What Is a BDSM Test, and What Do Your Results Mean?

Bondage and discipline, domination and submission (D/s), sadism and masochism. Over the past few decades, BDSM has become more and more popular. Blame it on 50 Shades of Grey, loosening sexual norms, or horny millennials. Regardless, kinkiness is in vogue. And it’s easier than ever to get started if you’re interested in doing some play yourself. That’s where a BDSM test comes in.

Quizzes, checklists, surveys, and exercises can help you safely gauge your own interests as a play partner. Whether you’re a dominant, a submissive, or something in between, your BDSM test results will help you on your road to self-discovery.

What is a BDSM test?

A BDSM test is a form you can fill out to gauge your kink interests. These quizzes are usually about 15 to 30 minutes long and offer a wide range of fetishes to work through. You may even discover something you weren’t expecting, such as pet play or erotic hypnosis!

BDSM tests can also help you figure out what role you prefer during Dominant/submissive (D/s) roleplays. Other adjacent roles, such as “predator/prey” and “rigger/rope bunny,” are also in these tests.

Some questions may not be applicable to you, however, and that’s fine. Most quizzes let users pick and choose topics to avoid hardcore fetishes or conversations.

Why you should take a BDSM test

Figuring out what you’re interested in is difficult. BDSM quizzes let you think about your tastes and preferences in an environment where you can sit by yourself and think carefully about your desires without pressure.

Especially if you’re just experimenting with kink, the first thing you need to understand is yourself. Learning how to tie rope can wait.

BDSM tests also expose you to myriad scenarios involving D/s play, master and slave scenarios (M/s), and fetishes like pet play and watersports. Reading through these scenes and figuring out whether they do (or don’t) turn you on is a great way to better understand your sexual desires.

Just remember that you know yourself better than an online test. Don’t let it constrict you.

Which test should you take?

1. The BDSM Test

The most well-known (and arguably best) BDSM test is called, simply, The BDSM Test. The website has been around for a number of years now, and it’s one of the first online stops newcomers visit to learn more about kink, fetishism, domination, and submission.

The BDSM Test comes in two versions. One offers a full palette of questions, and another is built for a fast, quick result. Users can also choose to skip prompts aimed at dominants, sadists, submissives, and masochists. We recommend taking the full test for the most accurate assessment possible. The BDSM Test also offers an info page for better understanding your results.

2. Kink Test

Another fantastic resource is Kink Test. This site came about in 2019 and operates similarly to The BDSM Test. Like the first site on this list, Kink Test is best for discovering your tastes and kinky archetypes. It even has its own resource page to explain various kink terms and phrases.

There isn’t necessarily a reason to choose one test over the other, but if you’d like more data by answering somewhat identical questions, it doesn’t hurt to take both kink quizzes.

3. Beiter Sexual Preference Indicator

There are additional kink and sexuality quizzes out there that can help you round out your kink profile. The Beiter Sexual Preference Indicator, a 90-question sexual personality survey by psychologist and therapist Dr. John Beiter, gives respondents a profile of their sexual roles and how they experience arousal.

4. KinkMe

Dating site KinkMe offers a fast, 15-question BDSM test that lets users figure out what D/s role works best for them. And for subs, Submissive Playground hosts a quick personality test. All of these quizzes are great supplements to The BDSM Test, especially if you feel conflicted with the results.

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What do my BDSM test results mean?

For simplicity’s sake, we’ll analyze The BDSM Test over the Kink Test. Again, both are similar in nature, so feel free to use these same tips and tricks to understand your BDSM archetypes from the Kink Test.

The BDSM Test spits out two different pages: a quick summary of kinks and roles sorted in descending order, and several graphs showing the user’s kink profile. There are 25 personality types and roles in The BDSM Test, split into three subsections: dominant/top, submissive/bottom, and miscellaneous archetypes.

Here’s what the results page looks like when you’re done:

The PDF version turns these percentages into spider graphs and compares your results to averages among male and female dominants, submissives, switches, and miscellaneous roles. Sadly, this BDSM personality test doesn’t label responses from nonbinary people.

The BDSM Test provides a full list of definitions of terms used in the test. While it isn’t necessary to familiarize yourself with all 25 types, here are some the most important terms to keep in mind:

What do these BDSM Test terms mean?

Dominant/Dom or Domina/Domme: The person who wields power and control over the submissive in a D/s play scene.
Submissive: A person who consensually surrenders some level of power, control, or autonomy to a dominant during D/s play.
Switch: A person who enjoys playing both dominant and submissive roles in D/s. Sometimes this involves switching with the same partner, but not always.
Total Power Exchange (or TPE): A D/s relationship in which a submissive gives full power and control over to their dominant. This is common in Master/slave (M/s) relationships. TPE is a mutually consensual relationship.
24/7: A form of BDSM (usually associated with TPE) that involves a mutually consensual power exchange that lasts at all times. For instance, a slave who lives with her mistress.
Master or Mistress: Definitions vary based on context. These terms may be used as proper titles for a dominant during D/s play, titles referring to professional dominant practitioners, or honorifcs bestowed upon experienced community members. Most commonly, this term is used for a Master in an M/s relationship.
Slave: Definitions vary based on context, but slaves are generally considered sexual servants within an M/s scenario (which may or may not involve a TPE).

The closer your results are to 100%, the more your responses match said role. Generally speaking, anything under 50% most likely correlates to a “Maybe” or “No” on your end, while roles with 75% or higher are a good match for your interests.

How accurate are BDSM Test results?

Granted, BDSM terms are somewhat fluid and have different meanings to different people. One person might identify as a “sadistic top” but prefer using fear, degradation, and spanking to torture their subs. Another may consider herself a “mommy domme” but avoid engaging in ageplay.

Some masters and mistresses refrain from total power exchanges or 24/7 play, while others delight in it. Because the BDSM community is wide and varied, every sub, dom, master, and slave will have their own unique relationship with the words they enjoy using.

The most important thing about The BDSM Test is just that: It’s a test. It isn’t a definitive take on what your BDSM interests are like, and its definitions aren’t the end-all, be-all to kink and fetishism. It’s more like a working guideline for further introspection, one that may change over time. So if something seems off, trust your gut. You know what you like best.

I took a kink quiz awhile ago. Should I retake my BDSM test?

Yes! Tastes change over time, and that’s doubly true with sex and kink. Your BDSM test from 2016 is not going to look the same as your BDSM test in 2020.

For example, this author originally took The BDSM Test in September 2019, and then took the Kink Test in November 2020. Her answers changed significantly over the past year.

Comparing the two tests, it’s obvious this writer became much more interested in predator/prey kink scenarios, which, she believes, is largely due to her changing D/s fantasies during the pandemic. Experimentation and public sex became much more important to her, as did concrete roles in the bedroom. She used to be a pure switch. Now, she’s more of a Dominant these days, and prefers sadism over masochism.

As for how often you should take (and retake) The BDSM Test or the Kink Test, consider coming back to them once every year to reanalyze your tastes. Granted, these tests are not foolproof. A self-reported answer on a quiz does not always reflect our preferred kink experiences. Treat these tests more like tools that can help you communicate your needs and desires with others when you play.

Where to find more BDSM resources

Thanks in part to its growing popularity, there is an extensive (arguably overwhelming!) library of BDSM videos, books, talks, workshops, guides, and websites out there for newcomers and veterans alike.

BDSM Wiki

Start with BDSM Wiki, which offers an extensive 101 section for everything to do with fetishism, domination, submission, and more. The site’s FAQ tackles plenty of difficult topics, and its Best Practices page is a must-read for maintaining safe, sane, and consensual play.

For more on dominant/submissive roles

If you’re interested in learning more about dominant and submissive roles, The New Topping Book and The New Bottoming Book by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy are incredible. Both help readers dive into their interests in far more detail than BDSM tests allow.

For more general kink knowledge

Tristan Taormino’s The Ultimate Guide to Kink is a fantastic dive into all things BDSM. The book covers a number of topics seen in BDSM tests, such as impact play, female domination, and edge play.

Greenery Press’ Toybag Guides also offer a wide assortment of booklets all about kinks, fetishes, and BDSM techniques. Consider picking them up, especially if you’re interested in roleplay or partner play.

For historical information on kink in the LGBTQ community, check out Leathersex by Joseph Bean or the queer BDSM anthology Leatherfolk. Both explore D/s relationships in the leather world, particularly among leathermen and leatherdykes.

For BDSM fiction

Lastly, for a fictional, realistic depiction of BDSM, consider Sunstone, an erotica graphic novel series following two queer women in a D/s relationship.

Of course, there is no better way to explore what you learn in your quiz than trying it out! Check out our posts on the best BDSM toys for beginners, how to buy bondage gear, even more recommended BDSM toys, and the 13 best sites for BDSM porn.

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What is a BDSM test, and what do your results mean?