Journal of Entrepreneurship Education · Vol. 28, SI 1, 2025

The methodology behind the assessment.

This is not a pop-psychology quiz. Every question, every weight, every dimension traces back to peer-reviewed research in entrepreneurial psychology and behavioural science.

The research question

Can personality traits be systematically identified and measured in a way that predicts entrepreneurial success? And can a DSM-5 inspired questionnaire — typically used to assess pathological personality — be adapted to measure entrepreneurial personality traits?

The research published in 2025 answered both questions affirmatively, establishing a validated framework that now powers this assessment.

Publication

Journal of Entrepreneurship Education

Volume 28, Special Issue 1, 2025 · Pages 1–14 · ISSN: 1528-2651

Methodology overview

1. Literature review

A comprehensive review of entrepreneurial psychology identified eight core personality dimensions consistently associated with entrepreneurial behaviour across multiple studies.

2. DSM-5 adaptation

Questions from the DSM-5 personality assessment framework were selected, modified, and supplemented with entrepreneurship-specific items to create 115 weighted statements.

3. Weighted scoring

Each question carries a weight of 1–4 depending on the response option selected. Some questions are reverse-scored. The weighting system captures nuance rather than simple agree/disagree.

4. Statistical validation

Multi-linear regression analysis was used with the 8 trait scores as independent variables and academic performance in an entrepreneurship course as the dependent variable.

5. Correlation matrix

A correlation matrix was computed to identify relationships between traits, with a threshold of 0.7 used to identify robustly correlated dimensions.

6. Key findings

Emotional Stability, Creativity & Problem Solving, and Openness/Tolerance emerged as the primary predictors of academic performance in entrepreneurship education (R²: 0.952).

The linear regression model

y = β₀ + β₁ES + β₂UMO + β₃PT + β₄LC + β₅CPS + β₆OT + β₇LN + β₈IM + ε

Where y = entrepreneurial performance; ES, UMO, PT, LC, CPS, OT, LN, IM = the eight personality trait scores; β = the regression coefficients; ε = the error term.

The model achieved an R-squared of 0.952 and Multiple R of 0.976, indicating very strong explanatory power within the research sample.

Key regression statistics

StatisticValue
Multiple R0.9759
R Square0.9525
Adjusted R Square0.7624
Standard Error3.35
Sample size11 (preliminary — larger studies in progress)

Academic integrity note

The authors acknowledge that while the regression statistics are strong, the preliminary sample size of 11 limits definitive causal claims. The study explicitly calls for larger-scale replication. This assessment is offered as a self-reflection tool grounded in promising preliminary research — not as a definitive scientific instrument.

Experience the methodology yourself.

115 questions. Your 8-trait profile. $5, once.

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