General psychology

Likert scale

A Likert scale is a rating format, usually 5 or 7 points, ranging from strong disagreement to strong agreement. It was developed by Rensis Likert in 1932 and is the most widely used response format in personality testing.

Five and seven points are the most common choices. Fewer than five loses resolution; more than seven rarely adds information because raters cluster around familiar labels. Even-numbered scales (4, 6) force a lean by removing the neutral middle.