Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ; Moulding et al., 2011)

Updated: 28 October 2026 | English questionnaire

What this questionnaire explores

Explore beliefs about responsibility, threat, perfectionism, uncertainty and the meaning of thoughts. These beliefs can help explain why an intrusive thought feels urgent; this questionnaire does not diagnose OCD.

20 statements. Responses from 1 to 7. Answer all statements to calculate the displayed scores. No diagnostic cutoff or severity band is applied.

Download the English questionnaire (Word) · All questionnaires and languages

Complete the questionnaire privately

Scoring and interpretation

Higher averages reflect stronger endorsement of the beliefs in that domain. The pattern may help identify beliefs worth exploring in therapy. It does not establish a diagnosis or a level of clinical severity.

Scores are item averages on the response scale. A total sum is also shown as an equivalent arithmetic representation. Higher scores are not a diagnosis. Repeated testing for certainty can become another form of checking.

Source: Moulding, Anglim, Nedeljkovic, Doron, Kyrios and Ayalon (2011). Research and measure reference. Item wording and numbering follow the English form on ROCD.net. For help putting the result in context, read about ROCD assessment and treatment and the ROCD model.

Original questionnaire and source scoring notes

View the original questionnaire and source notes

Download OBQ-20 in English (Word DOCX)

All questionnaire downloads

This inventory lists different attitudes or beliefs that people sometimes hold. Read each statement carefully and decide how much you agree or disagree with it. For each statement, choose the number matching the answer that best describes how you think. Because people are different, there are no right or wrong answers. To decide whether a given statement is typical of your way of looking at things, simple keep in mind what you are like most of the time. Use the following scale.  
1 Disagree Very Much 2 Disagree Moderately 3 Disagree a little 4 Neither agree nor disagree 5 Agree a little 6 Agree moderately 7 Agree very much
 
1. If I’m not absolutely sure, I’m bound to make a mistake.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2.  To be a worthwhile person, I must be perfect at everything I do.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3.  Even if harm is very unlikely, I should try to prevent it at any cost.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4.  For me, having bad urges is as bad as actually carrying them out.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5.  If I don’t act when I foresee danger, then I am to blame for consequences.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6.  In all kinds of daily situations, failing to prevent harm is just as bad as deliberately causing it.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7.  For me, not preventing harm is as bad as causing harm.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8.  I should be upset if I make a mistake.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9.  For me, things are not right if they are not perfect.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10. Having nasty thoughts means I’m a terrible person.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
11. If I do not take extra precautions, I am more likely than others to have or cause a serious disaster.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
12. I am more likely than other people to accidentally cause harm to myself or to others.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
13. Having bad thoughts means I am weird or abnormal.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
14. Even when I am careful, I often think bad things will happen     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15. Having intrusive thoughts means I’m out of control.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
16.  Harmful events will happen unless I’m careful.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
17. I must keep working until it’s done exactly right.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
18. To me, failing to prevent disaster is as bad as causing it.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
19. Having a bad thought is morally no different than doing a bad deed.     1 2 3 4 5 6 7
20. No matter what I do, it won’t be good enough.   1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  Threat: 1, 11, 12, 14, 16 Perfectionism/intolerance for uncertainty: 2, 8, 9, 17, 20 Inflated responsibility: 3, 5, 6, 7, 18 Importance and control of thoughts: 4, 10, 13, 15, 19