Four Tendencies Quiz. 100% Accurate

Want to know if you’re a Rebel, Obliger, Upholder, or Questioner? Take this Four Tendencies Quiz to find the accurate answer based on Gretchen Rubin’s book.

The Four Tendencies Quiz, Explained

With 20 self-reflection questions, the Four Tendencies Quiz is a self-assessment for expectation response. The test identifies if you’re an Upholder who meets expectations, a Questioner who doubts expectations, an Obliger who prioritizes external expectations, or a Rebel who hates all expectations—even the internal ones.

The Four Tendency is a personality framework created by Gretchen Rubin. According to her theory, people can be categorized into four primary groups based on how they respond to inner and outer expectations.

What Are the Four Tendencies

The four Tendency types are Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, and Rebel. Each of these natures reacts to rules, regulations, and obligations differently, making it difficult for them to adjust to new habits in the same way.

Upholder Tendency

An Upholder tends to meet both inner and outer expectations readily. This particular Tendency quickly adapts to rules and excels at challenging tasks when they’re paired with regulations and deadlines. The only downside to this Tendency is that Upholders often struggle with failure anxiety and perform poorly when there are no boundaries.

Questioner Tendency

Questioners only follow rules that make sense. They tend to examine and evaluate every rule, cherry-picking the ones backed with logic and reason. The only downside to this Tendency is that Questioners might struggle with following direct orders, and they also fall behind when there’s no creativity involved.

Obliger Tendency

Also known as a people-pleaser, an Obliger prioritizes outer expectations while failing to care for the inner ones. While people with this Tendency stand out in workplaces or academic settings, their self-negligence often leads to stress, depression, and lack of motivation.

Rebel Tendency

Rebels tend to resist both inner and outer expectations. Contrary to an Upholder, a Rebel feels locked in when there are too many rules and deadlines—but excels in creative works such as art. The biggest disadvantage of the Rebel Tendency is that it tires both the Rebel and the people who want to work with them, as it’s challenging to fit them into any framework.

Why It Matters to Know Your Tendencies

The Four Tendencies help you better understand yourself. And in Gretchen Rubin’s words, “Self-knowledge is the secret to happiness and success. The better you know yourself, your own nature, your own value, and your own temperament, the better able you are to bring these elements into your everyday life.”

Understanding your Tendency can aid you in developing new habits, managing your reaction to expectations, and effectively expressing your needs to others. In a way, your Tendency type compares to your love language; once you become fluent in it, others can better comprehend your needs.

Find Out if You’re an Upholder, Obliger, Rebel, or Questioner

Do you want to know which of the Four Tendencies you have? If yes, take this obligation and expectancy quiz to see what motivates you and what sets you back. Are you a workaholic Upholder, a people-pleasing Obliger, a philosophical Questioner, or a stubborn Rebel? Let’s find out now!

By the way, people who like our Four Tendencies Quiz also happen to enjoy our other trending test, “What Is My Talent?” It reveals what hidden-gem skills you have—and what to do with them.

Disclaimer

While the Four Tendencies Quiz is inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s work, it does not include any copyrighted material, and QuizExpo intends no copyright infringement.

Questions of the quiz

• 1
  Pick the word that better describes how you feel about deadlines.
  

  • I don’t like them, but I meet all deadlines

  • I love them; they keep me disciplined

  • It depends on the type of deadline we’re talking about

  • I hate all kinds of deadlines

• 2
  What motivates you to do more work?
  

  • Making others happy

  • Achieving goals

  • It depends on the work

  • Getting paid (money)

• 3
  What kind of manager or boss is your favorite?
  

  • Caring

  • Strict

  • Wise

  • Cool

• 4
  How do you deal with failure?
  

  • I usually can’t move on

  • I learn from my mistakes and move on

  • It depends on the type of failure

  • Failures don’t bother me; IDC

• 5
  What’s your definition of success?
  

  • Making everyone proud of you

  • Good career and financial stability

  • Achieving peace of mind

  • Living life to its fullest

• 6
  How difficult is it for you to form new habits?
  

  • Somewhat difficult

  • Not difficult at all

  • It depends on the habit

  • Almost impossible

• 7
  What do expectations mean to you?
  

  • Stressful standards that I must meet

  • Helpful signs to help shape my path

  • Stereotypical nonsense with no benefit

  • Unnecessary drama and boring cliches

• 8
  Do you spend enough time to care for yourself?
  

  • Not at all. I’m focused on other stuff

  • Yes, I’m actively trying to care for myself

  • Not really, but I’m working on it

  • No, I’m fine. I don’t need that

• 9
  Are you good at following rules?
  

  • Yes, I’m an excellent team member

  • For the most part, yes. But I’m a better leader

  • It depends on what rules we’re talking about

  • No, I hate all sorts of rules and boundaries

• 10
  What kind of manager or boss are you (or would you be)?
  

  • Kind

  • Strict

  • Open-minded

  • Cool

• 11
  What’s your dream workplace like?
  

  • An equality-oriented safe place

  • A professional and work-focused environment

  • A creativity-boosting, modern environment

  • A quiet place with limited human interactions

• 12
  What could trigger your anxiety?
  

  • Possibility of failure

  • Performance drop

  • Work overload

  • New regulations

• 13
  What kind of jobs do you excel in?
  

  • Team work-oriented

  • Solo

  • Creative

  • None of them

• 14
  Which word matches your personality?
  

  • Healer

  • Leader

  • Thinker

  • Feeler

• 15
  What’s your strategy for setting deadlines?
  

  • I give myself some extra time just in case

  • I determine the exact date and time from the get-go

  • It depends on the type of task I’m working on

  • I don’t set deadlines; I hate them

• 16
  What kind of coworkers are difficult to work with?
  

  • Manipulative ones

  • Lazy ones

  • Dull ones

  • I don’t like people in general. So …

• 17
  How do you feel about competitions?
  

  • It makes me nervous

  • I love a good competition

  • IDK. It depends on the type of competition I’m in

  • I don’t like any type of competition

• 18
  On a scale of 0 to 5, how competitive are you?
  

  • 1-2

  • 4-5

  • 3

  • 0

• 19
  What’s the most important aspect of a rule?
  

  • Clarity

  • Consistency

  • Flexibility

  • Relevance

• 20
  Final question: How good are you at time management?
  

  • Not bad

  • Pretty good

  • It depends

  • Awful