The test—the 8-Item Grit
Scale, developed by psychologist
Angela Lee Duckworth at
the University of Pennsylvania—
asks how respondents
approach goals and handle setbacks,
and yields a Grit Score
(on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 as
"grittiest"). It aims to assess
traits like resilience, self-control,
and persistence—traits
that research shows may matter
more to academic performance
than native intelligence.