The relationship satisfaction check-in
Sixteen questions from a research instrument used in couples studies since 2007. You get a score out of 81 and the line the researchers drew across it.
16 questions · about 4 minutes · free · no signup
This is a self-reflection check-in, not a clinical assessment. A score is a snapshot of how one person feels this week — it cannot tell you whether to stay, whether to go, or whether anything is wrong with either of you.
Free · no signup · about 4 minutes
What you’ll get
- A score out of 81, computed in your browser
- Where it sits against 51.5 — the line the researchers drew
- A short written note about what that means for you
- One thing to try this week
What it measures
In plain language
How satisfied you feel in your relationship, as one number. The sixteen questions come at it from four directions — how happy you are overall, how true a few plain statements feel, how well the relationship meets what you need, and six quick word-pairs you answer on instinct.
It was built in 2007 by two researchers who ran the existing satisfaction questionnaires through item response theory — a method for working out which questions actually carry information and which ones everybody answers the same way. The result measures the same thing as the older scales with fewer questions and more precision, particularly at the unhappy end, which is where precision matters.
It measures one person’s experience. There is no version of this where you answer for your partner, and two people in the same relationship can score forty points apart. That is not the instrument failing; that is usually the finding.
Every result
What each outcome means
Written out in advance, so nothing about this check-in is hidden behind taking it.
- A hard stretch0–35
- This score sits well below 51.5, the point the researchers who built this measure treat as the line for notable dissatisfaction. That is worth taking seriously, and it is not a verdict on whether the relationship works — it is a reading of how it feels to you right now.
- Below the line36–51
- This score sits below 51.5, the point the researchers who built this measure treat as the line for notable dissatisfaction. Plenty of couples score here during a specific bad season rather than a bad relationship, and the measure cannot tell those apart — only you can.
- Above the line52–64
- This score sits above 51.5, the cutoff the researchers who built this measure use for notable dissatisfaction, and near the average they published for people who take it. Satisfied, with real things you would change.
- Well above the line65–81
- This score sits well above 51.5, the cutoff the researchers who built this measure use for notable dissatisfaction. On the day you answered, most of what this measure asks about is going well.
Questions
About the relationship satisfaction check-in
Is the CSI-16 free to use?
Yes. The researchers who developed the Couples Satisfaction Index distribute it from their lab site for clinical and research use, and state that no additional permission is necessary. We implement the published items and the published scoring without changes.
What is a good relationship satisfaction score?
On the CSI-16 the score runs from 0 to 81, and the only line the researchers drew is 51.5: scores below it suggest notable relationship dissatisfaction. The average they published for people taking it was 61. There is no score that means a relationship is good or bad — it is a measure of how one person feels, on one day.
What does a low score mean?
That on the day you answered, most of what the questions ask about did not feel good. It does not mean the relationship is over or that anything is wrong with either of you. Plenty of people score below the cutoff during one specific bad season — a newborn, a bereavement, a job — and the measure cannot tell a bad season from a bad relationship. Only you can.
Is this a clinical assessment?
No. It is a self-reflection check-in. The CSI is a research instrument used to measure satisfaction across groups of people, not a clinical tool for assessing an individual relationship, and nothing here is reviewed by a clinician. If you want a professional opinion, that is a conversation with a licensed couples therapist.
Should my partner take it too?
If they want to. Two people in the same relationship often score very differently, and comparing the two numbers is usually more useful than either one alone — as long as it is a conversation and not a scoreboard. We do not link the two results or show one person’s answers to the other.
How long does the relationship satisfaction test take?
About four minutes. Sixteen questions, one per screen, and you can go back and change any answer before you finish. There is no signup and no card.
Ready when you are
4 minutes, one question per screen, and your result the moment you finish. Nothing is held back for an email address.