Short Grit Scale
Grit-SPermission: Free for research use. Free for non-commercial academic research, with no licence fee. Cite the original publication.
An 8-item measure of grit (perseverance and passion for long-term goals) with two 4-item subscales: consistency of interest and perseverance of effort.
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Reliability & validation
Subscales
Response anchors
Not at all like me · Not much like me · Somewhat like me · Mostly like me · Very much like me
Known limitations
In the original samples the perseverance-of-effort subscale was less reliable (α = .60 to .78) than consistency of interest (α = .73 to .79), and grit overlaps substantially with conscientiousness, raising questions about incremental validity. Free for non-commercial research and education only; the scale is copyrighted and may not be republished.
Original citation
Duckworth, A. L., & Quinn, P. D. (2009). Development and validation of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(2), 166-174.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890802634290Questions researchers ask
What does the Grit-S measure?
An 8-item measure of grit (perseverance and passion for long-term goals) with two 4-item subscales: consistency of interest and perseverance of effort.
How many items does the Grit-S have?
The Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) has 8 items across 2 subscales: Consistency of Interest, Perseverance of Effort.
Is the Grit-S free to use?
The Grit-S is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.
Is the Grit-S reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.73–0.83. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the Grit-S, and how do I cite it?
Duckworth, A. L., & Quinn, P. D. (2009). Development and validation of the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(2), 166-174. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890802634290
Related scales
Library entry verified September 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.