Based on the research of D. L. Paulhus (2014).

Dark Triad Test (SD3)

Where do you fall across the three Dark Triad traits?

Developed by Daniel N. Jones and Delroy L. Paulhus in 2014, the Short Dark Triad (SD3) is a widely recognized personality instrument designed to assess three distinct socially aversive traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy.

Rather than providing a clinical diagnosis, this 27-item assessment explores everyday nonclinical tendencies such as strategic interpersonal planning, grandiose self-confidence, and impulsive risk-taking.

How do your responses align across these three facets? To take the test, enter your input below.

Question 1 of 27

I feel embarrassed if someone compliments me.

Disagree

Agree

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The Dark Triad Test (SD3) is based on research by Daniel N. Jones and Delroy L. Paulhus, whose 2014 paper introduced the Short Dark Triad as a brief measure of dark personality traits. The SD3 was designed to bring three established areas of personality research into one compact self-report instrument: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. These labels describe patterns of tendencies rather than diagnoses. The test is intended to help you reflect on how you typically approach influence, status, conflict, and self-interest in everyday life.

Machiavellianism refers to a strategic, calculating approach to social situations. People who score higher on this facet may be more comfortable keeping information private, managing impressions, cultivating useful connections, and planning several moves ahead. This does not automatically mean that a person is dishonest or harmful. Strategic thinking can appear in ordinary negotiation, leadership, competition, or self-protection. The score is best read as an indication of how readily your responses endorse a guarded and instrumental way of navigating relationships.

Narcissism in the SD3 concerns grandiose self-focus, recognition, confidence, and the desire to be respected. A higher score may reflect feeling distinctive, expecting acknowledgment, enjoying a prominent role, or seeing oneself as a natural leader. Confidence and ambition are not inherently pathological, and a score cannot establish narcissistic personality disorder. The facet simply describes how strongly your answers resemble the self-enhancing and status-oriented tendencies included in this research measure.

Psychopathy is the SD3 facet most closely associated with callousness, impulsive reactions, hostility, and a willingness to pursue immediate rewards. A higher score can indicate greater endorsement of items about risk, retaliation, emotional hardness, or saying whatever is necessary to get what one wants. It does not prove criminality, violence, or a lack of conscience. The term is used here as a subclinical personality construct in a research questionnaire, not as a clinical judgment about you.

The three facet scores are related, but they are not interchangeable. Someone may be highly strategic without being especially impulsive, socially confident without being callous, or low on one facet and high on another. The profile therefore matters more than any single label. The Total Dark Triad score is a simple overall orientation calculated from the mean of the three facet scores. It offers a broad summary of endorsement across the constellation, while the separate bars show which pattern contributes most to your result.

Your reference comparison is an estimate rather than a validated percentile or a clinical norm. It is provided to make the scale easier to interpret, not to rank you against a definitive population distribution. Results are educational and self-reflective only, and they should not be used to diagnose a mental-health condition or to make decisions about someone’s safety, character, or fitness. A result is not a verdict about who you are, and it may vary with context, mood, interpretation of the statements, and the way you understand your own behavior. For a deeper evaluation of personality or mental health, consult a qualified professional and consider the wider context of your life, relationships, and behavior.