What Is the Social Skills Assessment?
In our daily lives, we interact with a wide range of people — at home, at work, and in our communities.
Maintaining these relationships smoothly requires the ability to understand others' perspectives,
communicate our own thoughts appropriately, and respond flexibly to different situations.
These are the qualities that make up what we call "social skills."
This assessment identifies your current strengths and areas for development
across six dimensions that together make up your social skills profile.
① Rapport Building
The ability to create relationships built on comfort and trust.
② Empathic Understanding
The ability to understand others' emotions and respond with genuine care.
③ Assertion
The ability to express your thoughts calmly and clearly.
④ Cooperative Behavior
The ability to maintain relationships through a cooperative and collaborative orientation.
⑤ Interpersonal Adjustment
The ability to read the atmosphere and adapt your behavior flexibly to the situation.
⑥ Emotional Regulation
The ability to manage your emotions and respond to others with composure.
The results provide a comprehensive evaluation of these skills,
along with practical suggestions for applying them in everyday life.
We invite you to use this as an opportunity to take an objective look at your interpersonal strengths.
How This Test Was Developed
Below is a detailed explanation of how this Social Skills Assessment was developed. Please read if you would like a deeper understanding.
① Prior Research
• SSRS / SSIS (Gresham & Elliott)
A multidimensional scale targeting school-age children through adults, evaluating cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, self-control, empathy, engagement, and communication. Designed for practical use, combining ratings from school, home, and the individual themselves.
• ICQ (Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire: Buhrmester et al.)
Measures interpersonal competence across five domains: initiating relationships, negative assertion, self-disclosure, emotional support, and conflict management. Widely used as a self-report measure for adolescents and adults.
• SSI (Social Skills Inventory: Riggio)
A six-factor instrument covering emotional expressivity, sensitivity, and control, alongside social expressivity, sensitivity, and control. Notable for its integrated assessment of both emotional and social skills.
• MESSY (Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters: Matson et al.)
A comprehensive evaluation of socially adaptive and maladaptive behavior in children and adolescents. Used for intervention planning and measuring training outcomes.
• KiSS-18 (Kikuchi)
A widely used abbreviated scale in Japanese-language settings. Enables simple screening of everyday interpersonal behavior, suitable for school education and professional training programs.
【Purpose of Scale Development】
While Social Skills Training (SST) has gradually expanded into education, healthcare, and corporate training, many of the scales available for measuring its effects are designed for academic research — and tend to lack practical utility in real-world settings.
There is therefore a recognized need for new assessment tools that are more accessible and comprehensible, and capable of making changes in everyday interpersonal behavior visible.
This assessment was developed on the foundation of existing theoretical frameworks, with a focus on behavioral skills such as cooperation, assertion, empathy, and adjustment as they appear in daily life — with the goal of broad applicability across educational, clinical, and business settings.
② Factors and Question Items
Following the review of the above research, certified psychologists, clinical psychologists, and graduates of psychology master's programs reviewed and refined the question items. Six factors were established, with four questions assigned to each, resulting in a 24-item scale.
1. Rapport Building
1. I am able to start a conversation with others naturally.
2. I am able to approach and speak to someone I have just met without excessive nervousness.
3. I adjust my topic of conversation by reading the other person's facial expressions.
4. I am able to find common ground and build on it to develop the conversation.
2. Empathic Understanding
5. I am able to listen while imagining how the other person is feeling.
6. I am able to pick up on the other person's emotions from their expressions and tone of voice.
7. I am able to check in with the other person to confirm how they are feeling.
8. I am able to think about things from the other person's perspective.
3. Assertion
9. I am able to express my opinions calmly and clearly.
10. I am able to decline things I am not comfortable with.
11. I am able to make requests of others in a considerate and polite way.
12. I am able to express my feelings honestly.
4. Cooperative Behavior
13. I am able to discuss things while genuinely respecting the other person's opinion.
14. I am able to respond calmly even when conflict arises.
15. I am able to yield to others when I consider their position and needs.
16. I am able to work cooperatively as part of a team.
5. Interpersonal Adjustment
17. I adjust the way I speak to suit the other person's personality.
18. I am able to read the atmosphere and adjust my behavior accordingly.
19. I change how I explain things based on how the other person is responding.
20. I am able to use language that is appropriate to the situation.
6. Emotional Regulation
21. Even when I feel nervous, I am able to speak with composure.
22. Even when I feel angry, I am able to speak without becoming emotional.
23. Even after a failure, I am able to shift my mindset and move forward.
24. Even when I feel anxious, I am able to think calmly.
③ Scoring Criteria
● Response Format
Each question is answered using the following 5-point scale.
Strongly Disagree 0
Disagree 1
Neutral 2
Agree 3
Strongly Agree 4
● Threshold per Factor
Each factor consists of 4 questions.
The total score per factor ranges from 0 to 16.
High 13 to 16
Moderate 9 to 12
Low 0 to 8
● Overall Score Thresholds
(Maximum 96 points / Minimum 0 points)
Based on an assumed mean of 55 and standard deviation of approximately 12, divided into four quartile bands.
Social Skills — Excellent 64 to 96
Social Skills — Good 55 to 63
Social Skills — Fair 47 to 54
Social Skills — Poor 0 to 46
④ Evaluation and Feedback
The assessment results summarize the key characteristics and points to be aware of for each score type in approximately 1,000 characters. The content is based on theoretical findings from prior research and the clinical experience of the authors, and is provided as educational guidance to support personal self-understanding and skill development.
⑤ Limitations and Disclaimer
This assessment is not an academic research instrument. It was developed by clinicians and specialists drawing on prior research, with the practical purpose of providing guidance for improving communication skills.
This assessment has not undergone psychometric validation, including statistical verification of factor structure, reliability coefficients, or validity checks. Its statistical grounding is therefore limited, and it is not recommended for use in academic research. The results are intended solely as a reference for personal self-understanding and educational feedback.
⑥ References
Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (1990). Social Skills Rating System.
Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (2008). Social Skills Improvement System.
Buhrmester, D., et al. (1988). Interpersonal competence in peer relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Riggio, R. E. (1986). Assessment of social skills. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Matson, J. L., et al. (1983). MESSY: Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters. Behaviour Research and Therapy.
Kikuchi, A. (1994). Theory and Practice of Social Skills Education. Kaneko Shobo.
About the Developers
Tatsushi Kawashima
Graduate School of Psychology, Mejiro University
National Licensed Psychologist (Japan)
Certified Psychiatric Social Worker (Japan)
Mikiko Kamei
Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University
Certified Clinical Psychologist (Japan)
National Licensed Psychologist (Japan)
