Global Assessment of Character Strengths-72 (GACS-72)

Aligned with the VIA Institute's mission to continue to advance the science of character, and in recognizing a number of opportunities to improve the original scales, Dr. Robert McGrath, VIA Senior Scientist, has completed a substantial, 2-year revision of the VIA Inventory of Strengths, as well as the development of several new scales. These new instruments are called the VIA Assessment Suite for Adults. A Technical Report describing the VIA Assessment Suite for Adults is available. See the VIA Assessments page for more details about the virtue scales and signature strengths.

The Global Assessment of Character Strengths- 72 (GACS-72) is a way to measure each strength in terms of its similarity to a signature strength. It asks respondents to rate each strength on 3 central criteria for defining signature strengths: how essential it is to identity, how natural and effortless it is to express, and how energizing it is when being expressed. The result is 24 strength scores on a 1-7 scale. Mean reliability is .85, mean correlation with behavioral criteria is .45, and the mean correlation with the VIA-IS-R is .62.

To access and download this assessment, set up a Research Site here.