Answers to common questions about Know Thy Survey: validated psychology assessments, what results mean, pricing, and how to use them.
A validated psychology survey is an assessment whose accuracy and consistency have been studied in academic research and reported in peer-reviewed publications. "Validity" means the assessment measures what it claims to measure; "reliability" means the results are stable rather than swinging with mood or context. Every survey on Know Thy Survey is drawn from this body of validated research.
It depends entirely on the test. Most online quizzes are written for engagement, not measurement, and have never been studied. A minority are academically validated instruments — developed by researchers, tested on large samples, and published in peer-reviewed journals — and those can be as accurate online as on paper. Know Thy Survey only hosts assessments from that second category, and each assessment's about page documents who developed it and the evidence behind it. (See the glossary for how terms like validity and reliability are defined.)
Yes. The Work Well-Being Survey on Know Thy Survey is based on the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), developed by occupational health researchers Wilmar Schaufeli, Hans De Witte, and Steffie Desart at KU Leuven and published in peer-reviewed research in 2020. It measures four core dimensions — exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive impairment, and emotional impairment — plus secondary strain symptoms, and scores are calibrated against cutoff ranges established in the original research.
Know Thy Survey is operated by Know Thy Survey LLC, founded by Tim Quesnell, Ph.D. (Industrial-Organizational Psychology, DePaul University) and Damian Hites (Computer Science, UC Berkeley). Every assessment on the platform comes from peer-reviewed academic research, and each assessment's about page names the researchers who developed it, the source publication, and the published evidence for its validity and reliability. Results are presented as measurements with plain-language interpretation — never as a diagnosis.
No. Results are intended to give you language and context for what you're experiencing — not to diagnose a condition. They are best used as a starting point for a conversation with a qualified health-care provider.
Therapy is an ongoing professional relationship; Know Thy Survey is a tool. We host validated psychological assessments and present results in plain language. We do not provide treatment, and we are not a substitute for therapy or medical care.
Surveys come from academic researchers and institutions whose work has been peer-reviewed. Each assessment's about page lists who developed it, the source publication, and what's known about its validity and reliability.
Pricing is per assessment. Some surveys are free; others have a one-time fee shown before you start. There are no subscriptions or hidden fees.
Yes. Some assessments are intended to be taken at intervals to track change over time. Each attempt produces an independent result.
Read the plain-language interpretation on the results page. If anything stands out — high subscale scores, results that match a hunch you've had — share them with a qualified health-care provider. They are designed to give your conversation a starting vocabulary.
Yes. Researchers can host validated assessments on Know Thy Survey (see For Researchers). Clinicians and provider networks can integrate assessments into their practice (see For Providers). Or contact us.