The 7 types of self-assessment (how they work and their characteristics)

We analyze what modalities this technique has and what they consist of.

Self-assessments are techniques that help us to have a better understanding of ourselves.. They can be done at virtually any time and can address a wide variety of topics.

Whether in the field of education, psychodiagnosis or in the world of organizations, self-assessments allow us to gain a better understanding of ourselves.

In this article we will discuss the types of self-assessments, both in terms of their scope and the format in which they are presented. In addition, we will make a quick review of what they consist of and what purpose they serve.

• Recommended: "The 16 personality types (and their characteristics)".

What is self-assessment?

Self-assessments are methods that allow us to have a better knowledge of ourselves, either by addressing aspects more related to our physical and mental capacities or by dealing with issues such as our emotions or state of health.

The main peculiarity of self-assessments is that we are the ones who administer them to ourselves.. In other types of assessments, such as heteroassessments and co-assessments, it is another person or a group of them who administer a questionnaire or perform some kind of analysis of a specific person.

Since self-assessments can be applied in multiple ways, there are several tools that allow them to be carried out.

For them to be useful it is necessary to be sincere when answering them and to carry out a deep self-reflection in order to detect strengths and weaknesses. we may have or, in case we are talking about health problems, to know if we are really behind something serious.

What is their purpose?

Self-assessments are very common in everyday life.. Situations as simple and mundane as answering a test at driving school, asking yourself review questions for an exam or analyzing the pros and cons of continuing with your partner would be examples of self-evaluations.

Depending on the area in which the self-assessment is being performed, we can talk about different purposes:

1. Education

In the educational field they are widely used to find out what level one has on a certain topic or to what extent the knowledge given in the classroom has been assimilated.

If they are carried out before taking an exam or trying to answer an exercise, they allow to know which are the knowledge that needs to be improved and to focus the rest of the study towards them.

Teachers can benefit from this resource since it allows them to know where they are failing when explaining the content. They can also use them as homework for their students because they can have a general idea of how the class is doing and, in particular, which students are having the most difficulties.

2. Work

Self-assessment in the workplace can help you to thrive in your profession..

Many companies ask their employees to do self-assessments in order to find out what problems they may have in performing their tasks and see how they can be solved.

Self-evaluations allow us to know if we are being efficient enough or, also, they allow us to improve our capabilities to focus them in order to receive a promotion. Evaluating how efficient we are allows us to motivate ourselves, to have better self-control and to solve what is necessary.

This type of tool is very useful for employees who have been in the same job for a long time because, as the years go by, after seeing that you are quite good at your job, you run the risk of not going for more, stagnating and getting stuck in your comfort zone.

We must ask ourselves if we are responsible, cooperative, punctual, or if we have other qualities that are beneficial both for our work performance and for the company to continue to prosper.

3. Health

Although it should be noted that those who diagnose health problems, both physical and psychological, are professionals in this field, such as doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists and a host of other professions, a self-assessment of our state of health can motivate us to visit a good professional..

Some ways to evaluate ourselves regarding our health are as simple as feeling for strange lumps, asking ourselves if we have felt motivated in the last few days, if we have noticed anything unusual about ourselves....

It should be said that if we notice something unusual, we should not rush and say what we have because, in addition to the fact that we may not be experts on the subject, our opinion is not at all objective. It is necessary to go to a professional to see what may be happening to us.

However, self-evaluations in this area allow us to avoid having to go to the professional for nothing if that is the case, and so we save ourselves a pointless visit and avoid taking time away from the professional on duty.

4. Daily life

It is totally healthy to question ourselves about our daily actions, as long as we "criticize" ourselves in a realistic way, without being too harsh or benevolent.without being too harsh or too benevolent with ourselves. Self-evaluations in this area are among the most subjective, since any topic can be addressed and there need not necessarily be standardized referents in this regard, unlike the other three fields.

We can ask ourselves about what makes us happy, if we should continue dating our partner, what we want to be in life...

Types of self-evaluation

There are many tools that can be used to carry out self-evaluations. Some come from the field of psychology, especially the clinical field, but others are specific to education and organizations.

Below is a list of the main types of self-assessment, both standardized methods and tools that have been formulated in a more free way.

1. Textbooks

Usually and especially in the field of education, textbooks have a page at the end of each topic with different exercises related to the content of that topic..

These questions usually allow the reader to reflect on what he/she knows, whether or not he/she has learned everything he/she should, and to detect those topics in which he/she needs to go a little deeper in order to master them.

The questions can come in many forms: multiple choice questions, questions to develop, in the form of games...

2. Self-assessment sheet

Also very typical of the educational field, self-assessment sheets allow us to write down on paper how we think we have done a certain activity, as well as to reflect on how we have done it.They also allow us to reflect on those areas that we feel we need to improve.

It allows us to have a better understanding of what our strengths are, and allows us to focus on them.

There are also self-assessment sheets focused on work and mental health, asking questions in which the respondent can be free to explain how he/she feels, symptoms or strongest capabilities.

3. Digital resources

Thanks to the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) there are more and more applications, both related to education and to physical and mental health, which offer us a self-assessment..

4. Surveys

This is one of the most classic tools used in psychology.. Survey items can be presented in the form of Likert scales, with numbering or "I agree" style phrases.

5. Inputs to self-reflection

They consist of sheets of paper in which there are incomplete sentencesThe reader must complete them with things that are related to him/herself. For example, "I consider myself a person ...", "I am ... with others", "I get upset if ...".

Thanks to their high degree of freedom in answering, they can allow us to extract a great deal of information about what the respondent thinks and is like.

6. Personal diaries

This is one of the most representative formats for self-evaluation in everyday life, although it can be used in any other context.although they can be used in any other field.

For example, in the school environment it is possible to make diaries in which students are allowed to reflect and remember what they have been learning the same day they are completing a page of the notebook.

7. Interactive notebooks

They are closely related to personal journals, especially in the field of education.They are very closely related to personal journals, especially in the field of education, although these are more focused on the student capturing what has been acquired in class and reflecting on it.

What are the benefits of self-assessments?

Whatever the field in which it has been used, self-assessment is a resource with more benefits than drawbacks, self-assessment is a resource that has more benefits than drawbacks. and, in case there has been any kind of problem, it is probably due to an incorrect use of this tool.

1. They are suitable for any age

In most cases, self-assessments can be applied in any age range..

While it is clear that self-assessments in the work environment are designed for adults, those that are more related to studies are very variable and can be applied even at children's ages.

As long as the feedback is given at the same level at which the younger children are, this tool will be useful to make them aware of what they have learned. At each stage of life we have different interests and goals. A well-done self-assessment is always helpful.

2. Better self-knowledge

Since this technique favors self-reflection, it allows us to assess aspects of ourselves, to see where we could improve as people and citizens of the world, it allows us to evaluate aspects of ourselves, to see where we could improve as people and citizens of the world..

This will help us to know if we are people who relate in a healthy way with our peers, how organized we are, if we are responsible?

3. Reinforces learning

As already mentioned, in the field of education, this type of techniques make the student more aware of what he has managed to learn and what he has difficulties with. and those in which he/she has difficulties.

Thanks to this, it is possible to intelligently select the contents to study for an exam, taking away priority from what has already been mastered and adding it to what needs to be improved.

By allowing the student to be a participant in his own learning, acting actively in the selection of the contents to be improved, it allows him to have a better interest in studying and a greater motivation.

4. Promotes our autonomy

From time to time, a self-evaluation is a positive thing to doIt allows us to control our progress and, also, our weak points. This will allow us to have a greater degree of independence.

5. Increases our motivation

Receiving feedback on how we are, especially in the work and academic environment, motivates usIt helps us to understand why particular problems occur.

In addition, by analyzing the origin of a particular difficulty, we can address it in order to deal with it.

Bibliographical references:

• Leyva, Y. (2010). Assessment for learning: A practical guide for teachers.
• Sanz, L.J. and Álvarez, C.A. (2012). Evaluation in Clinical Psychology. Manual CEDE de Preparación PIR. 05. CEDE: Madrid.