CREATIVITY ASSESSMENT QUIZ (Thierauf 1993)

 


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This quiz, based on research carried out by Thierauf, provides one method of getting a feeling for your creative capacity. Here are twenty statements to test your capacity for creative thinking. Circle whatever answer you feel is the appropriate answer based upon your intuitive reactions.

 

Question 1: When under pressure to solve difficult technical problems, you trust what has worked  in the past rather than experiment with new ideas.

[] (a) Very seldom
[] (b) Once in a while
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Fairly often
[] (e) Often

Question 2: Many of your most successful approaches to problem solving resulted from drawing and playing around on paper with the sub-components of a problem.

[] (a) Very seldom
[] (b) Once in a while
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Fairly often
[] (e) Often

Question 3: You have mind-mapping or other similar types of sessions with others.

[] (a) Almost never
[] (b) Once in a while
[] (c) More often than not
[] (d) Fairly often
[] (e) Frequently

Question 4: You leave a present nagging, unsolved problem in order to re-confront an earlier unsolved problem.

[] (a) Never
[] (b) Seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 5: When reviewing a solution that you have generated to a major problem, believing that you have made the right decision is more important to you than winning over the opinions of your co-workers and senior management.

[] (a) Strongly disagree
[] (b) Mildly disagree
[] (c) Indifferent
[] (d) Agree
[] (e) Absolutely agree

Question 6: You use small scraps of time, such as in bathrooms and on buses, to work on simple problems.

[] (a) Never
[] (b) Seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 7: You always carry a notebook with you to list or make note of ideas as they occur to you for possible future thought.

[] (a) Very seldom
[] (b) Once in a while
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Fairly often
[] (e) Often
 

Question 8: To ensure objective and rational decision-making, you disregard your sense of intuition.

[] (a) Almost never
[] (b) More often than not
[] (c) Unaware of intuition
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 9: Publications and other reference sources within your field are the first place that you turn to help you identify new solutions to problems that you are working on.

[] (a) Usually not
[] (b) Occasionally
[] (c) More often than not
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Entirely

Question 10: You separate the important from the unimportant by listening to others' opinions.

[] (a) Not at all
[] (b) Comparatively seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) More often than not
[] (e) Fairly often
 

Question 11: You focus more on successful ideas rather than unsuccessful ones to guide you to more promising avenues for problem solution.

[] (a) Once in a while
[] (b) Doesn't matter
[] (c) Often
[] (d) Very often
[] (e) Always

Question 12: You devote as much effort to fully defining a problem as to determining its solution.

[] (a) Never
[] (b) Seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 13: You schedule your daily work and projects according to what comes to you naturally.

[] (a) Never
[] (b) Seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 14: You permit all of your subordinates to use their own judgment in solving problems.

[] (a) Seldom
[] (b) Sometimes
[] (c) More often than not
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 15: In your ongoing concern about keeping your people highly motivated,  you praise good performance rather than point out poor performance.

[] (a) Seldom
[] (b) Occasionally
[] (c) You comment on neither
[] (d) Often
[] (e) Always

Question 16: Quarterly performance appraisals are more to your liking than annual ones.

[] (a) Strongly disagree
[] (b) Mildly disagree
[] (c) Indifferent
[] (d) Agree
[] (e) Strongly agree

Question 17: The most polite, best-dressed and best-mannered subordinates generally have the most success in completing difficult projects on time and under budget.

[] (a) Once in a while
[] (b) More often than not
[] (c) Often
[] (d) A great deal
[] (e) Consistently
 

Question 18: The presence of external consultants gives you a feeling of a diminishment of your  managerial aura.

[] (a) Strongly disagree
[] (b) Mildly disagree
[] (c) Indifferent
[] (d) Agree
[] (e) Strongly agree

Question 19: What you do gives you a real sense of accomplishment and achievement.

[] (a) Never
[] (b) Seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Fairly often
[] (e) Often

Question 20: If you had a good friend looking for a good management position, you would recommend the organization that you work for.

[] (a) Never
[] (b) Seldom
[] (c) Occasionally
[] (d) Fairly often
[] (e) Often
 
 
 



This exam code was adapted by Dr. Paul D. Tinari in November, 1997
of the Pacific Institute for Advanced Study pacific@imag,net
The original exammail code was written by Dr John Oyston, March 5, 1997.
 oyston@oyston.com