Meta Programs Profile
A free twelve-question meta programs profile: toward or away, internal or external, options or procedures, sameness or difference, general or specific, proactive or reactive.
Twelve questions. Six filters.
Meta programs are the filters that decide what you notice first — and therefore how you get motivated, convinced and moving.
Answer with your working life in mind. Choose what is usually true, not what you think you should do. The result is shown here immediately.
What this meta programs test measures
This meta programs test looks at six filters that decide what you notice first: motivation direction (toward or away from), frame of reference (internal or external), options or procedures, sameness or difference, level of detail (general or specific) and pace of action (proactive or reactive). Each filter is sampled by two questions, so every result sits on a short scale from one pole to the other.
The idea of meta programs grew out of early NLP work by Leslie Cameron-Bandler and was later organised by Rodger Bailey into the LAB Profile. The full background is on the meta programs framework page, and the patterns are shown in everyday language in meta programs examples.
How to read your result
Each filter shows a meter. A clear lean to one end means both answers pointed the same way. A result in the middle (“Both”, or “Progress” for sameness and difference) means your two answers split, which usually indicates flexibility in that context rather than indecision.
Read the profile as a description of what you pay attention to at work, not of who you are. A manager who scores Away From and Procedures is not negative or rigid; they are likely to spot risk early and want the steps. The same person may answer quite differently about their weekends.
Using your profile with other people
The practical value is in mismatches. When a conversation keeps going wrong, compare filters: Options talking to Procedures, General talking to Specific. Matching the other person’s filter for one sentence (“Let me take you through it step by step”) often changes the next reply. For a related view of how you take in information, try the representational systems test.
Questions people ask
What are meta programs in NLP?
Meta programs are habitual filters on attention: whether you move toward goals or away from problems, judge by your own standards or by feedback, prefer options or procedures, and so on. They describe how someone processes a situation rather than what they think about it, and they tend to shift with context.
Is this meta programs test scientifically validated?
No. It is a short self-report for reflection, not a psychometric instrument, and NLP’s research base is limited. Its value is practical: it gives you names for patterns you can then check against how you and others actually talk and decide in real conversations.
Can my meta programs change?
Yes. Meta programs are context-dependent and shift with role, stress and experience. Someone can be strongly Procedures in accounting work and Options when planning a holiday. Treat any result as a snapshot of one context at one point in time.
How many meta programs are there?
Lists vary from a handful to more than fifty, depending on the author. This test covers six of the most widely used, chosen because they show up clearly in everyday work conversations and are easy to recognise in other people’s language.