Assertiveness Rating Scale

The Assertiveness Rating Scale tells you if a person is able to communicate thoughts and opinions in a clear, direct, and non-aggressive way, stand up to people, intimidates or acts with confidence.

Purpose

The Assertiveness Rating Scale – 2nd Revision assesses whether a person is able to communicate their thoughts and opinions in a clear, direct, and non-aggressive way.

No. of questions: 35
Question type: Self-report
Estimated completion time: 10 minutes
Shorter versions of assessment: N/A
Recommended age level: 18+
Qualification Level: Class A
Compliance: APA standards; EEOC standards (gender, age, disability)
Validation Information:
● Sample Size: 6717
● Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.91

What It’s Best Used For

This tool is best utilized during pre-employment screening, professional development coaching, or leadership pipeline planning for positions that require strong communication, conflict management, or boundary-setting skills.

• Balancing Confidence and Collaboration: It breaks down scores across five crucial social scales: Ability to speak for self, Handling assertive/strong people, Comfort with vulnerability, Subservience, and Aggression.
• Spotting Leadership Potential: It highlights candidates who act with confidence and stand up to intimidating situations without folding or relying on hostile tactics.
• Flagging Core Communication Risks: The test identifies individuals prone to subservience (allowing others to walk over them) or aggression (using manipulation or intimidation to get their way), both of which disrupt team harmony.
• Tailoring Post-Test Actions: Hiring teams instantly receive an online report featuring visual score graphs, detailed narrative interpretations, developmental advice, and a custom set of suggested interview questions.
• Rigorous Legal Compliance: The test is ATS compatible, legal for use in Canada, and fully compliant with EEOC and APA guidelines regarding age, gender, and disability neutrality.

Application

• Pre-employment
• Personal & professional development

5 ARS – R2 Scales

• Ability to speak for self
• Handling assertive/strong people
• Comfort with Vulnerability
• Subservience
• Aggression

Features

• Benchmarks: Available (general population, 62 industries)
• Interview Questions: Available
• Group Comparisons: Available

Report Includes

• Summary
• Introduction
• Graphs
• Detailed narrative interpretation
• Strengths and Limitations
• Advice

Factors and Scales

Overall Score plus 5 scales:

• Ability to speak for self: Acting with confidence to voice a personal opinion.
• Handling assertive/strong people: Ability to stand up to those who might be intimidating.
• Comfort with Vulnerability: Ability to take action despite the risk of rejection or embarrassment.
• Subservience: Allowing the needs of others to take precedence over personal desires.
• Aggression: Using aggressive tactics, such as intimidation, physical force or manipulation to get one’s way