Personal Competence Scale – PCS
Measures an individual's sense of personal efficacy, self-confidence, and perceived control over their life events.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Personal Competence Scale – PCS was developed by Angus Campbell, Philip E. Converse, Warren E. Miller, & Donald E. Stokes (1960). It is designed to measure Personal Efficacy. The scale is intended for use with General adult population.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 8 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Disagree a lot, 2 = Disagree a little, 3 = Agree a little, 4 = Agree a lot.
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 8 to 32. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Personal Competence: 8 – 16
- Moderate Personal Competence: 17 – 24
- High Personal Competence: 25 – 32
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.