How the 12 Axes Test Is Scored
Each statement belongs to one axis and points toward one pole. Your answers are added up per axis and turned into a percentage from 0 to 100, where 50 is the exact middle. This page shows every step, including the formulas.
Last reviewed 2026-10-11
The two formulas
- Axis score
- 50 + 50 × (sum of direction × answer) ÷ (2 × answered statements)
- Match with a country or ideology
- 100 − 1.6 × average gap
Both are worked out in your browser.
How is each axis score calculated?
Every answer is turned into a number, signed by the direction of the statement, and averaged.
- 1
Answers become numbers
Strongly agree is +2, agree +1, neutral 0, disagree −1 and strongly disagree −2. A skipped statement counts for nothing in either direction.
- 2
Direction sets the sign
Each statement points toward one pole. Agreeing with a statement that points toward the second pole adds to the score, and agreeing with one that points toward the first pole subtracts.
- 3
The total becomes a percentage
The sum is divided by the best possible total for the statements you answered, then scaled so that 0 is fully the first pole, 100 fully the second and 50 the middle.
A worked example
Four statements answered on the Collectivize vs Privatize axis.
| Statement | Points toward | Your answer | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Privatize | Strongly agree (+2) | +2 |
| B | Collectivize | Agree (+1) | −1 |
| C | Privatize | Neutral (0) | 0 |
| D | Collectivize | Strongly disagree (−2) | +2 |
The sum is +3 and the best possible total is 4 × 2 = 8, so the score is 50 + 50 × 3 ÷ 8 = 68.75, shown as 69%. That is 69% toward Privatize and 31% toward Collectivize.
How are the statements written and balanced?
The statements are original, and each axis is built to be fair to both poles.
Ten per axis, five per pole
Every axis has ten statements, five pointing toward each pole, so agreeing with everything cancels out and lands you in the middle.
Three lengths that nest
Quick uses 3 statements per axis, Standard 5 and Full 10. Each version is a prefix of the next, so you can add statements without repeating any.
One idea at a time
Each statement is written to ask one thing in plain words, and terms that need explaining open a short definition.
How are countries and ideologies matched?
Your twelve scores are compared with each profile, axis by axis.
For each country or ideology, the gaps between its score and yours on the twelve axes are squared, averaged and square-rooted. This is the root-mean-square gap, so one big disagreement counts for more than several small ones.
The match percentage is 100 minus 1.6 times that average gap, never below 0. The table shows what a given average gap means.
| Average gap | Match | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100% | Identical on every axis |
| 5 | 92% | A very close match |
| 10 | 84% | A close match |
| 20 | 68% | Similar in places, different in others |
| 30 | 52% | More different than alike |
| 50 | 20% | Very different |
How does the profile wheel visualize your scores?
Instead of compressing multi-dimensional beliefs onto an oversimplified 2D chart, the test translates your twelve percentages into a circular twelve-spoke profile wheel.
Twelve spokes in four domains
Spokes radiate clockwise around a central hub, divided into the four domains (Governmental, Diplomatic, Economic, and Societal) with distinct colors matching the site's brand.
Non-linear radial reach
Spoke length follows a power-law curve: fraction = (strength / 100)^0.7. Because most moderate answers land between 35% and 65%, this prevents moderate stances from collapsing into invisible stubs while letting strong convictions reach the outer edge.
Geometric hub clearance
The inner hub is calibrated with a dedicated radius ensuring neighboring spokes never collide or blur together at the center, maintaining legibility on high-density displays.
Numbered badges for top leanings
Rather than surrounding the disc with twenty-four conflicting pole labels, numbered badges (1, 2, 3) highlight only your most pronounced convictions, explained in detail beside the chart.
Where do the country and ideology profiles come from?
They are editorial estimates, not survey data.
Countries
Each profile reflects long-run patterns in a country's political system and mainstream politics, such as how power is shared, how open the economy is and the role of religion. They are not the views of every citizen.
Ideologies
Each profile describes the typical, classic version of a tradition. Real parties and thinkers vary a lot inside every label.
Corrections
If you think a profile is off, tell us on the contact page with your reasoning. Profiles are revised when the case is good.
How are historical thinkers compared?
Each reading is an editorial estimate with a source you can check, not a measurement.
A thinker is compared with you on the axes where their writing gives a reasonably clear position, and ranked by the same root-mean-square gap as ideologies. No percentage is shown, because with few assessed axes it would look more precise than it is. At least four axes must be assessed.
Axes without a documented position are never counted as 50. Each counts as a fixed gap of 20 points, so a thinker assessed on more axes can rank higher than one assessed on few. The collection is about a hundred thinkers drawn mostly from European and North American political thought, with some from Asia, Africa and Latin America, so it offers points of reference, not a ranking of who thought best. It includes people whose records are disputed: a place here describes where they stood on these axes and is not praise.
What are the limits of this method?
It is a useful tool for reflection, not a measurement of truth.
It is self-reported
The result is only as honest and as considered as your answers.
Wording matters
Any statement can be read differently by different people. Longer versions average out some of that.
The axes are a choice
Twelve axes cover a lot, not everything. Some debates do not fit neatly on any of them.
Similarity is not identity
A match says two profiles look alike across twelve numbers. It does not mean the reasons behind them are the same.
How is your privacy protected?
Scoring and matching run in your browser. Your answers are not sent to a server, and there are no accounts. A result link holds only your twelve percentages in a short code. The privacy page has the details.
Read the privacy pageFrequently asked questions
Something else on your mind? Get in touch
Try it yourself
Take the test and watch the method at work. It takes about 7 minutes, and nothing leaves your browser.