This simple survey will tell you how left-handed you are and give you an overall score you can compare to the thousands of others who have taken the test.
You can see our analysis of the test results so far here.
So go ahead and tick the options for which hand you use for various things and see how you rate overall…
How left handed are you?
We all have our own view of whether we are left-handed or not and, ultimately, that is the the test - if you consider yourself to be left-handed then you are! That said, most people are mixed in their handedness and it is rare for people to do everything with just one hand or side of their body. Our test below will show which side you use for various tasks and how consistent you are in the use of your hands. It will also give you give you an overall score out of 100 for your level of left-handedness and you can see how you compare to other people. To get the overall score, we have weighted the various factors so, for example, writing left-handed gets a far higher weighting in the overall score than which way you hold a bat two-handed (see this page for more information on how we did this).
After reading all the comments up to now (August 17th, about 10:15 PM in DENVER, CO, USA), I remembered another problem I had with the quiz/survey. You see, I am AMERICAN, so all the questions to do with “batting” made no sense! Of COURSE – you were talking CRICKET, not BASEBALL! So, all those batting comments mean nothing to me! (hee, hee!)
Oh, and you’ll find that most people are NOT totally “one-sided” (i.e., left or right handed, footed, eared, AND eyed). I am a mix, so some actions involving two things (like talking on a phone – hand and ear) don’t necessarily match up with being left-handed. I am STRONGLY left-eared, too, so I always listen with the left ear. When I have to write something down, I awkwardly hold the phone to my LEFT ear with my RIGHT hand until I’m finished writing. Then I switch back to holding the phone with my left hand. Just CAN’T listen with my right ear!
I am right-eyed and right-footed, so anything using either of those two AND my hand can be difficult! I have to learn which is MORE left or right and that will dominate the action. Anybody else notice this?
YES!! I’m left handed and BAT (as in baseball- I’m American too) left handed. I brush my teeth left handed apparently as well. Something I never even gave two thoughts too, until taking this quiz.
BUT: I eat, apply most of my makeup, kick, throw, hold a phone, and can use a right handed keyboard with the ten key function on the right.
I was a confusing kid for my softball coach. Batting left, catching left and throwing right. They tried to get me to be a switch hitter…but the bad felt *wrong* on the right.
The nice thing about being able to use both pretty equally is when tasks require the switching of hands- such as applying make up or doing my own nails. Girly stuff, but it’s helpful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had friends stare at me in awe as I effortlessly switch a mascara wand from one hand to the other without issues.
I am also American, but here’s the “glitch” I found when taking this test…I answered “right” for some things because I was either TAUGHT to use my right hand or I’m FORCED to use my right hand, like scissors. I prefer using my left, but I don’t own a pair of left-handed scissors, so I HAVE to use my right. Also, batting (I thought of baseball, also), I was taught to bat right-handed, regardless of my preference. I was taught to throw a ball with my right hand. However, I bowl and play tennis with my left hand (I had a left-handed tennis coach). So I think I’m more left handed than this test indicates. I’ve just learned to adapt to a lot of things with my right hand out of necessity.
90% left handed according to the test, 49yrs old and don’t remember being forced to do anything right handed at school, but I did have trouble with sports as we didn’t have left handed hockey sticks..never had left handed scissors either but would always use my left hand anyway which would create blisters on my left thumb when cutting fabric for dressmaking etc….failed on the arm folding I think?…but my right arm is on top because my left arm leads and the right follows therefore lands on top ?? love being a lefty and my handwriting is lovely!!
my dad taught me a trick with the scissors (he was a lefty too) — turn them upside down. They don’t cut quite as well on the handed scissors as the top blade is thinner and sharper — but it works okay in a pinch. Now I just buy scissors that are either left or right… or mangle it with using my right hand.. lol
I am 67 and no one ever tried to change my ‘handedness’, even in school. I use my left hand for most things, like writing, brushing my teeth, etc. No left hand scissors when I was growing up, so I learned to use right-handed scissors with my left hand. No problem at all. I bought a pair of left-hand scissors and can’t use them. Go figure. When writing, I used to slant my letters ‘backwards’, so I wouldn’t smear across what I had written. One teacher held up my paper and wanted to know if anyone could read my ‘chicken scratching’. Another student, held his hand up and said that that was the way I was supposed to write, since I was left-handed. Needless to say the embarrassment that teacher caused me, made me slant my letters the way righties do and thus smeared my writing.
I’m 59, and 89% left-handed. No one tried to change my handedness either. I can’t stand left-handed scissors. Only one assistant coach made me shoot a bow right-handed, and it made me quite angry.
67 y.o. USA: I only do things right handed if it involves something that won’t fit my left hand–scizzors– I can’t use either type in my left hand except the very small ones on which the blades don’t separate. I use them in both hands, depending on the task. Play guitar r. handed (not realizing it was r. handed). Shoot a gun r. handed because of TV cowboys.
i’m 90% seriously lefthanded and its quite practical nad nice survey.
While driving, I still having issue maintaining the steering stable with right arm while shifting the gear. (left-handed gear)
If about door knob, it depends on which side that knob is located. I use either hand thou.
For laptop, mouse is on my right hand, but I use left index finger for the touchpad.
For camera…the viewfinder is located at the right side so I’m using my right eye, but when aiming with scope, my left eye was better.
*all the right handed guitar/bass i bought were re-stringed & played left-handed so that most of my friend can’t play them.
Re: dominant eye when looking through telescope, etc., I _have to_ use my right eye because it’s better at distance. My left eye is better at reading. What does _that_ say about my brain? (If anything!)
I am 55 and have always been left handed. At primary school only two of us in a class of 42 were left handed and so we had to sit at the end of a row so as not to bumb elbows with right handed class mates. Both of us left handers passed the 11th plus and went to the local high schools – so not bad for being sent to the end of the row. Also I like that I tick “back to front” (the left handed tick) it’s good to be different.
I am daughter of two right handed parent yet my sister and I are both lefty. My siter only 3 years my senior was conditioned (corrected) to do some things right handed, like eating and a few more. But by the the time a turned out to be lefty they joust let me be. I am 100% lefty. I can cut left handed with lefty scissors, just hold them upside down, even though the holes are not in the righ position. But that is what’s normal to me. In fact our middle sister who is right handed claims she always fel like the odd one and always hoped she was lefty too. Sorry sis:(
I find holding righty scissors upside down very uncomfortable, and prefer my regular Lefty’s to them.
Fascinating at 79 to find out MAINLY. Forced to be R writing at school in 1940’s. Draft L – wrenches L or R – hammer & drill L – mouse R – text stylus L – cell R ear – land L ear – don’t switch knife & fork – dom R eye – throw L – bat R – keys L – clean glasses L – scissors make it work. Great Life. 2 GSons L – 1 GDaughter R.
Yep, about right
Your total weighted score was:
93%
That gives you a left-handedness rating of:
Seriously Left-Handed (>90%)
I am in my 80’s. I was the only a leftie in the family of 8. My years in school was so absurd. I was called a Freak, or weird. My teachers would slap the hand with a point sticker, making me to use the RH. I couldn’t switch at all. My great two surgeons are lefties, so I feel rather comfortable now and accepted for what I am. I write pretty normal like the RH, and don’t bend my wrist down to write. I’d like to know how many famous people are lefties.