Cornwall Counseling · Curiosity and Emotional Intelligence

Uncertainty Quiz

Can I make room for what I do not know yet?

Created by Dr. Michael Cornwall, PsyD, PhD, LPC, LCSW.

1940s illustration of a man and woman sitting in a railway waiting room, with a clock and a train outside.

Waiting can be part of the experience. Not every unanswered question requires an immediate answer.

Why I created this quiz

I created this quiz to help you examine your relationship with uncertainty. When an answer is incomplete, delayed, or unavailable, what do you ask of yourself, other people, and the situation?

The questions explore four patterns: seeking reassurance, needing precise answers, wanting guarantees, and feeling that a matter must be resolved immediately. They are meant to assess how often you recognize these experiences in yourself, based on your own report. They do not establish why you respond this way or how you behave in every situation.

Wanting information is understandable. The question is whether I am gathering information that helps me act, or searching for a feeling of certainty that no answer can reliably provide. Reassurance may bring brief relief while the doubt returns; this pattern is described in educational resources from the Centre for Clinical Interventions (n.d.-b).

In this quiz, emotional insight means noticing the thought, the feeling, the urge, and the action separately. “I would prefer to know” does not have to become “I must know before I can continue.”

Before you begin

This is an original educational self-reflection quiz, not a standardized or scientifically validated psychological assessment. It is not the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale or another published clinical instrument. It does not diagnose anxiety, OCD, or any other condition; measure your IQ or EQ; or rate you as a person.

Results describe the frequency of the experiences you endorse. There are no clinical cutoff scores, population comparisons, or right or wrong answers. This quiz does not replace individualized professional care or establish a professional relationship.

Precision and clarification can be necessary. Safety, medical instructions, informed consent, accessibility needs, and important legal or financial decisions may require clear details. Communication differences, current circumstances, or earlier experiences can also shape what information someone needs. A desire for precise answers is not, by itself, a problem.

The practices here concern ordinary, nonurgent situations. Accepting uncertainty does not mean overlooking harm, withholding necessary questions, delaying urgent care, or abandoning reasonable safeguards.

Your selections are processed in this page and are not submitted to Cornwall Counseling. The quiz does not save answers; refreshing or leaving clears them. Ordinary website services may collect standard visit information.

What you will explore

Reassurance

How often do I return to other people for confirmation after an answer has already been given?

Precise answers

How much detail do I feel I need before I can understand, decide, or continue?

Guarantees

How strongly do I want assurance that a choice cannot lead to disappointment or an unwanted outcome?

Immediate resolution

How difficult is it to leave an unanswered question or unresolved matter alone for a reasonable period?

Think about the past month, especially ordinary situations in which there was no immediate danger. Choose how often each statement describes your experience. “Not applicable” excludes that statement from the summary.

The examples illustrate each statement; your experience does not have to match the example exactly. Answer about what you actually notice, rather than how you believe you should respond.

Begin the quiz ↓

0 of 15 answered

Reassurance

How often do I return to other people for confirmation after an answer has already been given?

1. After someone has answered my concern, I ask the same question again because I do not feel sufficiently reassured.

For example: A trusted person tells me our conversation was fine; shortly afterward I ask again whether I upset them.

2. I ask several people the same question to see whether their answers will make me feel more certain.

For example: I ask three friends whether a routine message sounded acceptable, even after the first friend answered.

3. Reassurance helps briefly, but I soon return to the original doubt.

For example: I feel relieved after hearing that a minor mistake can be repaired, then begin asking whether everything is really okay.

4. I want another person to confirm an ordinary decision that I already have enough information to make.

For example: Before choosing between two reasonable weekend plans, I repeatedly ask someone which choice I should make.

Precise answers

How much detail do I feel I need before I can understand, decide, or continue?

5. An answer such as “probably,” “approximately,” or “I do not know yet” is difficult for me to leave unresolved.

For example: Someone gives a reasonable arrival window, but I continue asking for an exact minute they cannot provide.

6. I continue requesting finer details after I understand what is needed for an ordinary task.

For example: I know the meeting's purpose and what to bring, but feel I need a precise account of every possible question.

7. I become preoccupied with the exact meaning of another person's wording when the main message is clear.

For example: I repeatedly examine the difference between “fine” and “good” in a routine reply.

8. I feel unable to proceed until an answer feels completely clear, even when I could take a reasonable next step.

For example: I postpone a reversible decision because some minor details remain unknown.

Guarantees

How strongly do I want assurance that a choice cannot lead to disappointment or an unwanted outcome?

9. I want a promise that a reasonable choice will turn out well before I make it.

For example: I hesitate to try a new leisure activity unless someone can assure me I will enjoy it.

10. I treat a small remaining possibility of an unwanted outcome as a reason I cannot decide.

For example: Even after comparing two suitable options, I keep searching because either could disappoint me.

11. I struggle to distinguish “unlikely” from “impossible” when I want reassurance.

For example: I hear that a minor inconvenience is unlikely, but focus on obtaining a promise that it cannot happen.

Immediate resolution

How difficult is it to leave an unanswered question or unresolved matter alone for a reasonable period?

12. A nonurgent unanswered message makes it difficult for me to return to what I was doing.

For example: I keep checking for a reply to an ordinary question while other activities receive little attention.

13. I press for an immediate answer when the other person reasonably needs time to think.

For example: During a routine discussion, I keep asking for a decision even after the person requests time to consider it.

14. I repeatedly check for an update before there is a reasonable reason to expect new information.

For example: I refresh a routine delivery status several times within a few minutes.

15. I feel that I must settle a nonurgent concern before I can rest or continue with my day.

For example: An ordinary disagreement remains unfinished, and I tell myself I cannot do anything else until we resolve it.

A small practice with uncertainty

  1. Identify the missing information: What exactly do I not know?
  2. Check the stakes: Is this urgent, or can it reasonably wait? Is more information necessary for a safe decision?
  3. Name the urge: Do I want new information, reassurance, a guarantee, or immediate relief?
  4. Choose a proportionate action: Ask one clear question, make a preparation plan, or agree on a time to revisit the concern.
  5. Allow the unfinished part: In a low-stakes situation, try a brief, manageable pause before asking or checking again. I do not have to feel completely calm to return to an ordinary activity.

“I would like an answer. I do not have one yet. I can decide what is reasonable to do now.”

The goal is not to stop caring or to eliminate every uncomfortable feeling. It is to notice whether my response helps me participate in my life. If these patterns take substantial time, strain relationships, or interfere with everyday functioning, discuss them with a qualified mental health professional.

Reflection guide for every statement
  1. The answer may be available while the feeling of certainty is missing. Ask whether anything new has changed.
  2. Different opinions can provide useful information. Repeating the question mainly to remove doubt may leave me dependent on the next answer.
  3. Notice how long the relief lasts. A returning doubt does not necessarily mean the earlier information was inadequate.
  4. Support can be helpful. Consider whether I am asking for information, companionship, or someone else to carry the uncertainty of my choice.
  5. An approximate answer can be accurate when the situation itself is uncertain. Greater precision is not always available.
  6. Specific instructions can be necessary. Ask which missing detail changes what I need to do next.
  7. A meaningful ambiguity deserves clarification. Repeatedly analyzing small wording differences may add interpretations rather than establish the speaker's intent.
  8. Consider whether the remaining uncertainty blocks safe action or simply makes action uncomfortable.
  9. A preference for a good outcome is understandable. A promise of enjoyment may be impossible to make honestly.
  10. Risk deserves proportionate attention. Consider the actual stakes and whether more searching would materially improve the decision.
  11. Low probability is not the same as no possibility. I can make a reasonable choice without requiring those two ideas to be identical.
  12. Identify when a reply is actually needed. A waiting period can feel uncomfortable without requiring continuous checking.
  13. My wish for resolution and the other person's need for time can both be acknowledged. Agree on when to return to the question.
  14. Ask whether the check could change my next action. If it cannot, consider a practical interval for checking again.
  15. An unfinished concern can remain present while I eat, rest, work, or take a break. Returning later may be more useful than forcing an immediate conclusion.

Background reading

These resources discuss reassurance seeking and accepting uncertainty. The questions, groupings, and feedback on this page are original educational content; these sources do not validate this quiz.

Centre for Clinical Interventions. (n.d.-a). Accepting uncertainty. Read the educational module.

Centre for Clinical Interventions. (n.d.-b). Reducing reassurance seeking. Read the information sheet.

Practicing a different response to uncertainty is a theme in the accepting-uncertainty module (Centre for Clinical Interventions, n.d.-a).