PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES (PECs) *1

SELF-RATING QUESTIONNAIRE

Instructions:

1. This questionnaire consists of 55 brief statements. Read each statement and decide how
well it describes you. Be honest about yourself. Remember no one does anything very
well, nor it is even good to do everything very well. Besides that, your rating of the
individual questions remains your secret and you may take this questionnaire home.

2. Select one of the numbers below to indicate how well the statement describes you:

5 - Always
4 - Usually
3 - Sometimes
2 - Rarely
1 - Never

3. Write the number you select on the blank line provided on the left before each statement.
Here is an example:

_2_ I remain calm in stressful situations.

The person who responded to the item above wrote a “2” to indicate that the statement
describes him very little.

4. Some statements may appear to be similar but no two are exactly alike.

5. Please answer all questions.

Thank you very much.

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 1
 PERSONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES (PECs) *1
SELF-RATING QUESTIONNAIRE

1. I look for things that need to be done.

2. When faced with a difficult problem, I spend a lot of time trying to find a solution.
3. I complete my work on time.
4. It bothers me when things are not done very well.
5. I prefer situations in which I can control the outcomes as much as possible.
6. I like to think about the future.
7. When starting a new task or project, I gather a great deal of information before going
ahead.
8. I plan a large project by breaking it down into smaller tasks.
9. I get others to support my recommendations.
10. I feel confident that I will succeed at whatever I try to do.
11. No matter whom I am talking to, I am a good listener.
12. I do things that need to be done before being asked to do so by others.
13. I try several times to get people to do what I would like them to do.
14. I keep the promise I make.
15. My own work is better that that of other people I work with.
16. I don’t try something new without making sure I will succeed.
17. It’s a waste of time to worry about what to do with your life.
18. I seek the advice of people who know a lot about the tasks I’m working on.
19. I think about the advantages and disadvantages or different ways of accomplishing
things.
20. I do not spend much time thinking about how to influence others.
21. I change my mind if others strongly disagree with me.
22. I feel resentful when I do not get my way.
23. I like challenges and new opportunities.
24. When something gets in the way of what I am trying to do, I keep on trying
to accomplish what I want.
25. I am happy to do someone else’s work if necessary, to get the job done on time.
26. It bothers me when my time is wasted.
27. I weigh my chances of succeeding or failing before I decide to do something.

28. The more specific I can be about what I want out of life, the more chance I must
succeed.

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 2
 29. I act without wasting time gathering information.
30. I try to think of all the problems I may encounter and plan what to do if each
problem occurs.
31. I get important people to help me accomplish my goals.
32. When trying something difficult or challenging, I feel confident that I will succeed.
33. In the past, I have had failures.
34. I prefer activities that I know well and with which I am comfortable.
35. When faced with major difficulties, I quickly go on to other things.
36. When I am doing a job for someone, I make a special effort to make sure that
the person is happy with my work.
37. I am never entirely happy with the way in which things are done; I always think there
must be a better way.
38. I do things that are risky.
39. I have a very clear plan for my life.
40. When working for a project for someone, I ask many questions to be sure I
understand what that person wants
41. I deal with problems as they arise rather than spend time to anticipate them.
42. To reach my goals, I think of solutions that benefit everyone involved in the
problem.
43. I do very good work.
44. There have been situations when I took advantage of someone.
45. I try things that are very new and different from what I have done before.
46. I try several ways to overcome things that get in the way of reaching my goals.
47. My family and personal life are more important to me than work deadlines I set for
myself.
48. I do not find ways to complete tasks faster at work and at home.
49. I do things that others consider risky.
50. I am as concerned about meeting my weekly goals as I am for my yearly goals.
51. I go to several different sources to get information to help with tasks or projects.
52. If one approach to a problem does not work, I think of another approach.
53. I can get people who have strong opinions or ideas to change their minds.
54. I stick with my decisions even if others disagree strongly with me.
55. When I do not know something, I do not mind admitting it.

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 3
 Scoring Sheet
Instructions:

1. Enter the ratings from the completed questionnaire on the lines above the item numbers
in parenthesis. Notice that the item numbers in each column are consecutive. Item
number 2 is below item number 1 and so on.
2. Do the addition and subtraction in each row to compute each PEC score.
3. Add all the PEC scores to compute the total score.
4. Do not forget to compute also the last row to determine the “correction factor”.

R A T I N G Score PECs

+ + - + + 6 = Opportunity
(1) (12) (23) (34) (45) Seeking

+ + _ + + 6 = Persistence
(2) (13) (24) (35) (46)

+ + + - + 6 = Commitment to
(3) (14) (25) (36) (47) Work Contract

+ + + - + 6 = Demand for Q uality

(4) (15) (26) (37) (48) and Efficiency

- + + + + 6 = Risk Taking
(5) (16) (27) (38) (49)

- + + + + 6 = Goal Setting
(6) (17) (28) (39) (50)

+ - + + + 6 = Informati on
(7) (18) (29) (40) (51) Seeking
+ + - + + 6 = Planning and
(8) (19) (30) (41) (52) Monitoring

- + + + + 6 = Persuasion and

(9) (20) (31) (42) (53) Networking

- + + + + 6 = Self-Confidence
(10) (21) (32) (43) (54)

- - + + 18 = Correction
(33) (44) (55) Factor
(11) (22)

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 4
 Corrected Scoring Sheet

Instructions:

1. The correction factor (the total of items 11, 22, 33, 44, and 55) is used to determine
whether a person tries a very favorable image of himself.

If the total score on this factor is 20 or greater, then the total score on the ten PECs must
be corrected to provide a more accurate assessment of the strengths of the PEC score
for that individual.

2. Use the following numbers when figuring the corrected score:

If the correction factor is Subtract the following number from

… each PEC score
24 o 25 7
22 o 23 5
20 o 21 3
19 or less 0

3. Use the next page to correct each PEC score before using the Profile Sheet.

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 5
 Corrected Scoring Sheet

PECs Original Correction Corrected

Score Number Score

Opportunity Seeking
Persistence
Commitment to Work Contract
Demand for Quality and Efficiency
Risk Taking
Goal Setting
Information Seeking
Systematic Planning & Monitoring
Persuasion & Networking
Self-Confidence
CORRECTED TOTAL SCORE
AVERAGE SCORE

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 6
 PEC Profile Sheet

Graph your outcomes using the Profile Sheet below. You can now visualize your personal
entrepreneurial competencies. The average is between 10-15. Leaning to the right is your strong
characteristics and leaning to the left is your weak characteristics.
Whatever the outcome of your test, remember that everyone can learn about entrepreneurship
by studying the discipline. Entrepreneur are not born, they are made.

0 5 10 15 20 25
Opportunity Seeking

Persistence

Commitment to Work Contract

Demand for Quality and

Efficiency

Risk Taking

Goal Setting

Information Seeking

Systematic Planning &

Monitoring

Persuasion & Networking

Self-Confidence

0 5 10 15 20 25

*1 Reprinted from the CEFE Trainers Manual. The original source of this instrument is from an unpublished report of
Management Science International (1988).” Manual for Identifying and Selecting Entrepreneurs”.
Page 7