Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire

Understand student behaviour to support educational success

The Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ) for schools is a non-cognitive assessment that provides insight into a student’s attitudes and behaviours – their personal styles.

It helps schools implement targeted support, nurture personal development and wellbeing, and improve academic success. CPSQ is used for tutoring, mentoring and classroom activities. It is designed so it is harder for students to give only desirable answers and to encourage self-reflection.
Key facts
- For students 14+
- Online
- Typically takes 20-40 minutes
- Administer in school or remotely
- Available on demand
- Instant reporting

Read about how one school used CPSQ for Schools to help their students with the transition to A Level (PDF, 1004KB).

The CPSQ for schools is based on well-researched personal styles of behaviour that are known to support performance in education and work. These include:

Thinking – intellectual curiosity and open thinking; the building blocks for critical thinking and problem solving.
Study – self-management and motivation to achieve; skills that support academic success and independent learning.
Coping – resilience and adaptability to demands; skills that students will need in life and in particular during and after lockdown.
Communication and Collaboration – social interactions and approach to working with others; skills desired by higher education institutions and the workplace.

CPSQ for schools. Video transcript

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Why use CPSQ for schools?

CPSQ for schools is designed to help you support your students throughout their study of Cambridge Upper Secondary and Advanced qualifications, helping to develop study behaviours and equip them for their future. It allows you to:

focus and tailor student support and mentoring programmes
understand hidden barriers to achievement
identify students in need of extra support
encourage personal development and ownership of learning in your students.

CPSQ can also be used alongside the Cambridge Global Perspectives programme, which is designed to help students develop transferable skills such as group work, collaboration, and communication.

The CPSQ report

Responses to Thinking, Study and Coping produce a score on a one to five scale. The higher a score, the more likely it is that current behaviours are effective and support progress. Within each competency, learners may have stronger and weaker areas, which are signposted in three possible feedback categories: Positive, Neutral and Improvement points.

Communication and Collaboration are two competencies that establish and maintain relationships. They are not scored because all interpersonal styles have strengths and weaknesses, and therefore a higher score would not necessarily indicate better behaviour.

The report provides personal feedback highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each behaviour.

The CPSQ online platform

The questionnaire can be taken online and at any location. It is quick and easy to set up and share with individuals. The platform lets you:

invite, manage and monitor the progress of individuals with ease
access individual and group reports for analysis
share and discuss the results with individuals using on-screen reports
control who is able to review the reports.

How to access CPSQ

You can order CPSQ using the form below. Once the order form has been submitted, we will contact you within 10 days to set up your account.

Order CPSQ for schools

Cambridge Early Years

Cambridge Primary

Cambridge Lower Secondary

Cambridge Upper Secondary

Cambridge Advanced

Other

Cambridge Exams Officers' Guide