hilbig et al., 2021 (reply).

The 13 core and supplementary personality-disorder scales map onto contemporary dimensional models in psychiatry — the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD/PID-5) and HiTOP, as well as the five personality-disorder domains of ICD-11 (suspended in Russia since 02.2024, but still a reference model for clinicians). The archetest profile can be read both categorically (by A/B/C clusters) and dimensionally — as a position on continuous trait axes.

Approximate scale-to-domain mapping (construct level; empirical factor validation pending sample accumulation):

The test is taken in portions of 50 items. Two places are reserved for validity checks; the rest are distributed across scales, with at least one item for each available scale. Once its items are exhausted, later portions do not repeat them: accumulated answers remain, but that scale receives no further new information. INA and HYI currently have nine items each, covering the first nine portions.

Stratification is particularly important for supplementary scales (BAR, PAG, DPR), which have a smaller question pool. Without stratification, early batches could contain no BAR items, delaying BOR/BAR differential diagnosis until later stages of completion.

The client answers or skips the items in a portion and then receives an updated profile. A skipped item is not counted as a zero response. Data coverage depends on how many relevant items remain and how many the person answers.

10 core scales (DSM-5):

Cluster A (eccentric): Paranoid (PAR), Schizoid (SZD), Schizotypal (SZT).

Cluster B (dramatic): Antisocial (ANT), Borderline (BOR), Histrionic (HIS), Narcissistic (NAR).

Cluster C (anxious): Avoidant (AVD), Dependent (DEP), Obsessive-Compulsive (OBC).

3 supplementary scales:

BAR describes self-reported fluctuations in mood and activity. An elevated score offers a topic for further discussion; it does not establish bipolar disorder.

PAG — Passive-Aggressive (negativistic) pattern (removed from DSM-5, retained due to clinical relevance).

DPR — Depressive Personality (from DSM-IV appendix, chronic depressive temperament as a trait).

The other 14 main-profile scales cover triads and additional traits (MAC, HUM, KAN, FAI, SAD, MAS, ASD, DIR, ALX), attention and activity (INA, HYI), close relationships (AAX, AAV), and honesty and humility (HON). Full names and conceptual references are listed in the tables.

The client completes the test before the first session or between the first and second sessions. The profile immediately highlights areas requiring attention, allowing you to start with targeted questions. Any discrepancy between your clinical impression and the profile is valuable material for discussion.

Discuss mood and trait indicators in the context of the person’s circumstances and the course of their experiences. Archetest scores cannot distinguish clinical conditions or confirm a diagnosis.

Elevated BOR and BAR together can prompt questions about how the person understood the items and what was happening in their life. Items 1946–1955 address different descriptions of instability; their diagnostic discrimination has not been established.

MCMI-IV — for in-depth personality disorder assessment.

BDI-II — when DPR or BAR is elevated, to assess current depression severity.

MDQ — when BAR is elevated, to clarify bipolar spectrum features.

SCL-90-R — for general symptom assessment.

YSQ — to identify early maladaptive schemas.

Test results are confidential and are shared only with the client and their therapist with the client's informed consent. The test must not be used for employment screening, forensic evaluation, or compulsory screening.

Discussing results with the client should take place in a non-judgmental and respectful atmosphere. No profile is "bad" — each reflects a unique trait configuration with its own strengths and areas for growth.

The platform features a psychologist cabinet — a tool for tracking your clients’ results. To activate the cabinet, click "I’m a Professional" on the cabinet page.

Your client links you by email in their profile settings — the decision is always theirs. After linking, you get access to:

The client can revoke access at any time. You cannot see the client's individual answers — only normalized scale scores.

Leave your contact and we will reach out to help set up your psychologist cabinet.