The BESSI

Instructions

This questionnaire will show you a list of activities or things you could do. For each one, please select a response to indicate how well you can do that thing. For example, how well can you follow the instructions for an assignment?

Keep in mind that how well you can do something may be different from how often you actually do it, or whether you even like doing it. For each activity, you should rate how well you can do that thing when you try your best.

Nobody Is Perfect

Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. That's why it's impossible to get all "perfect" scores on this questionnaire. Please be honest about what things you can already do well and what things are still difficult for you. Your honest answers will help you get the most accurate picture of your current skills and opportunities for growth.

Your Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Skills

This report shows your results from the Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory (BESSI). It is divided into two main parts to help you understand your current strengths and where you can grow:

  • The five major skill domains. This section gives you a big-picture look at how you’re doing in five key areas: Self-Management, Social Engagement, Cooperation, Emotional Resilience, and Innovation Skills. It’s a quick snapshot of your social, emotional, and behavioral skills.
  • The specific skill facets. This section goes into more detail, looking at 32 specific skills measured by the BESSI. Here, you’ll find your biggest strengths, areas where you can improve, and practical tips for developing each skill.

In each part of the report, you’ll see skill levels and scores, along with graphs to help you compare your skills. You’ll also get personalized feedback to help you understand your current skills and how to get even better. Here is what the different skill levels mean:

  • Expert skill: You have mastered these behaviors and can perform them extremely well, even when the situation is difficult or stressful. Your goal is to maintain this top-tier performance and look for opportunities to apply this strength in new ways.
  • Advanced skill: You can perform these behaviors very well, making this skill a reliable strength that you can count on. With continued practice, especially in challenging moments, you can refine this skill even further to reach the expert level.
  • Intermediate skill: You can perform these behaviors pretty well, though they might sometimes feel like they take extra effort or focus. Your next step is to practice these behaviors more often so they become second nature.
  • Basic skill: You are just getting started with these behaviors and may currently find them difficult to perform without a lot of effort. Focus on practicing the basics in manageable situations to build your capability and confidence.
  • Beginner skill: This is a brand new area for you where you have not yet developed much capacity to perform the behaviors. Look at this as a fresh opportunity for growth, and start by trying these behaviors in low-pressure settings.

As you look through your feedback, remember that no one is perfect at everything. It’s impossible to get a "perfect" score on every skill. Instead, think of this report as a map of where you are right now. It shows your current strengths and the best opportunities for you to grow.

Please note: This report is designed to help you understand your social, emotional, and behavioral skills and provide ideas for personal growth. It is not a clinical or medical assessment, and it is not intended to diagnose any mental health conditions or learning disorders. If you have concerns about your mental health or well-being, we encourage you to speak with a trusted adult, such as a parent, school counselor, or healthcare professional.

Printing or saving your feedback: To protect your privacy, this questionnaire does not save your individual scores or feedback online. If you would like to keep a copy of your feedback report, please use the Print Feedback link in the left-hand menu.

The Five Major Skill Domains

The star and bar graphs above illustrate your scores on the five major skill domains, and the text below provides more detailed feedback about each domain.

Self-Management Skill Facets

This domain focuses on skills used to effectively pursue goals and complete tasks. It includes the more-specific skills of task management, time management, detail management, organizational skill, responsibility management, capacity for consistency, goal regulation, rule-following skill, decision-making skill.

Social Engagement Skill Facets

This domain focuses on skills used to actively engage with other people. It includes the more-specific skills of leadership skill, persuasive skill, conversational skill, expressive skill, and energy regulation.

Cooperation Skill Facets

This domain focuses on skills used to maintain positive social relationships. It includes the more-specific skills of teamwork skill, capacity for trust, perspective-taking skill, capacity for social warmth, and ethical competence.

Emotional Resilience Skill Facets

This domain focuses on skills used to regulate emotions and moods. It includes the more-specific skills of stress regulation, capacity for optimism, anger management, confidence regulation, and impulse regulation.

Innovation Skill Facets

This domain focuses on skills used to engage with new ideas and experiences. It includes the more-specific skills of abstract thinking skill, creative skill, artistic skill, cultural competence, and information processing.

Compound Skill Facets

These facets combine aspects of multiple skill domains. They include self-reflection skill, adaptability, and capacity for independence.