Anger Management Scale

Do you lose your temper a little too easily at times? Take this test to find out if you struggle with 'anger management.'

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | April 11, 2025

Anger management problems refer to the difficulty individuals face in managing their anger—leading to excessive, intense or misdirected anger that can harm relationships, work and overall well-being. This can manifest as verbal or physical aggression, passive-aggressive behavior or even self-destructive tendencies. Unchecked anger can have serious consequences, affecting not only personal relationships but also mental and physical health.

Given that uncontrolled anger can lead to excessive conflicts, damaged relationships and even escalate to violence, the importance of addressing anger issues cannot be overstated. Anger management is an essential skill, and is necessary for preserving relationships, achieving personal growth and maintaining a good quality of life.

The Anger Management Scale (AMS) is a valuable tool in assessing and addressing anger management problems. By measuring tendencies to escalate situations and place blame on others, the AMS serves to quantify individuals' anger management abilities. With this scale, individuals can grasp where their unresolved anger appears most often in their lives, and in turn, take the necessary steps to control it.

You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. When arguing with my partner, I often raise my voice.

2. When my partner picks a fight with me, I fight back.

3. If I keep thinking about what made me mad, I get angrier.

4. When my partner's voice is raised, I raise mine.

5. I can feel my blood rising when I start to get mad at my partner.

6. My partner likes to make me mad.

7. When my partner is nice to me, I wonder what they want.

8. My partner is rude to me unless I insist on respect.

9. When my partner is around, I feel like a bomb waiting to explode.

10. My partner does things just to annoy me.

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores to people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.

References: Stith, S. M. & Hamby, S. L. (2002). The Anger Management Scale: Development and preliminary psychometric properties. Violence and Victims, 17(4), 383–402. DOI: 10.1891/vivi.17.4.383.33683