The Internet is home to thousands of relationship tests measuring love, compatibility, and long-term potential. While these tests can be fun and informative, the results should be interpreted cautiously. Our human want for certainty can make us eager to take a relationship test’s evaluation of our situation as fact. However, an online test cannot take into account the nuance of our partnerships. Valid relationship tests are meant only to serve as a starting point for the further work we need to seek out in order to experience relational growth.
Are Relationship Tests for Couples Valid?
Helpful information
What Do Valid Relationship Tests Look Like?
The source of relationship tests is a crucial consideration to make when we decide to take them. For example, a test from a site such as Buzzfeed is not likely to be as accurate as one on a couples therapy website. Professional relationship tests are grounded in research and often provide a service following the results. This service might include referrals to therapists trained in identified difficulties or courses for building new skills.
Questions presented in valid relationship tests tend to vary from those in less valid tests. Feeling that we are being made to think critically and dig deeper is a positive sign. Being asked, “It really bothers me when my partner ________,” gives more meaningful insight than, “What is my partner’s favorite color?” Valid relationship tests typically also gather demographic information (i.e. age and relationship status) and take it into account when calculating results.
What to Expect from Relationship Tests
Relationship tests can be a benchmark for where we stand with our significant others. The results can allow needs to be clarified and necessary discussions to be facilitated. The information shown through relationship tests is not stagnant, unchangeable, or limiting. Instead, it serves us to see findings as opportunities to stretch ourselves in ways we may not have previously considered.
There are more questions than answers that are brought up by valid relationship tests. Consulting a trained therapist can help us find the right direction for exploring these questions in our relationships. The relationship test offered at The Couples Center, The Core Relationship Desire Quiz, comes with options for enrolling in couples therapy or in an 8-week online relationship course. The quiz is designed to help both partners find what they are looking for in love. It is based on four basic relational needs that have been derived from work with thousands of people.
Where to find Valid Relationship Tests
Beyond The Couples Center, there are other online options for finding valid relationship tests. One of these is the Relationship Trust Quiz, developed by psychologists at the University of Waterloo in Canada. This quiz measures general trust levels and provides resources for expanding trust in important relationships. Another relationship test, The Attachment Quiz, was developed by psychologists at The Attachment Project. Discovering our attachment styles helps build healthy relationships through seeing the impact of early life experiences.
Valid relationship tests can open doors for us to see new opportunities for growth in our partnerships. When sources are vetted and results are seen as a starting point, relationship tests aid in self-reflection. It is in our best interest to keep in mind that there are helpful, neutral, and harmful sources online for many types of information. Doing the work to make sure we are getting research-backed results is the best way we can empower ourselves in this process.
