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Short Dark Tetrad

The short dark tetrad, or SD4, is a questionnaire of twenty-eight statements about four tendencies that researchers study in ordinary people: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy and sadism[1]. This page prints the whole instrument as this site uses it: all of its statements, how they are scored, the licence it is used under and the paper that published it.

Measures
Machiavellianism, Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Sadism
The statements
28
Licence
Free to use
Statements from
www2.psych.ubc.ca
Used on this site by
Dark triad test

What it is

The SD4 was written by Delroy Paulhus and three colleagues as a short measure for research. Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy are known together as the dark triad; adding sadism makes the dark tetrad. Each of the four scales has seven statements, and the statements of one scale are printed together in the author's own form.

Each statement is a sentence on its own, for example "It's not wise to let people know your secrets". You say how much you agree, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Some statements are about plans and people, some about wanting to be admired, some about taking risks and some about enjoying rough humour or cruelty.

Scoring in plain words

Answers are numbers from one for strongly disagree to five for strongly agree. No statement is worded the other way round, so none is counted backwards. The score of a scale is the average of the answers to its seven statements, which means it also lies between one and five.

The four scores are kept apart. They are not added up into one total, because a person can agree with many statements of one kind and few of another. The list of statements below says which statements make up each scale.

What it can and cannot tell you

A higher score on a scale means you agreed with more of its statements. It does not say what you are like, what you have done or what you will do. Agreeing that it is not wise to let people know your secrets can be a sign of caution as easily as a sign of scheming. A short list of statements cannot tell these apart.

The questionnaire was made to compare groups of people in research, not to judge one person. Do not use a result to judge yourself or anyone else. If something in your life troubles you, talk to a doctor or another professional; an online questionnaire is not the right tool for that.

The licence, and a note about it

The author lists the SD4 among the questionnaires that are available without permission. The journal article that published it carries a more restrictive licence, and the author's statement does not mention commercial use. The licence section below prints the author's statement and that note word for word, so you can read both before you reuse anything.

Where you can try it here

The dark triad test asks these statements and shows your answers on four scales, on a page that carries no advertisements. How the site works out and words its results is described on the methodology page.

The questionnaire as we use it

The authors' instructions

Rate your agreement with each statement using a 5-point scale:

The statements

Each statement is a sentence on its own. R: counted backwards.

  1. It's not wise to let people know your secrets.
  2. Whatever it takes, you must get the important people on your side.
  3. Avoid direct conflict with others because they may be useful in the future.
  4. Keep a low profile if you want to get your way.
  5. Manipulating the situation takes planning.
  6. Flattery is a good way to get people on your side.
  7. I love it when a tricky plan succeeds.
  8. People see me as a natural leader.
  9. I have a unique talent for persuading people.
  10. Group activities tend to be dull without me.
  11. I know that I am special because people keep telling me so.
  12. I have some exceptional qualities
  13. I'm likely to become a future star in some area.
  14. I like to show off every now and then.
  15. People often say I'm out of control.
  16. I tend to fight against authorities and their rules.
  17. I’ve been in more fights than most people of my age and gender.
  18. I tend to dive in, then ask questions later.
  19. I've been in trouble with the law.
  20. I sometimes get into dangerous situations.
  21. People who mess with me always regret it.
  22. Watching a fist-fight excites me.
  23. I really enjoy violent films and video games.
  24. It's funny when idiots fall flat on their face.
  25. I enjoy watching violent sports.
  26. Some people deserve to suffer.
  27. Just for kicks, I’ve said mean things on social media.
  28. I know how to hurt someone with words alone.

Answers, from 1 to 5

  • 1 Strongly Disagree
  • 2 Disagree
  • 3 Neutral
  • 4 Agree
  • 5 Strongly Agree

How it is scored

  • Machiavellianism: the average of statements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
  • Narcissism: the average of statements 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
  • Psychopathy: the average of statements 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
  • Sadism: the average of statements 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.

A statement marked R is counted backwards: an answer a counts as 6 minus a.

Licence

Available without permission (listed under "In the Public Domain" on the author's page)

The following questionnaires are available without permission. Feel free to download and use as needed.

The article that published the SD4 carries the licence CC BY-NC 3.0 (non-commercial) in its Crossref record, and the author's statement does not mention commercial use.

https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~dpaulhus/Paulhus_measures/

Read at the source on October 1, 2026.

How to cite it

Paulhus, D. L., Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Jones, D. N. (2021). Screening for dark personalities: The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 37(3), 208-222. doi:10.1027/1015-5759/a000602

Sources

  1. Paulhus, D. L., Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Jones, D. N. (2021). Screening for dark personalities: The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 37(3), 208-222.doi:10.1027/1015-5759/a000602