What Type of Toxic Boss Do You Have?

Q: Is the "What Type of Toxic Boss Do You Have?" quiz accurate?

This quiz uses scenario-based questions grounded in established psychological frameworks. While no online quiz replaces professional assessment, our methodology provides meaningful insights for self-discovery.

Q: How long does this quiz take?

The quiz takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete. It consists of 11 carefully designed questions. Answer honestly with your gut reaction for the most accurate result.

Q: Can I retake the quiz?

Yes, you can retake the quiz as many times as you like. Your answers may vary depending on your current life circumstances and personal growth.

Question 1

You made a small typo in a report you sent your boss. Their reaction is:

Accepted Answer

They forward the report to leadership with their name on it — the typo is never mentioned, They CC your entire department on an email highlighting the mistake, They schedule a 45-minute call to review every sentence of every future report you send, They read it three weeks later when you follow up. The typo is never discussed., When you mention the typo, they say "That wasn't my version — that was yours."

Question 2

Your team lands a major client win. At the all-hands meeting, your boss:

Accepted Answer

Spends 10 minutes explaining how their strategic vision made it happen, Singles out one team member for an early mistake in front of the whole room, Immediately hands everyone a new process checklist to prevent "future inconsistencies", Doesn't show up to the meeting, Says "I always knew this client would come through" — even though they called it a long shot last month

Question 3

You want to try a new approach on a project. When you bring it up:

Accepted Answer

They suggest the exact same idea as their own in the next team meeting, They cut you off mid-sentence: "If it's not broke, don't fix it. Don't waste my time.", They say yes — then require daily updates, a risk register, and sign-off at every step, They say "sure" and are completely unreachable when you need actual guidance, "I never said you couldn't try new things. I've always encouraged creativity here." (You have emails proving otherwise.)

Question 4

You're going through something difficult personally and ask for a day off:

Accepted Answer

They approve it — then mention your "absence during a critical week" in your performance review, They sigh loudly, say "I guess" and make you feel guilty for the next two weeks, They approve it but ask for a full handoff doc, a backup contact, and hourly availability, You send three emails requesting the day. They never respond. You take it anyway., They say "Of course, family comes first" — then quietly tell others you're "not really committed"

Question 5

You speak up in a meeting with an idea that gets a great reaction. Your boss:

Accepted Answer

Immediately adds to your idea and pivots it until it sounds like their concept, Waits until after the meeting to tell you your timing was "inappropriate and disruptive", Pulls you aside after: "Run ideas by me privately before raising them in group settings.", Says "interesting" — then nothing. The idea dies quietly., Later tells you one-on-one: "That wasn't new. I suggested the exact same thing in 2023."

Question 6

A client sends a critical email. You immediately loop your boss in. They:

Accepted Answer

Reply to the client directly — without CC'ing you — framing themselves as the one who caught the issue, Reply to the client and throw you under the bus, calling it "a team miscommunication", Send you a new 12-step escalation process for handling client issues going forward, Don't respond at all. You end up resolving it alone, three days later., Say you "should have handled it independently" — then later claim they never even saw the email

Question 7

It's performance review season. Their feedback on you is:

Accepted Answer

Generic praise about how your work "reflects well on the department" — with nothing about what you specifically did, Delivered with visible frustration, centering a mistake from eight months ago as the main point, A detailed document covering your font choices, email word counts, and response time patterns, You reschedule it three times before it happens. When it does, it runs seven minutes., Directly contradicts the verbal praise they gave you three months ago — and when you bring it up, you "misunderstood"

Question 8

You make a visible but small mistake on a project. Your boss:

Accepted Answer

Uses it as a punchline in a training session on "what NOT to do", Calls you out in front of colleagues with visible contempt: "How did this even get through?", Revises your checklist, adds three new approval layers, and schedules a debrief, Says nothing for weeks. Then mentions it casually in a completely unrelated conversation., Says "I knew this would happen" — even though they personally approved the plan

Question 9

A colleague you're close with gets promoted over you. Your boss's involvement:

Accepted Answer

They take your colleague out for a congratulatory lunch and never acknowledge you were considered, In front of others, they imply your colleague "just wanted it more", They create a structured 6-month improvement plan with weekly check-ins for your "consistency gaps", You find out about the promotion through Slack. Your boss never tells you directly., When you ask what happened, they say they "advocated hard for you" — but HR tells a different story

Question 10

You tell your boss you're burned out and need workload relief. They respond:

Accepted Answer

They tell you about the time they worked 80-hour weeks building the company — "and nobody complained", They look genuinely irritated: "Everyone's busy. That's the job.", They create a new time-tracking system to help you "prioritize better" — which doubles your admin load, They nod with apparent sympathy — and never do a single thing about it, "I've always tried to protect your bandwidth. I don't understand why you feel this way."

Question 11

A team member resigns. Your boss handles the departure by:

Accepted Answer

Using their goodbye speech to explain how they "developed" the person who is leaving, Making pointed comments to remaining staff about "commitment" and "who's really dedicated here", Circulating a 40-page offboarding document to ensure no "knowledge gaps" going forward, Not sending any announcement. The team finds out when a recurring calendar invite disappears., Telling the team the person "chose to leave for personal reasons" when everyone knows they were pushed out

What Type of Toxic Boss Do You Have?

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