The 8values test
8values is one of the best-known political quizzes built around several separate values. This independent guide explains its mechanics before you compare it with a twelve-axis profile.
Political Tests Like 8values: A Practical Guide
The right alternative to 8values depends on whether you want a compact value map, more political dimensions, or a familiar two-axis chart. Here are the meaningful differences.
Short answer: 9Axes is the closest direct relative: it says it is based on 8values and expands the model to nine axes with 45 or 216 questions. 12Axes uses twelve axes and 36/60/120 questions. The Political Compass uses a different two-axis format, so it is an alternative rather than a like-for-like replacement.
Start with the shape of the result
Political quizzes are often compared as if they were interchangeable, but the result format changes what the test can show. A one-axis score compresses everything into left versus right. A two-axis chart adds a second dimension. A four-axis or twelve-axis model tries to keep more disagreements visible.
- 8values: eight values arranged on four axes, reported as percentages.
- 9Axes: nine axes, reported as percentages, with 45 and 216-question versions.
- 12Axes: twelve independent axes, reported as signed scores and compared with a profile library.
- Political Compass: a two-axis economic and social map, not an eight-value or twelve-axis model.
The closest relative: 9Axes
9Axes explicitly describes itself as based on 8values. That makes it the natural next test for someone who likes the general format but wants more named dimensions. Its nine axes include federalism and assimilation versus multiculturalism, which do not appear as separate pairs in 8values.
The trade-off is question count. The short version has 45 questions; the full version has 216. If you found 8values manageable but want to test whether its compressed axes were hiding a distinction, 9Axes is the most direct comparison.
The wider profile: 12Axes
12Axes keeps the statement-and-agreement format but divides politics into twelve axes, including welfare, ecology, technology, structure and rights. Its run lengths are 36, 60 and 120 statements. The result is a signed vector plus comparisons with ideologies, civic traditions and historical figures.
This is useful when an eight-value result leaves an obvious question unresolved, such as how economic position relates to ecology or how views on state power relate to rights. It is not a claim that twelve axes capture every political question.
A different format: the Political Compass
The Political Compass is widely recognised for placing results on a two-axis chart: economic left versus right and social authoritarian versus libertarian. Its appeal is visual simplicity. Its limitation is the same simplicity: many political commitments do not fit neatly into those two dimensions.
A two-axis chart is a good orientation tool. It is not a substitute for a multi-axis questionnaire, and a quadrant label should not be treated as a complete ideology. The official Political Compass site controls its own questions and terms; this page does not reproduce them.
Five checks before trusting an alternative
- Axis definitions: does the site explain both poles and keep related ideas distinct?
- Method: does it publish how answers become scores, or leave the calculation unexplained?
- Version: does it distinguish a short run from a full run instead of treating every result as equally detailed?
- Result format: are the scores independent readings, or are some values derived from others?
- Attribution: does it identify the version you are taking and the sources behind its claims?
These checks matter more than a polished result page. A test can look authoritative while leaving the reader unable to tell which question produced a score, whether two axes measure the same thing, or whether the label is an interpretation added after scoring.
They also make comparisons fairer. A 45-question quiz should not be judged as a failed version of a 216-question quiz, and a twelve-axis model should not be credited merely for having more rows. The useful question is whether the extra detail is defined, measured and explained.
How to choose without chasing a label
- Choose 8values for a compact eight-value snapshot with a recognisable family resemblance.
- Choose 9Axes if you want the 8values lineage with more explicitly named axes and a long full version.
- Choose 12Axes if you want separate readings for welfare, religion, ecology, technology, structure and rights.
- Choose a two-axis test if a simple visual map is genuinely what you need.
Then judge the result by what it explains, not by whether the label sounds flattering. A test that makes a tension legible is more useful than one that supplies a confident-sounding name.
Sources and attribution
- 8values — the original eight-value model.
- 9Axes — its nine axes, question counts and 8values attribution.
- The Political Compass — the official two-axis project.
- 12Axes method — scoring, matching and limits for the twelve-axis model.
Put the guide into practice
The explanation above is easier to judge against your own answers than against an abstract example. Choose a run length and see which political values move for you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest test to 8values?＋
9Axes is the closest direct relative because its own homepage says it is based on 8values. It is still a separate quiz with a different nine-axis structure and question banks.
Is the Political Compass the same as 8values?＋
No. The Political Compass is built around a two-axis economic and social chart, while 8values reports eight values on four axes. Their results are not directly comparable.
Which alternative has the most axes?＋
Among the tests discussed here, 12Axes has twelve named axes and 9Axes has nine. A quiz claiming more axes should be judged by whether it publishes and distinguishes all of them.
Do these tests use the same answer scale?＋
8values, 9Axes and 12Axes all use agreement statements, but their exact response scales, scoring methods and question banks differ. Similar controls do not make the scores interchangeable.
Are longer political tests always more accurate?＋
No. A longer test can reduce the effect of a single ambiguous statement, but it can also introduce repetitive or poorly worded items. Accuracy depends on the definitions, question quality and scoring method, not on length alone.
Can I take several tests and combine the results?＋
You can compare the broad directions, but combining scores arithmetically is misleading. The tests measure different dimensions and do not share a common unit.
Read a related guide
The 9Axes test
9Axes is an 8values-derived quiz that separates nine political dimensions. This guide explains its two lengths, its axis names and the limits of its percentage output.
The 12Axes test
The 12Axes test turns political statements into twelve separate readings rather than one left-versus-right score. This guide explains what happens before, during, and after a run.
The political compass
The political compass is popular because a two-axis map is immediately readable. This guide explains what that map captures and where a wider profile may be more useful.
Or return to the 12Axes homepage for the product overview, report pricing and main FAQ.
Your political values are one run away
The test is free, needs no account, and scores your answers in this browser. Start with the recommended run, or take the longest one when two ideologies sit close together.