Self Assessment
Self-Assessment: Determining Your Learning Style
Source: College Reading and Study Skills,
Ninth Edition by Kathleen McWhorter. Longman Publishers, New York: 2004
People differ a great deal in how they learn. Some people
learn better with hands-on activities. Others learn best when they work alone.
Responding to the quiz below will help you identify your predominate learning
style, which, in turn can help you learn more efficiently. Directions: Each
question below provides two choices. Select the choice that best describes you.
(If neither describes you, chose the option that is closer to your preference.)
Part One
_______1. I would prefer to follow a set of
a. oral directions
b. written directions
_______2. I would prefer to
a. attend a lecture given by a famous
psychologist
b. read an article written by the psychologist
_______3. When I am introduced to someone, it is easier for me to
remember a person’s
a. name
b. face
_______4. I find it easier to learn new information using
a. language (words)
b. pictures (pictures)
_______5. I prefer classes in which the instructor
a. lectures and answers questions
b. uses films and videos
_______6. To follow current events, I prefer to
a. listen to the news or radio
b. read the newspaper
_______7. To learn how to operate a fax machine I would prefer to
a. listen to a friend’s explanation
b. watch a demonstration
Part Two
_______8. I prefer to
a. work with facts and details
b. construct theories and ideas
_______9. I would prefer a job that involved
a. following specific instructions
b. reading, writing, analyzing
_______10. I prefer to
a. solve math problems using a formula
b. discover why a formula works
_______11. I would prefer to write a term paper explaining
a. how a process works
b. a theory
_______12. I prefer task that require me to
a. follow careful, detailed instructions
b. use reasoning and critical analysis
_______13. For a criminal justice course, I would prefer to
a. discover how and when a law can be used
b. learn how and why it became law
_______14. To learn more about the operation of a high-speed computer
printer, I would prefer to
a. work with several types of printers
b. understand the principles on which it operates
Part Three
_______ 15. To solve a math problem, I would prefer to
a. draw or visualize the problem
b. study a sample problem and use it as a model
_______16. To remember something best, I
a. draw or visualize the problem
b. study a sample problem and use it as a model
_______17. Assembling a bicycle from a diagram would be
a. easy
b. challenging
_______18. I prefer classes in which I
a. handle equipment or work with models
b. participate in class discussion
_______19. To understand and remember how a machine works, I would
a. draw a diagram
b. write notes
_______20. I enjoy
a. drawing or working with my hands
b. speaking, writing, and listening
_______21. If I were trying to locate an office on an unfamiliar
university campus, I would prefer
a. a map
b. a set of directions
Part Four
_______22. For a grade in biology lab, I would prefer to
a. work with a lab partner
b. work alone
_______23. When faced with a difficult personal problem, I prefer to
a. discuss it with others
b. resolve it myself
_______24. Many instructors could include their classes by
a. including more discussion and group
activities
b. allowing student to work on their own more
frequently
_______25. When listening to a lecture or speaker, I respond more to
a. the person presenting the ideas
b. the ideas themselves
_______26. When on a team project, I prefer to
a. work with several team members
b. divide up tasks and complete those assigned
to me
_______27. I prefer to shop and do errands
a. with friends
b. by myself
_______28. A job in a busy office is
a. more appealing than working alone
b. less appealing than working alone
Part Five
_______29. To make decisions, I rely on
a. my experiences and gut feelings
b. facts and objective data
_______30. To complete a task, I
a. can use whatever is available to get the
job done.
b. must have everything I need at hand
_______31. I prefer to express my ideas and feelings through
a. music, song, or poetry
b. direct, concise language
_______32. I prefer instructors who
a. allow students to be guided by their own
interests
b. make their expectations clear and explicitly
_______33. I tend to
a. challenge and question what I hear and read
b. accept what I hear and read
_______34. I prefer
a. essay exams
b. objective exams
_______35. In completing an assignment, I prefer to
a. figure out my own approach
b. be told exactly what to do
Scoring
To score your questionnaire, record the total number of times
you selected choice “a” and the total number of times you selected choice “b”
for each part of the questionnaire. Record your totals in the scoring grid
below.
Scoring Grid
Part Total # of Choice a Total
# of Choice b
Part One __________________ _________________
Auditory Visual
Part Two __________________ _________________
Applied
Conceptual
Part Three __________________ _________________
Spatial
Verbal
Part Four __________________
_________________
Social Independent
Part Five __________________
_________________
Creative
Pragmatic
Interpreting Your Scores
This questionnaire was divided into five parts; each part identifies one aspect
of your learning style. These fives aspects are explained below.
Part One: Auditory or Visual Learner
This score indicates the sensory mode you prefer when processing information.
Auditory learners tend to learn more effectively through listening, whereas
visual learners process information by seeing it in print or other visual mode
including films, pictures, or diagrams. If you have a higher score in the
auditory than visual, you tend to be an auditory learner. That is you tend to
learning easily be hearing than by reading. A higher score in visual suggests
strengths with visual modes of learning.
Part Two: Applied or Conceptual Learner
This score describes the types of learning tasks and learning situations you
prefer and find easiest to handle. If you are an applied learner, you prefer
tasks that involve real objects and situations. Practical, real-life learning
situation are ideal for you. If you are a conceptual learner, you prefer to work
with language and ideas; practical applications are not necessary for
understanding.
Part Three: Spatial or Verbal Learners
This score reveals your ability to work with spatial relationships. Spatial
learners are able to visualize, or mentally see, how things work or how they are
positioned in space. Their strengths may include drawing, assembling things, or
repairing. Verbal learner lacks skills in positioning things in space. Instead,
they tend to rely on verbal or language skills.
Part Four: Social or Independent Learners
This score reveals your preferred level or interaction with other people in the
learning process. If you are a social learner, you prefer to work with
others—both peers and instructors—closely and directly. You tend to be
people-oriented and to enjoy personal interaction. If you are an independent
learner, you prefer to work and study alone. You tend to be self-directed or
self-motivated and often are goal-oriented.
Part Five: Creative or Pragmatic Learners
This core describes the approach you prefer to take toward learning tasks.
Creative learners are imaginative and innovative. They prefer to learn through
discovery or experimentation. They are comfortable taking risks and following
hunches. Pragmatic learners are practical, logical, and systematic. They seek
order and are comfortable following rules.
Source: College Reading and Study Skills,
Ninth Edition by Kathleen McWhorter. Longman Publishers, New York: 2004