AQ Test – Sid Sharma

Awareness Quotient Assessment

A Framework for Measuring Awareness Quotient

About This Assessment:

This assessment measures awareness across four dimensions: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Environmental Awareness, and Spiritual Awareness. It comprises 60 multiple-choice items plus 5 integrated scenarios.

Instructions: Answer each question honestly based on your typical experience, not how you wish to be or think you should answer. There are no right or wrong answers.

Time: Approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

Self-Awareness (Items 1-15)

1. When you experience a strong emotion (anger, anxiety, sadness, joy), how often can you observe it without being completely controlled by it?

Never: I am the emotion when it arises, completely identified with it

Rarely: I’m usually overwhelmed but occasionally notice some separation

Sometimes: About half the time I can maintain witness perspective

Often: I usually observe emotions while experiencing them

Consistently: I reliably witness emotions without total identification

2. How well do you understand your emotional and behavioral patterns—what triggers you and why?

Not at all: My reactions seem random or mysterious to me

Poorly: Some vague sense but mostly unclear

Moderately: I recognize some major patterns but many remain unclear

Well: I understand most of my triggers and patterns clearly

Very well: I have detailed insight into my psychological dynamics

3. How often do you think about your thinking—observing your thought processes, questioning your assumptions, examining your beliefs?

Never: I accept my thoughts without examining them

Rarely: Occasional brief moments of reflection

Sometimes: Regular but inconsistent metacognitive awareness

Often: Frequent observation of thought processes

Consistently: Continuous metacognitive monitoring

4. When you make a mistake or fail at something important, how do you typically respond?

Harsh self-criticism and shame that persists

Defensive blame of external circumstances or other people

Brief acknowledgment followed by distraction or avoidance

Balanced recognition of failure with self-compassion

Growth-oriented response that learns without excessive self-judgment

5. How precisely can you identify and name your emotional experiences?

Very poorly: Just “good” or “bad” feelings

Limited: A few basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared)

Moderate: Can distinguish maybe 10-15 different emotional states

Good: Nuanced understanding of emotional variations

Excellent: Precise differentiation of subtle emotional states

6. How aware are you of your cognitive biases and how they affect your perceptions and decisions?

Unaware: I believe my perceptions are objective reality

Minimally aware: Intellectual knowledge of bias but don’t see it operating in myself

Somewhat aware: Can sometimes catch biases after the fact

Aware: Regularly notice biases influencing my thinking

Highly aware: Consistently monitor for biases and adjust accordingly

7. How connected are you to your body’s sensations, signals, and needs?

Disconnected: Rarely notice body except when pain demands attention

Minimally connected: Vague awareness of gross physical states

Moderately connected: Can notice obvious signals when I pay attention

Well connected: Regular awareness of bodily sensations and needs

Highly connected: Continuous somatic awareness informing decisions

8. When you’re struggling or suffering, how do you treat yourself?

Harsh and critical: I’m much harder on myself than others

Dismissive: I minimize or ignore my own suffering

Mixed: Sometimes compassionate, often critical

Generally compassionate: I treat myself with kindness most of the time

Consistently compassionate: I relate to myself as I would a dear friend

9. How well do you understand what truly motivates you beneath surface explanations?

Unclear: My motivations are mysterious even to myself

Surface only: I know what I want but not why

Moderate: Some insight into deeper drivers

Good: Clear understanding of core motivations

Deep: Profound insight into authentic desires vs. conditioned wants

10. When your attention wanders during a task, how quickly do you notice?

I don’t notice: My attention wanders without awareness

Eventually: I notice after extended wandering (5+ minutes)

Moderately fast: I notice within a couple minutes

Quickly: I notice within 30 seconds to a minute

Immediately: I catch attention wandering almost instantly

11. How clear are you about your core values and whether your life aligns with them?

Unclear: I haven’t identified my core values

Vague: Some sense but not articulated clearly

Moderate: I can name some values but alignment is unclear

Clear: I know my values and mostly live accordingly

Crystal clear: Deep clarity about values with conscious alignment

12. How aware are you of your psychological defense mechanisms (rationalization, projection, denial, etc.)?

Unaware: I don’t recognize when I’m being defensive

Minimally: Intellectual knowledge but don’t see it in myself

Sometimes: Can recognize defenses after the fact

Often: Catch defenses while they’re operating

Consistently: Real-time awareness of defensive patterns

13. How often do you experience being fully present in the current moment rather than lost in thought about past or future?

Rarely: Almost always lost in thought

Occasionally: Brief moments of presence

Sometimes: Present maybe 25% of waking time

Often: Present 50%+ of the time

Frequently: Present most of the time with conscious choice

14. How aware are you of the ongoing commentary/narrative in your mind?

Unaware: I don’t notice the inner voice

Slightly: Occasionally notice I’m thinking

Moderately: Regular awareness of mental commentary

Very: Consistent observation of thought streams

Continuously: Constant witnessing of mental narrative as separate from self

15. When faced with limitations or challenges, what’s your typical response?

Fixed mindset: “I can’t” or “This is just how I am”

Largely fixed: Occasional growth thinking but mostly fixed

Mixed: Depends heavily on domain or circumstance

Mostly growth: Generally believe I can develop with effort

Consistently growth: See all limitations as current, not permanent

Social Awareness (Items 16-30)

16. When someone is upset, how accurately can you recognize what they’re feeling?

Inaccurate: I frequently misread or miss others’ emotions

Somewhat: I catch obvious emotions but miss subtlety

Moderate: About 50-60% accuracy

Good: Usually recognize emotional states accurately

Excellent: Highly attuned to emotional nuance

17. How well can you genuinely see situations from another person’s viewpoint?

Poorly: I assume others see things as I do

Limited: Intellectual understanding but emotional identification with my view

Moderate: Can sometimes shift perspective with effort

Well: Regularly access others’ perspectives

Excellent: Naturally inhabit multiple viewpoints

18. When someone is speaking, what are you typically doing?

Planning my response or waiting for my turn

Partially listening while also thinking about other things

Listening but frequently interrupting or redirecting

Mostly present and attentive with occasional drift

Fully present, absorbing without agenda

19. How often do you genuinely feel with others (not just understand intellectually)?

Rarely: I understand emotions intellectually but don’t feel them

Occasionally: Sometimes feel with others in extreme situations

Moderately: Feel with people I’m close to but not others

Often: Regularly experience emotional resonance

Consistently: Natural empathic resonance with others’ experiences

20. How well do you understand your patterns in relationships?

Unaware: Relationships seem random or mysterious

Minimally: Vague sense of patterns

Moderately: Recognize some major patterns

Well: Clear understanding of relational dynamics

Very well: Detailed insight into attachment patterns, defenses, triggers

21. How well do you read nonverbal communication (body language, tone, facial expressions)?

Poorly: I miss most nonverbal cues

Limited: Notice only obvious signals

Moderate: Catch major cues but miss subtlety

Good: Regularly read nonverbal communication accurately

Excellent: Highly sensitive to subtle nonverbal signals

22. In group settings, how aware are you of emotional dynamics and unspoken tensions?

Oblivious: I don’t notice group emotional dynamics

Minimally: Occasionally sense something is happening

Moderately: Notice obvious tensions or dynamics

Aware: Regularly perceive group emotional currents

Highly aware: Continuously track complex group dynamics

23. How aware are you that different cultures have different norms, values, and ways of being?

Unaware: I assume my cultural norms are universal

Minimally: Intellectual knowledge but limited practical application

Moderately: Recognize differences but default to my norms

Aware: Regularly adjust behavior for cultural context

Highly aware: Sophisticated cultural intelligence and adaptation

24. How well do you work with others toward shared goals?

Poorly: I prefer working alone or dominating groups

Limited: Collaboration is effortful and uncomfortable

Moderate: Can collaborate but prefer individual work

Well: Generally collaborate effectively

Excellent: Thrive in collaborative environments, enhance team effectiveness

25. How well do you recognize and respect others’ boundaries?

Poorly: I often violate boundaries without realizing

Limited: I respect explicit boundaries but miss subtle ones

Moderate: Usually respect boundaries but sometimes overstep

Well: Consistently attentive to boundaries

Excellent: Highly sensitive to and respectful of boundaries

26. Your colleague is withdrawn and irritable lately. What do you do?

Assume they’re having a bad day and avoid them

Feel offended by their behavior and distance yourself

Ask other colleagues what’s wrong rather than talking to them directly

Notice the change but wait for them to bring it up if they want to

Check in privately, expressing concern and offering support

27. When receiving criticism or negative feedback, how do you typically respond?

Defensive: Immediately justify or counterattack

Hurt: Feel attacked and withdraw

Mixed: Sometimes defensive, sometimes receptive

Receptive: Usually listen and consider validity

Growth-oriented: Welcome feedback as learning opportunity

28. How often do you express genuine appreciation to others?

Rarely: I assume people know I appreciate them

Occasionally: When prompted or for major things

Sometimes: Regular but inconsistent

Often: Frequent genuine appreciation

Consistently: Daily practice of expressing appreciation

29. How well do you understand that others have internal experiences different from yours?

Limited: I assume others think/feel as I do

Basic: Intellectual understanding but practical limitations

Moderate: Usually remember others have different perspectives

Good: Naturally account for different internal experiences

Sophisticated: Deep recognition of others’ unique interiority

30. How willing are you to have difficult conversations when necessary?

Avoidant: I avoid conflict and difficult topics

Reluctant: I’ll do it only when absolutely necessary

Selective: Depends heavily on relationship and stakes

Willing: I initiate difficult conversations when needed

Courageous: I proactively address issues with compassion and clarity

Environmental Awareness (Items 31-45)

31. When making purchases, how often do you consider environmental impact?

Never: Environmental impact doesn’t factor into decisions

Rarely: Occasional consideration for major purchases only

Sometimes: I think about it but often prioritize other factors

Often: Environmental impact is usually a significant consideration

Consistently: It’s a primary factor in almost all purchasing decisions

32. How connected do you feel to natural systems and environments?

Disconnected: Nature is just scenery or resources

Minimally: Intellectual appreciation but no felt connection

Moderately: I enjoy nature but don’t feel deeply connected

Connected: Regular sense of relationship with natural world

Deeply connected: Profound felt sense of being part of nature

33. How well do you understand interconnections, feedback loops, and unintended consequences?

Linear only: I think in direct cause-effect chains

Limited: Occasional recognition of complexity

Developing: Increasingly aware of systems dynamics

Good: Regular systems thinking in complex situations

Excellent: Sophisticated understanding of interconnected systems

34. How far into the future do you typically consider consequences of decisions?

Immediate: Days or weeks

Short-term: Months

Medium-term: 1-5 years

Long-term: Decades

Intergenerational: Multiple generations

35. How conscious are you of your consumption patterns and their broader impact?

Unconscious: I consume without thought about impact

Minimally: Vague awareness but little change in behavior

Moderately: Aware and making some changes

Conscious: Regularly evaluate and adjust consumption

Highly conscious: Deep awareness guiding consistent sustainable choices

36. How much effort do you make to reduce waste?

None: Waste isn’t a consideration

Minimal: I recycle when convenient

Moderate: Consistent recycling, some waste reduction

Significant: Active waste minimization across domains

Comprehensive: Zero-waste lifestyle or close to it

37. How much do you know about where your food comes from and how it’s produced?

Unaware: I don’t think about food origins

Minimally: Basic awareness that food comes from farms

Moderate: Some knowledge of agricultural systems

Good: Informed about food system impacts

Comprehensive: Deep understanding informing food choices

38. How aware are you of your energy consumption and its impacts?

Unaware: I don’t consider energy consumption

Minimally: Vague awareness with little behavior change

Moderate: Some conservation efforts

Conscious: Regular attention to energy use with consistent conservation

Highly conscious: Comprehensive energy reduction strategy

39. How do environmental considerations affect your transportation choices?

Not at all: Convenience is sole factor

Minimally: Occasional thought but minimal behavior change

Moderately: Some attempts to use lower-impact options

Significantly: Regular choice of sustainable transportation

Primarily: Environmental impact is primary consideration

40. Your city proposes developing wetlands into a shopping center, creating 500 jobs. How do you evaluate this?

Support it: Jobs and economic growth matter most

Lean support: Jobs are important, environmental concerns are secondary

Conflicted: I see both sides but can’t decide

Lean opposition: Jobs matter but ecosystem destruction is too costly

Oppose it: Wetlands provide essential ecosystem services irreplaceable by shopping; find alternative development

41. How much do you understand about biodiversity and its importance?

Minimal: Biodiversity isn’t something I think about

Limited: Vague sense it matters but don’t know why

Moderate: Basic understanding of biodiversity importance

Good: Informed understanding shaping some behaviors

Comprehensive: Deep understanding informing consistent choices

42. How much do you understand about climate change and your role in it?

Minimal: I don’t understand climate science

Basic: Know it’s happening but not mechanisms or implications

Moderate: Reasonable understanding of causes and effects

Good: Informed understanding of climate science and personal impact

Comprehensive: Sophisticated understanding guiding consistent action

43. How often do you spend time in natural environments?

Rarely: Almost never

Occasionally: A few times per year

Sometimes: Monthly

Regularly: Weekly

Frequently: Daily or near-daily connection with nature

44. When consequences are uncertain but potentially catastrophic, what’s your approach?

Proceed anyway: Can’t let uncertainty stop progress

Mostly proceed: Take some precautions but prioritize action

Cautious: Weigh risks carefully before proceeding

Very cautious: Error on side of safety when stakes are high

Precautionary: Don’t risk irreversible harm even for potential benefits

45. How much do you advocate for environmental protection?

None: Not something I engage with

Minimal: Occasional social media sharing

Moderate: Vote based partly on environmental issues

Active: Regular advocacy through multiple channels

Committed: Environmental advocacy is central life commitment

Spiritual Awareness (Items 46-60)

46. How connected do you feel to a sense of meaning or purpose beyond daily tasks and achievements?

Disconnected: Life feels meaningless beyond immediate goals

Minimally: Occasional sense of purpose but mostly absent

Moderately: Some connection to meaning but inconsistent

Connected: Regular sense of purpose guiding life

Deeply connected: Strong, clear sense of meaning beyond self

47. How often do you experience awe, wonder, or deep reverence for existence?

Never: Life feels mundane and ordinary

Rarely: Very occasional moments of awe

Sometimes: Periodic experiences of wonder

Often: Regular experiences of awe and appreciation

Frequently: Life frequently evokes wonder and reverence

48. Have you had experiences that felt transcendent, mystical, or deeply spiritual?

Never: No such experiences

Once or twice: Very rare moments

Occasional: A few significant experiences

Regular: Periodic transcendent experiences

Frequent: Regular access to transcendent states

49. How often do you contemplate fundamental questions (Why am I here? What matters? How should I live?)?

Never: Such questions don’t interest me

Rarely: Very occasional brief thoughts

Sometimes: Periodic existential reflection

Often: Regular contemplation of fundamental questions

Frequently: Ongoing existential inquiry as core practice

50. How do you relate to your mortality?

Denial: I avoid thinking about death

Fear: Death awareness creates anxiety

Acceptance: I acknowledge mortality intellectually

Integration: Death awareness informs how I live

Transformation: Mortality creates urgency and appreciation for life

51. How often do you experience genuine gratitude for existence itself?

Rarely: I take life for granted

Occasionally: Gratitude in special moments

Sometimes: Periodic gratitude practice

Often: Regular genuine appreciation

Consistently: Underlying gratitude as baseline state

52. Do you experience connection to something beyond your individual self?

No: I’m a separate individual, nothing more

Intellectual: I understand interconnection conceptually

Occasional: Rare moments of connection to something larger

Regular: Frequent sense of being part of something greater

Continuous: Ongoing experience of connection to larger whole

53. How much does your life align with your deepest values?

Misaligned: I live contrary to what I value

Mostly misaligned: Significant gap between values and actions

Somewhat aligned: Some consistency but major gaps

Mostly aligned: General consistency with occasional lapses

Fully aligned: Life consciously organized around core values

54. How sophisticated is your ethical reasoning?

Rule-following: I follow rules authorities provide

Conventional: I adopt social norms without examination

Questioning: I examine rules and norms critically

Principled: I operate from examined ethical principles

Wisdom-based: I navigate ethical complexity with contextual wisdom

55. When faced with suffering, how do you respond?

Meaningless: Suffering is purely negative, to be avoided

Resistant: I fight against suffering and see no value in it

Accepting: I endure suffering but don’t find meaning

Learning: I find growth opportunities in difficulty

Transformative: Suffering catalyzes profound development and meaning

56. How important is contributing to others’ wellbeing?

Unimportant: I focus on my own needs

Secondary: I help when it doesn’t cost me

Moderate: I balance self and others

Important: Service is regular priority

Central: Contributing to others is core life purpose

57. You’ve achieved every external goal—career success, financial security, social status—yet feel persistent emptiness. What does this mean?

Confusion: I don’t understand why I feel empty

Denial: I must need bigger goals

Depression: Something is wrong with me

Recognition: External success doesn’t create meaning

Existential awakening: This reveals need for deeper purpose and consciousness

58. How do you experience the relationship between spiritual/sacred and daily/ordinary life?

Separate: Spiritual is separate from ordinary life

Occasional: Spiritual moments are rare exceptions

Integrated: I bring some awareness to ordinary moments

Unified: Ordinary life is spiritual practice

Non-dual: No separation between sacred and ordinary

59. How do you distinguish between knowledge and wisdom?

Same thing: I see no difference

Confused: I’m not sure what wisdom means

Intellectual: I can define difference but don’t embody it

Developing: Growing appreciation for wisdom beyond knowledge

Embodied: Clear lived understanding of wisdom requiring experience and reflection

60. To what degree do you trust your inner knowing versus external authorities?

Entirely external: I need experts to tell me what’s right

Mostly external: I defer to authorities on most matters

Mixed: I balance inner and outer guidance

Mostly internal: I consult externally but trust inner knowing

Inner authority: Deep trust in inner wisdom while remaining open to learning

Your Awareness Quotient Profile

Self-Awareness 0.0

Social Awareness 0.0

Environmental Awareness 0.0

Spiritual Awareness 0.0

Interpretation Guide

1.0-2.0: Developing awareness (significant growth opportunity)

2.1-3.0: Emerging awareness (foundation with room for development)

3.1-4.0: Moderate awareness (solid foundation, continuing growth)

4.1-4.5: Strong awareness (well-developed in this dimension)

4.6-5.0: Exceptional awareness (highly developed consciousness)

Important Note: This is a preliminary self-assessment tool, not a validated psychometric instrument. Use results as general indicators for personal development rather than definitive measures of awareness. Professional assessment requires trained practitioners and multiple evaluation methods.

Share This Assessment

Copy Link Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp

Your Personalized Development Path

Based on your profile, here are specific practices to strengthen each dimension of awareness:

Awareness Quotient Assessment

Self-Awareness (Items 1-15)

Social Awareness (Items 16-30)

Environmental Awareness (Items 31-45)

Spiritual Awareness (Items 46-60)

Your Awareness Quotient Profile

Interpretation Guide

Your Personalized Development Path

Self-Awareness Development

Social Awareness Development

Environmental Awareness Development

Spiritual Awareness Development