Self-Motivation Quiz for Teens

The following post is in collaboration with TruSpark. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

With the arrival of a new year comes the excitement of new tools to use with my children in our homeschool journey. As a parent of two very different teens, I'm always on the lookout for resources that help me motivate them with their school work. Today's review is a fantastic tool for parents (and teens!) who are looking for ways to better understand what it is that motivates their teens and what careers might be a great fit as a result. 

Quick Overview

Program: TruSpark
Religious Perspective: Secular
Format: Online/Self-Paced
Grades: 7th and higher
Price: $59.95 and up

I think that as parents, we believe we know our kids really well - maybe even better than they know themselves. And often we do. But there are definitely moments when I feel like I have aliens living in my house because they are just so different from me in some ways.

And there are days when I feel like I just can't figure out HOW to motivate them to get something done.

I was curious to see if TruSpark would really help me learn something new about my kids.

**NOTE** I'm sharing the results of my own assessment because my kids have a right to privacy. :) 
 

Core Motivations

TruSpark is NOT a personality test, nor does it tell us what our strengths or talents are. It focuses on discovering and sharing core motivations. They do it by relying on US to share information in a story-based way. 

Don't worry. You don't have to write a lot. In fact, I was really surprised at how quick it was able to figure out my core motivations based on just two or three sentences. 

Core motivation is the stuff inside us that influences everything we do. It's what guides our daily actions and influences our interests. These core motivations are why I started homeschooling... and then decided to start this blog to share the resources and experiences we had.

When researching the site, I found that this curriculum is based on science (yay!) and you can visit their site to read more about the 19 motivations.

TruSpark Assessment & Curriculum

TruSpark is a simple curriculum and assessment quiz that is designed to help you understand what your core motivations are. 

When you purchase a credit from TruSpark you get instant access to a curriculum and assessment quiz. As the parent and/or teacher, you get an account with a dashboard that lets you add students and assign the assessment. 

From your dashboard you can also open the curriculum, which is pretty straight forward. It is a series of PowerPoint type slides intended to be used in conjunction with the assessment. There are three levels to the curriculum:

1. Core Motivations (3 lessons)
2. Career Exploration (3 lessons)
3. Live Your Purpose (1 lesson)

I actually did the assessment quiz myself first and then opened the curriculum. I'm glad I did as I then realized that the curriculum should be opened first and that it will guide the student through explanations and a link to the assessment at the appropriate time. This just helps the person taking the quiz better understand what exactly core motivations are, why they are important, and how to use the information going forward.

My oldest son struggles with dysgraphia, so at first he was concerned about the assessments "story-based" approach. He thought he'd have to write a lot. He was so relieved when it turned out he only had to write one or two sentences!

Once you complete the assessment (which only takes a few minutes), my results came in the form of three motivations with a short description and a list of key characteristics. This is the first time a type of personality quiz has been so accurate.

Even my son was surprised by the results. And one of the suggested careers under two of his motivations turned out to be a pilot - which he is currently studying to be!

Promotes Self-Awareness

I found this whole quiz fascinating. Because once I read the results, I knew they were spot on. But I guess I just didn't consciously realize what it is that motivates me? And I think that knowing this is really critical for my kids. Because then they can make better decisions. 

Understanding yourself is really hard for a lot of kids. And self-awareness, I think, can take a lot of the anxiety out of a teens life. Knowing why you made a choice - or better yet - making a choice knowing how you will likely react/interact with it in the future is extremely valuable.

Career Exploration

The other part that I really like about this program is that after you take the assessment, it provides a list of suggested careers that you may enjoy. And these actually make sense. We've tried personality tests and other quizzes that list careers that would be a good fit. Some of them were WAY off! (But they gave us a good laugh.)

We like that TruSpark doesn't overwhelm you with professions. It gives a short list of the top 10 careers that might complement your child's core motivations based on the results of the assessment. 

The Giveaway!

How fabulous is this? They're giving away a curriculum and 2 (TWO!) assessments to 2 winners! 

But if you've already made up your mind that this is a resource that you'd like to offer your teen, then go ahead and visit their website to sign up!

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