Find Your Top 5 Core Values
A free core values test that ranks what you actually value most. Instead of asking you to rate a list — where everything sounds important — it makes you choose, so your real priorities separate from the rest.
Take the Free Core Values Test20 questions. About 5 minutes. No payment required.
The Ten Core Values This Test Measures
Your core values are the handful of things you protect when you can't have everything. This test weighs ten of them against each other and ranks the five that matter most to you. Nobody holds all ten equally — the point is to see which ones actually drive your choices.
Achievement
Reaching goals and mastering hard things; measurable success matters to you.
Autonomy
Deciding how you work and live; freedom from control matters more than comfort.
Adventure
Novelty, risk, and new experiences; sameness feels like loss.
Connection
Close relationships and belonging; people over projects.
Growth
Learning and becoming more capable; stagnation is the enemy.
Integrity
Acting on principle even at a cost; being trustworthy and honest.
Recognition
Being seen, appreciated, and respected for what you contribute.
Security
Financial and material safety; a solid floor under your life.
Service
Making others' lives better; contribution as the point of work.
Harmony
Inner peace, calm, and low conflict; protecting your well-being.
How It Works
Work through 20 quick rounds
Each round puts four statements side by side. You mark one as most you and one as least. Being made to choose is what makes the ranking honest.
Get your top 5 instantly
See your five core values, ranked, right on screen — plus where every one of the ten landed. No payment and no paywall on your results.
See what each one means
For every value in your top five: what it looks like lived out, and where it can trip you up when it runs the show.
What You'll Learn
Your ranked top 5 values
The five values your choices put ahead of the rest, in order — a clear starting point for decisions, not a vague word cloud.
Where all ten landed
The full ranking of all ten values, so you can see not just what you prioritize but what you're willing to trade away.
What each value looks like
For each of your top five, concrete signs of what living that value looks like day to day — so the result is recognizable, not abstract.
Where each can trip you up
Every value has a shadow side when it's overused. You'll see how each of your top five can work against you if it goes unchecked.
About This Test
Most values quizzes ask you to rate a long list, and almost everything comes back “very important” — which tells you nothing. This test uses a forced-choice format instead: in every set you have to choose what matters most and least, so your genuine priorities separate from the things that merely sound good. The ten-value framework and all 80 statements were written originally for this test.
Everything in your results comes from how you answered, which is what self-report means: the test can only see the priorities you can already see in yourself. Read your ranking as a snapshot of where your values stand today, a working draft to test against real decisions. It carries no clinical weight, it diagnoses nothing, and it was never meant to stand in for a professional evaluation.
Your results focus on what to do with them: the values to lead and decide from, and the ways each one can quietly work against you when it goes unchecked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay anything to see my results?
No. Every question and every line of your ranking is free, with nothing held back behind a checkout page. Before your results appear, you'll enter a first name and an email address. That email signs you up for the Leading Between The Lines newsletter as well, and unsubscribing takes one click whenever you want out.
How much time should I set aside?
Around five minutes for most people. You'll move through 20 short rounds, and each one asks for just two clicks: the statement that sounds most like you and the one that sounds least. There's no clock running, so take longer if a round makes you stop and think. That pause usually means the choice is telling you something.
Why does the test make me choose instead of letting me rate everything?
Try rating a list of values sometime: honesty, family, freedom, growth. You'll score them all high, and so does nearly everyone, because they're all genuinely good things. Choosing works differently. When you can only keep one, the value you reach for first is the one that actually runs your decisions. Twenty rounds of that add up to a ranking you didn't consciously construct, which is exactly why it's worth looking at.
Can I trust what the ranking tells me?
Trust it the way you'd trust a good mirror: what you see is real, but it's still a reflection of how you answered on one particular day. Because the format won't let you flatter every option, the order comes out sharper than most quizzes manage. Put your top five to work on a decision you're weighing right now. If the ranking matches how you've been choosing lately, it confirmed something. If it surprises you, that gap is worth sitting with.
Ready to Find Your Core Values?
Knowing the five values you actually lead and decide from is the first step toward choices that feel like yours.
Take the Free Core Values Test20 questions. About 5 minutes. Free results.