Modesty

Self-presentation is worth measuring in its own right, and it affects every other score.

High scorers are uncomfortable claiming superiority. Low scorers state their strengths readily.

A very high score systematically deflates every self-descriptive item on the test. Someone deeply uncomfortable claiming excellence will answer "moderately" where an equally capable person answers "very", so their true standing on other traits is probably higher than reported.

Four public-domain statements, answered on a five-point scale. Items marked − are reverse keyed: agreeing with them counts against the trait, which is what stops agreeing with everything from producing a high score.

• -Believe that I am better than others
• -Think highly of myself
• -Have a high opinion of myself
• -Boast about my virtues

Four items is not many. A facet measured this way carries real uncertainty, which is why every score on this site is reported as a range rather than a single number.