BDSM and Kink Tests That We Recommend
We took five different BDSM and kink surveys; two assessments rose to the Top and we recommend that you give them a try.
Part of sexual exploration is examining where you fall in the BDSM and Kink Universe. With so many genres and sub-genres, that placement can be hard to pinpoint and even harder to describe to others, but being able to do so is crucial to finding the right partner(s).
A kink assessment is used to understand an individual’s sexual interests, boundaries, and practices, similar to how one might assess their personality or other aspects of their life.
The internet is littered with various BDSM and kink surveys designed to help you articulate what makes you hot and what doesn't. We took five different surveys and our initial intention was the rank all five of them here. But after we took the surveys, it was quickly obvious that we could only recommend two of them.
There are definitely pros and cons to each of the recommended assessments, but generally speaking, we found them to hold significant value — it mostly depends on how much time and investment you’re willing to put into exploring your kinks.
One caveat: With so many high-quality, free options available, we didn’t even bother to take surveys that cost money — that just left us limp.
This survey bills itself as the “original BDSM and Kink Test,” and while we can’t confirm that, we can attest to the thoroughness and accuracy of the tool. This test offers two versions: a shorter one for folks who are just mildly interested, and a longer one for people who want an in-depth assessment. We liked that the survey collects enough basic information to hone the results — age, orientation, and experience matter when determining your current kink score. And we absolutely love the six different options for gender, and that the tool is available in seven different languages. Inclusion matters.
The test presents a series of statements and gives seven response options on a traditional Likert scale. The first statement is simple and straightforward: “I like to be dominated, especially in the bedroom.” Response options range from “absolutely agree” to “absolutely disagree.” And true to form for assessments like these, a variation of that statement is asked a number of additional times.
At the end of the survey, you’re given your percentage score on how firmly you identified with various BDSM/kink personas. The higher the score, the higher your affinity. As with sexual orientation, sexual kinks are a variance — not a fixed point — so the percentages are a perfect way to express this.
Here’s an example of the test results:
As you can see from the results, you are allowed to gain “more info” about what each outcome means for you. The thoroughness of the assessment is great and it’s fun throughout — no trigger or trauma warning needed. (More on that later.)
The BDSM Test remains the best free, online tool we have tested and we highly recommend it for diverse audiences (cis, trans, queer, hetero, sides).
If spreadsheets get you moist or you have a nerd fetish — Kink Sheet might be your hub. We were surprised at how much we appreciated the approach to this simple kink assessment.
Via a variety of categories (intimacy, domination, fluids, etc.) you essentially mark an affinity for certain activities through a simple red-yellow-green mechanism. In most categories, you will be asked to give a response from both the assertive and submissive perspective. By default, this assessment is a spreadsheet, but you can also take it as a quiz and you can even customize the indicators to your interests.
The Kink Sheet feels as though it is uniquely designed for couples or sexual partners who literally want to articulate their likes. The genius of the tool is in its simplicity, and the ability to tone up or tone down the indicators mean that the assessment can be adapted for wide usage. We could easily see this spreadsheet as the perfect pre-assessment for a sex party or group encounter.
Unlike most kink assessments, you can see all the fields and all the upcoming questions as you complete this survey, which is an entirely different approach and allows the respondent to feel in control of the experience. We aren’t sure if this is a downside, but this tool is less about telling you what your kink is and more about having you articulate it for yourself.
The results will yield color-coded bubbles of your interests. Here’s a sample of what results will look like:
About the Other Assessments…
We also took the Big Kink Survey; the assessment at KinkTest.org; and the Kink Orientation Scale. These three were a mixed bag, and honestly, we wouldn’t recommend that you explore these in any real way.
Though you don’t have to share personally-identifying information, the Big Kink Survey feels the most like it’s in your personal business. And yes, that’s a weird critique when we are talking about what arouses you, but still. The assessment takes longer to complete — 30 to 40 minutes, and right off the bat it asks about political and social leanings, such as income and relationship status. The assessment also asks about sexual trauma and previous (unwanted) sexual experiences. We generally approach these sort of assessments from the perspective of someone willingly wanting to explore kink in a fun, free-wheeling way — so the lack of a trigger warning about the things being asked was unfortunate.
Kink Test is really just a watered-down version of the BDSM Test, but not nearly as good.
And the Kink Orientation Scale felt a bit unnecessarily high-brow; one of the first statements respondents are asked to weigh is “I am part of a sexual subculture.” That is an interesting opening to a kink assessment because everyone is clearly a part of one — even if they don’t realize it. To be fair, the assessment does allow a neutral response to the statement, but the rest of the survey doesn’t get much better. It’s just overly theoretical for its own sake, and crucially, it wasn’t fun to complete. The topic is sex, so boredom is the one emotion we can’t overlook.
What are your experiences with kink assessments? Let us know in the comments.