Procrastination Test (GPS)
The General Procrastination Scale (GPS) is a 20-item measure of trait procrastination developed by Clarry H. Lay at York University and published in the Journal of Research in Personality in 1986. It measures your general tendency to delay tasks across everyday situations, not just school or work.
Procrastination is not a character flaw. It is usually a form of emotional avoidance, most often linked to anxiety, perfectionism, or difficulty starting tasks that feel unclear or overwhelming. Understanding your tendency is the first step toward working with it.
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Your answers are processed locally in your browser. No data is collected or sent to any server. No login account or email is required and results are available instantly. This test is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute a clinical assessment.
Disclaimer
This test is based on the General Procrastination Scale by Clarry H. Lay (1986) and is for informational and educational purposes only. Scores reflect trait procrastination tendencies and do not constitute a clinical diagnosis or medical advice. If procrastination is significantly affecting your wellbeing or functioning, please consider speaking with a qualified mental health professional.
FAQs
What is the General Procrastination Scale?
The General Procrastination Scale (GPS) is a 20-item measure of trait procrastination developed by Clarry H. Lay at York University, published in the Journal of Research in Personality in 1986. It assesses the tendency to delay tasks across everyday life, including work, personal projects, and daily responsibilities. The GPS has Cronbach alpha of 0.82 and one-month test-retest reliability of r = 0.80.
How is the test scored?
You rate 20 statements on a 1 to 5 scale (Extremely Uncharacteristic to Extremely Characteristic). Ten items describe prompt, non-procrastinating behaviour and are reverse-scored before totalling (items 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, and 20). The total score ranges from 20 to 100. Higher scores indicate a stronger tendency to procrastinate. The score bands shown (Low, Moderate, High, Very High) are editorial guides based on population norms; Lay's original paper did not define canonical cutoff scores.
What causes procrastination?
Research links procrastination to difficulty regulating emotions around tasks, anxiety, perfectionism, and low tolerance for frustration or uncertainty. People often delay tasks that feel aversive, unclear, or threatening to self-esteem. Chronic procrastination is associated with higher stress, lower wellbeing, and poorer health behaviours. Understanding the emotional function of delay is usually more useful than trying harder to start.
Is procrastination a mental health condition?
Procrastination is not a diagnosis in the DSM-5 or ICD-11. However, it frequently co-occurs with ADHD, depression, anxiety disorders, and perfectionism. When procrastination is chronic and causes significant impairment, it is worth discussing with a mental health professional, particularly to rule out or address an underlying condition.
What helps with procrastination?
Evidence-based approaches include cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) targeting the avoidance cycle, implementation intentions (writing specific if-then plans for when and where you will complete a task), reducing task aversiveness by breaking tasks into small concrete steps, and self-compassion to reduce the shame cycle that often worsens delay. Stimulant medication can help in cases where ADHD is the primary driver.
How reliable is this test?
The GPS has solid psychometric properties. Lay (1986) reported Cronbach alpha of 0.82. Ferrari (1989) found test-retest reliability of r = 0.80 over one month, showing the scale measures a stable trait. Treat your score as an indicative snapshot rather than a precise diagnostic figure.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. OmConscious has a strong commitment to user privacy and does not collect any personal data. All scoring happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your answers are never transmitted to any server, stored in a database, or shared with any third party. No account or login is required, and results are available instantly. When you close the tab, your answers are gone.
REFERENCES
Lay CH. At last, my research article on procrastination. Journal of Research in Personality. 1986;20(4):474-495. doi:10.1016/0092-6566(86)90127-3
Ferrari JR. Reliability of academic and dispositional measures of procrastination. Psychological Reports. 1989;64(3):1057-1058.
Sirois FM, Yang S, van Eerde W. Development and validation of the General Procrastination Scale (GPS-9): a short and reliable measure of trait procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences. 2019;146:26-33. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.03.039
Lay CH. Journal of Research in Personality. 1986;20(4):474-495.