TRUE COMPASSREADING —

A more careful bearing

True Compass is a political compass test that doesn't stop at your first answer. Each question can branch into follow-ups that test the edges of your response — your final position is drawn from all of it, not just the first, vaguest reading.

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FINAL BEARING

Two readings on the same instrument.

Surface reading (parent questions only):
True reading (with drill-down):
Surface — where the top-level questions alone would place you.
True — where you land once the follow-ups add nuance.

About True Compass

True Compass is a political compass test built around a simple idea: your first answer to a political question is rarely your whole answer. It places you on the same two axes as the original political compass test — economic (left to right) and social (libertarian to authoritarian) — but instead of taking a single answer at face value, some questions are followed by a targeted follow-up that pushes back against the position you just took.

How is this different from a standard political compass test?

Most political compass tests ask one question per topic and record whatever you answer. True Compass follows a decisive answer with a follow-up that challenges it, so a strongly-held belief actually gets tested instead of just logged. Your result shows both readings — the quick "surface" score from the first answer alone, and a "true" score that factors in how your position held up.

How is my score calculated?

Each question is scored on a -2 to +2 scale, signed by whether agreeing pushes toward the left/right or libertarian/authoritarian end of its axis. The surface score averages only the top-level questions; the true score averages each question together with its follow-ups, so a belief that doesn't survive a follow-up pulls your position back toward the center.

Is True Compass free, and is my data stored anywhere?

Yes — True Compass is free to take, and every answer is calculated in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server or stored anywhere.