Updated 3 November 2026
How courageous am I?
IPIP valour, bravery and courage scale, 10 items, 2 minutes
Courage, as a trait, is taking a stand, speaking an unpopular opinion and facing fears rather than avoiding awkward situations. These ten statements are the public-domain IPIP scale for the valour, bravery and courage strength.
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0 of 10 answered. Describe yourself as you generally are now, not as you wish to be in the future. Describe yourself as you honestly see yourself, in relation to other people you know of the same sex as you are, and roughly your same age.
Your results
Your answers and results are stored only in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent to us. A share link carries your scores in the link itself.
Understanding your scores
Courage
High. People who score high say they have taken frequent stands in the face of strong opposition, do not hesitate to express an unpopular opinion, call for action while others talk and can face their fears. In daily life that shows as being the one who raises the awkward point, speaking up for someone being treated badly, and doing the thing that frightens them. Courage as a strength is about moral and social bravery as much as physical; the cost is friction and the occasional unnecessary fight.
Low. People who score low say they avoid dealing with uncomfortable emotions and awkward situations, do not stand up for their beliefs and do not speak their mind when there might be negative results. In daily life that shows as keeping the peace, choosing battles carefully, and expressing disagreement privately or in writing. It is not cowardice: avoiding needless conflict is often wise, and many low scorers act bravely when it matters while declining the daily skirmishes.
How reliable is this test
Internal consistency (coefficient alpha) per scale, as published:
| Scale | Published |
|---|---|
| Courage | 0.75 |
Coefficient alpha as given on the key page, https://ipip.ori.org/newVIAKey.htm, accessed 3 November 2026.
No published norms exist for this instrument, so the results show raw scores against the possible range and no percentiles.
The IPIP key page gives coefficient alpha of .75 for this scale and no test-retest figure. Personality scores are fairly stable over weeks; a change of a few points between attempts is usual.
Limits worth knowing: ten items, self-reported, with no published norm sample for the scale on its own. It measures a disposition to speak up and face discomfort, not physical bravery.
Guides that cover this
Questions people ask
Is this about physical bravery?
Mostly not. The items are about taking stands, voicing unpopular opinions and facing discomfort, which is the sense of courage used in the character strengths research. Physical risk-taking is closer to excitement-seeking, a facet of extraversion.
Why only ten items when the page lists eleven?
The IPIP key page lists eleven items but marks one as omitted from the scored scale; the site keeps the ten the key scores.
Why is there no percentile on this test?
No norm sample has been published for this scale on its own, and the site never estimates or invents norms. Your marker is drawn against the possible range instead, and the page says so. The Big Five tests do have published norms.
Is a high or low score better?
Neither. Each end has strengths and costs, and the research describes tendencies across large groups, not what any one person will do. The site never colours scores as good or bad.
Where do my answers go?
Nowhere. The test is scored in your browser and the result is kept only on this device. If you choose to share a link, your scores are inside the link itself and nothing is sent to this site.
Sources and licence
Instrument: Courage. IPIP scales measuring constructs similar to those in the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), International Personality Item Pool.
Scoring key: https://ipip.ori.org/newVIAKey.htm, checked 2026-11-03.
Licence: Public domain (IPIP). Permission is granted automatically for any person to use IPIP items for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial. https://ipip.ori.org/newPermission.htm Credit: International Personality Item Pool, https://ipip.ori.org/.