The Self-Appraisal
SDT: Self-Description Test
The last psychology test, and the one that ties every other one together. Five short paragraphs on who you are, seen from four sides and by yourself. It is as important as the first test, not an afterthought.
What it really tests
The psychologist is not collecting compliments. They are checking two things: how well you actually know yourself, and whether the person on this page is the same person who wrote your WAT, TAT and SRT, filled in the PIQ form, and will sit in the interview chair.
That is the whole game. The Self-Description is a cross-check. A polished, flawless self-portrait that contradicts your other responses is worse than an ordinary honest one. Trained assessors spot a rehearsed or borrowed self-description quickly, and it reads as low self-awareness.
Write the real you, clearly. Your four viewpoints and your own opinion must add up to a single, consistent person, and that person must match the rest of your file.
The five prompts, and how to answer each
You write a short paragraph for each, about four to five lines. The strongest answers show rather than tell: instead of stacking adjectives, give one concrete piece of evidence.
- 1What your parents think of youUse real family evidence. Responsibilities they trust you with, decisions they include you in. "My parents rely on me to manage X" beats "my parents think I am responsible."
- 2What your teachers, superiors or employers think of youDraw on academic or work conduct: punctuality, reliability, organisation, any role or team you led. If you work, cite the kind of feedback you actually get.
- 3What your friends think of youInterpersonal qualities: loyalty, dependability, how you handle disagreement. This is the natural place to own one moderate social trait you are improving.
- 4What you think of yourselfThe most important part. A genuinely balanced appraisal: real strengths and one real, fixable weakness. It must agree with the three views above.
- 5The person you want to becomeMake it specific and forward-looking, not a wish list. Name the qualities you are building and the steps you are taking, and let it close the loop with the weakness you owned.
Own a weakness, the right way
Nobody is expected to be perfect, and claiming to be is the fastest way to look unaware. Pick a weakness that is real but moderate and fixable: stage fright, gaps in spoken English, taking time to open up to new people, occasionally taking on too much. Then, in the fifth part, show the step you are already taking to work on it. Strength plus an owned, improving weakness reads as maturity.
Never write anything that questions your fitness to serve. Aggression or a short temper, dishonesty, substance use, or a habit of quitting are not "weaknesses to improve", they are disqualifiers. Keep them off the page because they are not you, not because you are hiding them.
Good versus weak, in practice
Friends' view.
Weak: "My friends say I am choosy about friends and get angry quickly."
Stronger: "My friends value my loyalty and count on me in a crunch. I take a while to open up to new people, though the friendships I form run deep."
Your own view and your aim.
Weak: "I am good at everything and want to become a great officer."
Stronger: "I am steady under pressure and finish what I start. I know I under-use my potential in public speaking, so I have started leading sessions in my group to build that confidence."
What sinks a self-description
- Manufactured positivity, or listing only strengths.
- A memorised or copied template with no connection to the real you.
- Contradicting yourself between the five parts, or contradicting your WAT, SRT, PIQ or interview.
- Vague clichés (hardworking, sincere, honest) with no evidence behind them.
- Over-confession, or naming a serious, disqualifying flaw.
- Running long or leaving parts unfinished. Keep each answer tight and complete all five in time.
- Slipping out of voice, for example writing the parents' part as your own opinion.
Before you write
The best preparation is to actually ask. Ask your parents, a teacher and a couple of friends what they honestly see as your strengths and your rough edges, and note the specific things they say. Real feedback is what makes your answers ring true and stay consistent. Then practise under the clock so you finish all five inside fifteen minutes with legible, unhurried writing.