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Quizzes > Society & Culture

Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Quiz

Quick, free cultural competency quiz. Get your score and tips in minutes.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: August HubnerUpdated Aug 28, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for a cultural competence self-assessment quiz on a dark blue background

This cultural competence self-assessment quiz helps you gauge how you navigate diverse customs, communication styles, and viewpoints in everyday situations. If you want to explore related skills, try our cultural awareness quiz, build insight with a cultural intelligence test, or compare norms using a cultural dimensions test.

Which practice best demonstrates cultural humility when meeting someone from an unfamiliar background?
Ask open-ended questions and listen without assuming similarity
Rely on stereotypes to fill knowledge gaps
Immediately share your own cultural story to lead the conversation
Avoid asking any questions to prevent offense
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Saving face refers to protecting a person's social reputation and dignity in interactions.
False
True
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Which response shows respect for varied eye contact norms across cultures?
Maintain constant eye contact to appear honest
Avoid eye contact entirely to show deference
Ask the person to change their norm to match yours
Notice discomfort, soften your gaze, and follow the other person's lead
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Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is the standard by which others should be judged.
True
False
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Monochronic time orientation prioritizes completing tasks sequentially and being punctual.
False
True
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Which approach is most culturally competent when pronouncing an unfamiliar name?
Politely ask for the correct pronunciation and practice it
Assign an easier nickname without asking
Avoid saying the name to prevent mistakes
Pronounce it once and move on even if incorrect
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Direct negative feedback is universally preferred in professional settings.
True
False
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In high-context cultures, how is meaning most often conveyed?
By repeating information loudly for emphasis
Through shared understanding, nonverbal cues, and situational context
Only through explicit written contracts
Exclusively via direct verbal statements
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Which action best prevents microaggressions in daily interactions?
Compliment someone on how articulate they are for their background
Ask where someone is really from until they give a specific answer
Use person-first language and avoid assumptions about identity or ability
Assume dietary needs based on appearance
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Which scenario best illustrates power distance in organizations?
Employees in some cultures defer strongly to senior leaders when voicing opinions
All employees challenge leaders equally in every culture
Leaders defer to junior staff in all meetings
Job titles never affect communication patterns
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Using the left hand is considered disrespectful for passing items in some cultures.
True
False
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Which practice shows sensitivity to religious observances at work?
Schedule mandatory lunches during fasting hours to promote inclusion
Offer flexible scheduling for fasting, prayer, or holidays where feasible
Decline accommodation requests to maintain uniformity
Assume employees will disclose all religious needs unprompted
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In some contexts, a thumbs-up gesture can be offensive.
False
True
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Which statement best distinguishes stereotypes from cultural generalizations?
Generalizations are personal opinions; stereotypes are scientific facts
Stereotypes are always positive; generalizations are negative
Generalizations are starting points that invite confirmation; stereotypes are fixed, inflexible beliefs
Both are equally useful and interchangeable
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Back-translation is a quality check where a translated text is translated back into the original language to compare meaning.
False
True
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Which step most effectively prepares you for a cross-cultural negotiation?
Research local norms for relationship-building, time, and decision processes
Learn only greetings and rely on improvisation
Focus exclusively on legal details and ignore etiquette
Assume your home-country style is optimal
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Hofstede's cultural dimensions are definitive and should be used to label individuals.
False
True
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Which approach shows respect when exchanging gifts internationally?
Open gifts immediately everywhere to show enthusiasm
Give expensive items to signal importance
Avoid wrapping to minimize waste
Research norms on timing, presentation, and appropriateness before offering a gift
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Which step demonstrates strong pre-briefing for an interpreter-mediated meeting?
Share goals, terminology, and sensitive topics with the interpreter beforehand
Skip pre-briefing to save time
Ask the interpreter to summarize instead of interpret
Keep the interpreter uninformed to avoid bias
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Stereotype threat can impact performance when a negative stereotype about a group is made salient.
True
False
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0

Study Outcomes

  1. Assess Your Intercultural Skills -

    Complete the cultural competence self-assessment quiz to gauge your current ability to navigate diverse cultural settings and identify core strengths and areas for improvement.

  2. Identify Key Growth Areas -

    Analyze your quiz results to pinpoint specific intercultural knowledge gaps and mindset shifts needed for more effective cross-cultural communication.

  3. Understand Intercultural Norms -

    Explore real-world scenarios in our cultural competence quiz to deepen your awareness of diverse norms, values, and etiquette across cultures.

  4. Apply Practical Communication Strategies -

    Learn actionable techniques from the quiz feedback that you can implement immediately to enhance clarity, respect, and rapport in multicultural interactions.

  5. Enhance Self-Awareness of Biases -

    Use the cultural competence test insights to recognize implicit biases and develop strategies for more inclusive and respectful behavior.

  6. Track Progress and Plan Development -

    Create a personalized action plan based on your quiz score to measure ongoing improvements and set goals for advancing your cultural competence over time.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Deardorff's Process Model -

    Developed by Dr. Darla Deardorff at Duke University, this model outlines how Attitudes, Knowledge, and Skills lead to Effective and Appropriate Communication. Visualize it as a flowchart: Positive Attitudes → Cultural Knowledge → Adaptability → Intercultural Outcomes. Review the internal (self-awareness) and external (behavioral) outcomes to gauge your cultural competence quiz performance.

  2. Byram's Five "Savoirs" Framework -

    Michael Byram's model (University of Durham) breaks intercultural competence into five dimensions: savoir”être (attitudes), savoir”comprendre (knowledge), savoir”savoir (skills of interpreting), savoir”s'engager (critical cultural awareness) and savoir”faire (skills of discovery). Remember the mnemonic "AKISK" (Attitudes, Knowledge, Interpretation, Awareness, Skills) to recall each dimension during your cultural competence self-assessment quiz. This structure helps you identify which "savoir" you excel in and which needs strengthening.

  3. LEARN Communication Mnemonic -

    Use the LEARN strategy (Listen actively, Explain your perspective, Acknowledge differences, Recommend solutions, Negotiate a shared understanding). This proven approach (University of Michigan Health System) reminds you to stay curious and empathetic in cross-cultural dialogue. In practice, when facing a misunderstanding, mentally tick off each LEARN step to guide respectful communication.

  4. Self-Assessment Likert Scales -

    Many cultural competence tests use 5- or 7-point Likert scales (e.g., "I feel confident adapting to new cultural norms: Strongly Disagree - Strongly Agree"). Tracking your responses over time reveals growth in areas like empathy and intercultural awareness. Create a spreadsheet to chart your scores and spot trends - this quantitative reflection boosts objective insight.

  5. Overcoming Common Barriers -

    Research from UNESCO highlights stereotypes, language gaps, and ethnocentrism as top obstacles to cultural competence. Combat these by practicing perspective-taking - write brief reflections after intercultural encounters to surface assumptions. A handy trick: label each bias you notice (e.g., "Language Bias #1") to demystify and reduce its impact.

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