What is Your Learning Style?
Learning styles refer to the ways you prefer to approach new information. Each of us learns
and processes information in our own special ways, though we share some learning
patterns, preferences, and approaches. Knowing your own style also can help you to realize
that other people may approach the same situation in a different way from your own.
Complete the following questionnaire to assess your preferred learning style. Begin by
reading the words in the left-hand column. Of the three responses to the right, circle the
one that best characterizes you. Count the number of circled items and write your total at
the bottom of each column. The questions you prefer will offer insight into how you learn.
Yeses mean that is what I chose.
1. When I try to I grow distracted by I get distracted by I become
concentrate… clutter or movement, sounds, and I attempt distracted by
and I notice things to control the amount commotion, and I
around me other people and type of noise tend to retreat
don’t notice. around me. inside myself.
2. When I I see vivid, detailed I think in voices and I see images in my
visualize… pictures in my thoughts. sounds. thoughts that
involve movement.
3. When I talk I find it difficult to listen I enjoy listening, or I I gesture and
with others… for very long. get impatient to talk communicate with
myself. my hands.
4. When I I prefer face-to-face I prefer speaking by I prefer to interact
contact meetings. telephone for serious while walking or
people… conversations. participating in
some activity.
5. When I see I forget names but I know people’s names I remember what
an remember faces, and I and I can usually quote we did together
acquaintance tend to replay where we what we discussed. and I may almost
… met for the first time. “feel” our time
together.
6. When I I watch TV, see a play, I listen to the radio, I play sports, make
relax… visit an exhibit, or go to play music, read, or crafts, or build
a movie. talk with a friend. something with my
hands.
7. When I I like descriptive I enjoy the narrative I prefer action-
read… examples and I may most and I can almost oriented stories,
pause to imagine the “hear” the characters but I do not often
scene. talk. read for pleasure.
8. When I I envision the word in I sound out the word, I get a feel for the
spell… my mind or imagine sometimes aloud, and word by writing it
what the word looks like tend to recall rules out or pretending to
when written. about letter order. type it.
9. When I do I seek out I want verbal and I jump right in to try
something demonstrations, written instructions, it, keep trying, and
new… pictures, or diagrams. and to talk it over with try different
someone else. approaches.
10. When I I look at the picture first I read the directions, or I usually ignore the
assemble an and then, maybe, read I talk aloud as I work. directions and
object… the directions. figure it out as I go
along.
11. When I I examine facial I rely on listening to I focus on body
interpret expressions. tone of voice. language.
someone’s
mood…
12. When I I show them. I tell them, write it out, I demonstrate how
teach other or I ask them a series it is done and then
people… of questions. ask them to try.
Total: Visual:3 Auditory:5 Tactile/
Kinesthetic:4
The column with the highest total represents your primary learning style. The
column with the second-most choices is your secondary style.
Your primary learning style: ________auditory_____________________________________.
Your secondary learning style: _______tactile_____________________________________.
(c) Marcia L. Conner, 1993-2013. All rights reserved. More information on each style, along with
suggestions on how to maximize your learning potential, is available in the book Learn More Now
(Hoboken, NJ; John Wiley & Sons, 2004). Learn about the book and read an excerpt at
http://marciaconner.com/books/learn-more-now/
Online version available http://marciaconner.com/assess/learningstyle/
