Why eight areas rather than one number
The eight areas are scored and shown separately, because two people can reach the same total by different routes: someone earning well with no emergency buffer, and someone earning little who saves regularly.
Your weakest area is called out separately below your result, so the average does not hide it.
The arithmetic
- Each of the twenty-two statements is rated 0–10.
- An area score is the average of that area's own statements.
- Your overall score is the average of the eight area scores — not of the twenty-two statements.
- The headline out of 100 is the overall score multiplied by ten.
Why average the areas, not the questionsSix areas carry three statements and two carry two. Averaging the twenty-two answers directly would quietly make Cash flow worth half as much again as Confidence, purely because of how many ways we found to ask about it. Averaging the eight area scores instead gives every area equal weight.
The bands
Each area is banded so you can read the shape at a glance: 7 and above is Strong, 4 to 7 is Getting there, below 4 is Needs work. Every band carries a word as well as a colour, so the result still reads correctly in black and white, on a monochrome printout, or to anyone who does not distinguish red from green.
The overall tiers use plain labels: a score of four is labelled Exposed.
What it cannot tell you
- It is a self-assessment, and nothing is verified.
- It is not a credit check or a financial review. Nothing touches your credit file, nothing is pulled from your bank, and nothing here constitutes advice about any product.
- It does not measure how much you earn.
- Retake it in six months to see what has changed.
Your money type
The money type tool measures how you think about money. If you do both, this page pairs the results: how your money is set up, alongside the belief pattern most likely to be steering you. The pairing is worked out on your device, and neither result is sent to us.
What happens after
Your score, your eight areas and your priority area appear on screen the moment you finish, and you can print them. If you give us your email, we send the written guide to the eight areas.
If money is a worry right now rather than a planning question, start with the free specialists on our money worries page, which are free.