Machiavellianism Test: Measure Your Strategic, Transactional Streak
This self-assessment is adapted from the research tradition behind the classic Mach-IV scale, measuring strategic and transactional thinking in relationships. See your overall score plus a breakdown across tactics, views of human nature, and morality.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Machiavellianism Test is a free, confidential 20-question self-assessment, adapted from Mach-IV research (Christie & Geis, 1970). It takes about 6 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
A strategic streak, not a character flaw label
Machiavellianism describes a strategic, transactional approach to other people: viewing relationships partly as tools for getting what you want, and holding a cynical view of human nature. This test measures where you fall, and breaks the total down across three areas.
Overall Machiavellianism score
20 statements about strategy, manipulation tactics, and morality, adapted from the research tradition that started with the original Mach-IV scale.
A three-part breakdown
Your score split across Tactics (how you influence people), Views of human nature (how cynical you are about others), and Morality (how flexible your ethics are situationally).
A neutral, non-pathologizing read
Machiavellianism is a personality trait dimension, not a diagnosis. This test explains what a strategic streak is genuinely useful for, and where it tends to cost you in close relationships.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Breaks the score into tactics, human nature, and morality | Usually one number | Yes, three-part breakdown |
| Adapted from the Mach-IV research tradition | Often unclear origin | Yes, clearly cited |
| Original items, no reproduced questionnaire text | Some copy items directly | Yes, 20 original items |
| Neutral framing, not moralizing | Often judgmental | Yes, described without shame |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact score |
| Answers stay on your device | Often tracked | Scored in your browser; we only receive anonymous completion counts unless you ask for a PDF or report |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–80 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–26 | Low Machiavellian orientation | Your answers suggest a low degree of strategic, transactional thinking about other people. You likely lean toward taking people and situations at face value. |
| 27–53 | Moderate Machiavellian orientation | Your answers suggest a moderate, situational degree of strategic thinking. You likely read people and situations tactically some of the time, without it defining how you operate. |
| 54–80 | High Machiavellian orientation | Your answers suggest a strong strategic, transactional streak: you tend to approach people and situations tactically, and you hold a fairly cynical view of others' motives. |
Where the term comes from
Machiavellianism as a personality construct takes its name from Niccolo Machiavelli, the 16th-century political writer whose book The Prince frankly discussed strategy, manipulation, and the use of power. In 1970, psychologists Richard Christie and Florence Geis published Studies in Machiavellianism, introducing the Mach-IV scale to measure this as a personality trait in ordinary people: the degree to which someone approaches others strategically, believes the ends justify the means, and holds a cynical view of human motives.
Machiavellianism is one of the three traits in what personality researchers now call the Dark Triad, alongside narcissism and psychopathy, though it is the trait most closely tied to calculated strategy rather than grandiosity or impulsivity. Like the other two, it is measured as a normal personality dimension that everyone has some of, not a categorical label you either have or don't.
Strategic thinking has real uses
It's worth being fair to this trait: a strategic, unsentimental read on a situation is genuinely useful in negotiation, competitive business, law, and any high-stakes environment where naivety costs real money or real outcomes. People who score moderately on this trait are often simply realistic and effective operators who don't let sentiment cloud a decision, and research on workplace behavior finds this style is not inherently damaging on its own.
The research is also clear that very high scores predict a more transactional approach across the board, including in close relationships, and that this often costs the person real trust and depth over time, even when it produces short-term wins. This test is designed to give you an honest, useful read on where you land, not to tell you strategic thinking is a flaw.
Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism: what's different
These three traits often travel together and are studied as a set, but they aren't the same thing. Machiavellianism is specifically about calculated strategy and a cynical view of others; it doesn't necessarily involve the impulsivity and low empathy central to psychopathy, or the grandiosity and need for admiration central to narcissism. Someone can score high on this test while being genuinely careful, patient, and low in the impulsive or callous traits the other two measure.
If your result here has you curious about the other two traits, our Psychopathy Test and Narcissism Test measure them specifically, and our Dark Triad Test scores all three together for the fullest picture. If you'd rather look at the opposite end of the spectrum, our Light Triad Test and Dark Empath Test explore what it looks like to combine strategic awareness with genuine warmth rather than without it.
Methodology & sources
This test is adapted from the research tradition established by Richard Christie and Florence Geis's Mach-IV scale (1970), which measured Machiavellianism across three loosely related components: the use of manipulative tactics, a cynical view of human nature, and a flexible, situational approach to morality. We checked the licence stated on openpsychometrics.org, the site that hosts the Mach-IV for public use: it is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license, which does not permit reproduction on a commercial site like this one. We therefore wrote 20 original statements, in fresh wording of our own, that reflect the same three components without tracking the original questionnaire's item text.
Each statement is rated on a five-point agreement scale, and your total across all 20 items produces your overall score, while your answers are also grouped into the three components above for the breakdown. This is an educational self-assessment for reflection, not the validated Mach-IV scale, and it does not diagnose narcissistic, antisocial, or any other personality disorder. The bands below reflect sensible educational cutoffs on our own 0 to 80 scale, not clinical thresholds from the original research.
References
- Christie R, Geis FL. Studies in Machiavellianism. New York: Academic Press; 1970.
- Jones DN, Paulhus DL. Introducing the Short Dark Triad (SD3): A brief measure of dark personality traits. Assessment. 2014;21(1):28-41. doi.org/10.1177/1073191113514105
- O'Boyle EH, Forsyth DR, Banks GC, McDaniel MA. A meta-analysis of the Dark Triad and work behavior: A social exchange perspective. J Appl Psychol. 2012;97(3):557-579. doi.org/10.1037/a0025679
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 23). Machiavellianism Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/machiavellianism
Machiavellianism Test FAQ
What is Machiavellianism?
It's a personality trait describing a strategic, transactional approach to other people: viewing relationships partly as tools for achieving goals, believing the ends can justify the means, and holding a cynical view of human motives. It's named after Niccolo Machiavelli and studied as a normal personality dimension everyone has some of.
Is this the real Mach-IV test?
No. The original Mach-IV scale (Christie and Geis, 1970) is shared under a non-commercial license that does not permit reproduction on a commercial site. This test uses 20 original statements we wrote ourselves, adapted from the same three components the Mach-IV covers: tactics, views of human nature, and morality.
Is Machiavellianism a personality disorder?
No. It's a personality trait dimension, not a diagnosable disorder. Everyone has some degree of strategic thinking, and even a high score here doesn't diagnose narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or anything else; only a licensed clinician can assess those.
How is this different from the Dark Triad, psychopathy, or narcissism tests?
Machiavellianism is one of three traits in what researchers call the Dark Triad, alongside psychopathy and narcissism, but each measures something different. Our <a href="/tests/dark-triad">Dark Triad Test</a> scores all three together, and our <a href="/tests/psychopathy">Psychopathy Test</a> and <a href="/tests/narcissism">Narcissism Test</a> measure the other two on their own.
Is a high score always a bad thing?
Not inherently. Strategic, unsentimental thinking has real uses in negotiation, business, and high-stakes decisions. Research does find that very high scores predict more transactional behavior in close relationships specifically, which is worth reflecting on, but the trait itself isn't a moral verdict. If you're curious what the healthier balance of strategic awareness and warmth looks like, our <a href="/tests/light-triad">Light Triad Test</a> and <a href="/tests/dark-empath">Dark Empath Test</a> explore that territory.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. The test runs and is scored in your browser, and your individual answers are never sent to us. We count completions anonymously, and if you request the free PDF or a report we receive your summary scores with the email you give us, never your answers. No account is needed.
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