Do You Have the Skills You Need to Express Your Creativity?
Do You Have the Skills You Need to Express Your Creativity?
Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Individuals (ECCI-i) v. 2.5M, © 2007-2022, Dr. Robert Epstein  

You are about to take the unabridged version of the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Individuals (or ECCI-i). This test measures four types of skills that help people express their creativity. It has been scientifically validated with a sample of more than 13,000 people in 47 countries. The test is also available in Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, and German.

The test is derived from more than 25 years of laboratory and field research on creativity by Dr. Robert Epstein (follow on Twitter @DrREpstein), one of the world's leading experts on creative expression in individuals and the developer of Generativity Theory, a formal, empirically-validated theory of creativity. You can learn more about Generativity Theory and related research in Dr. Epstein's book, Cognition, Creativity, and Behavior: Selected Essays, or by downloading his chapter from the Encyclopedia of Creativity.

Most people are able to complete the test in less than 10 minutes, and there are no right or wrong answers. Just select the response that seems best. After you answer the questions, you will be given a detailed report that will give you your scores and explain what they mean. This is just the start; once you know your ECCI-i scores, there are many avenues you might pursue to improve your creativity competencies. Forty-eight games and exercises designed to strengthen such competencies can be found in Dr. Epstein's book, The Big Book of Creativity Games, which also includes an abridged, self-scorable version of the ECCI-i.

If you are conducting research and would like to collect raw data for a group that is taking this test - for a business, research study, classroom activity, or other purpose - please see our Group Testing Instructions.

If you are a manager, teacher, parent, or supervisor, you might also want to take the manager's version of the ECCI, which looks at eight types of skills that will help you elicit creativity in other people.

Before we get to the inventory itself, we'll ask you a few basic questions about yourself. Demographic information is being collected for research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential.

To make sure the scoring is accurate, be sure to fill in all the blanks!

* Required response

*Highest Degree:
None
High School
Associates
College
Masters
Doctorate
*Race/Ethnicity:
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
American Indian
Other
*Gender:
Male
Female
Other

For each of the following questions, select the answer that best applies to you.


*1. When I set goals for myself, I make sure they're attainable.
Agree             Disagree


*2. I try to meet new people and colleagues whenever possible.
Agree             Disagree


*3. I only record new ideas when I'm ready to use them.
Agree             Disagree


*4. I set aside time every day to think of new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*5. I regularly read magazines or other material in a wide variety of subject areas.
Agree             Disagree


*6. I sometimes try to solve problems that, in principle, have no solution.
Agree             Disagree


*7. I'm not afraid to learn new things.
Agree             Disagree


*8. I usually read magazines and other material only in my area of expertise.
Agree             Disagree


*9. When I set goals for myself, I make sure they're ambitious and open-ended.
Agree             Disagree


*10. I do not like to work on difficult problems.
Agree             Disagree


*11. When my thinking is unclear, I sometimes seek a change of scenery.
Agree             Disagree


*12. I regularly surf the Internet to expand my knowledge.
Agree             Disagree


*13. There are special places where I go to think.
Agree             Disagree


*14. I sometimes seek out unusual combinations of people to help stimulate my thinking.
Agree             Disagree


*15. I redecorate my work environment regularly.
Agree             Disagree


*16. I often read books on topics outside my specialty.
Agree             Disagree


*17. I manage stress quite well.
Agree             Disagree


*18. It is important to me to continue my education throughout my life.
Agree             Disagree


*19. I sometimes use my daydreams as a source of new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*20. I occasionally like to work on difficult problems.
Agree             Disagree


*21. I sometimes place unusual or novel items in my work environment to stimulate my thinking.
Agree             Disagree


*22. I always record my new ideas as they occur to me.
Agree             Disagree


*23. I am not afraid of failure.
Agree             Disagree


*24. I sometimes make use of my dreams as a source of new ideas.
Agree             Disagree


*25. I rearrange the items in my office regularly.
Agree             Disagree


*26. I always keep a recording device by my bed at night.
Agree             Disagree


*27. I sometimes take courses on topics about which I know nothing at all.
Agree             Disagree


*28. I rarely rearrange the items in my work environment.
Agree             Disagree