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The Behavioral, Emotional, and Social
​Skills Inventory (BESSI)

-  Social-Emotional-Behavioral Skills Lab  -

What is The BESSI?


The Behavioral, Emotional, and Social Skills Inventory (BESSI) is a comprehensive, reliable, valid, and efficient measure of social, emotional, and behavioral skills (SEB skills). It measures five major skill domains, which quickly summarize someone’s skills: Self-Management Skills, Social Engagement Skills, Cooperation Skills, Emotional Resilience Skills, and Innovation Skills.

Across these five domains, the BESSI measures 32 specific skill facets. These facets are listed and defined on the ABOUT SEB SKILLS page.

How does the BESSI work?


The BESSI uses a skill inventory format. This means that each BESSI item describes a specific, skill-relevant behavior, and the user rates how well they (or a target person, if they are rating someone else) can perform that behavior. The user’s item ratings are averaged together to measure five major skill domains and 32 specific skill facets.

How can I take the BESSI?


Follow the links below to take online versions of the BESSI. The full BESSI takes about 20 minutes to complete, and provides feedback scores on 32 specific skills related to the 5 skill domains of Self-Management, Social Engagement, Cooperation, Emotional Resilience, and Innovation. The abbreviated BESSI-45 takes about 5 minutes to complete, and only provides feedback scores on the 5 skill domains.
Take the FULL BESSI
Take the BESSI-45

What BESSI versions are available?


The BESSI is available in several different versions that vary in terms of their level of detail, number of items, and required assessment time. All versions of the BESSI can be administered in either a self-report format (in which the user rates themselves) or an observer-report format (in which the user rates another person, such as a student, coworker, or acquaintance). See below for descriptions and download links.​

BESSI

     192 Items         Time: 20 min
A complete assessment that measures all 5 skills domains and 32 skill facets. For users who want to thoroughly assess SEB skills.
Self Report Form
Observer Report form
Scoring Information
Take the BESSI

BESSI - 45

    45 Items        Time: 5 min
A very short assessment that only measures the 5 SEB skill domains. For users who want to assess broad skill domains, rather than specific facets.
Self Report Form
Observer Report form
Scoring Information
Take the BESSI-45

BESSI - 96

  96 Items          Time: 10 min
A more efficient but less precise SEB assessment that measures the same skills as the full-length version. For users who want to quickly assess many SEB skills.
Self Report Form
Observer Report form
Scoring Information

BESSI - 20

    20 Items        Time: 2 min
An extremely short skills assessment that measures the 5 major SEB skill domains. For users who want to very quickly assess broad skill domains.
Self Report Form
Observer Report form
Scoring Information

Frequently Asked Questions


Who can take the BESSI?

The BESSI was originally developed for use with adolescents and adults. However, it can also be used to collect observer-reports of younger children, such as having elementary school teachers rate their students. We are currently developing self-report instruments for younger students.

Can the BESSI be administered with different instructions?

Yes. The standard BESSI forms ask respondents to rate how well they (or a target person) can perform each skill, but different instructions and rating scales may be more appropriate for certain assessment contexts. We have developed several alternative instruction sets, and the BESSI items can be administered using any of these.
Alternative instructions and response scales

In what languages is the bessi available?

The BESSI was originally developed in American English. It has been translated and validated in German, Italian, and Spanish. Other translation projects are currently underway. If you are interested in translating the BESSI to a new language or cultural context, please contact Dr. Christopher Soto.

German

German BESSI
German BESSI-96
German BESSI-45
German BESSI-20

Italian 

Italian BESSI
Italian BESSI-96
Italian BESSI-45
Italian BESSI-20

Spanish

Spanish BESSI
Spanish BESSI-96
Spanish BESSI-45
Spanish BESSI-20

Do i need permission to Use the bESSI?

The BESSI is freely available for non-commercial purposes, such as scientific research, program evaluation, and personal use. You do not need to ask permission for these uses. However, permission is required for any commercial use of the BESSI. If you are interested in obtaining a license to use the BESSI for a commercial purpose, then please visit essentialskillsconsulting.com.
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