Why You Should Take the National Privacy Test Right Now

How does your cybersecurity knowledge compare to other people in the world? Are you practicing proper online safety? Are you aware of the risks you face daily and how to avoid them? These are all questions you’ll answer when you take the National Privacy Test. Created by NordVPN, the National Privacy Test measures your knowledge about digital safety and online risks. Your score reveals how your online safety awareness stacks up against others in your country and in the world. You’ll also get some useful tips as you go through the test. Of course, it’s best to answer the questions honestly. If you know the right answer but you never do it (i.e. you know you should read the Terms and Conditions when you download a new app but you never do), your test score won’t be an accurate indicator of how safe you actually are online. The National Privacy Test is very simple and completely free. You might be pleasantly surprised at how conscientious you are about cybersecurity–or you may find some areas where your online safety is lacking. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to improve your digital awareness. The National Privacy Test consists of three different sections: Digital Habits, Privacy Awareness, and Online Risk. These three sections have a combined total of 20 questions for you to answer. The Digital Habits section focuses on your personal online patterns. You’ll select the options that best describe your online habits. Keep in mind that you should answer these questions based on what you actually do, not on what you know you should be doing. You want an accurate assessment of your online safety. You’re not getting graded. This section will gauge how well you protect your privacy and whether or not you use the proper cybersecurity tools. If you don’t know them you’ll be able to research them and add them to your online habits. The middle section measures how aware you are of your online privacy. It helps you recognize how safe your online accounts actually are and how much knowledge you have about malware, metadata, and IoT security. The final Online Risk section shows how informed you are about the various internet threats you face. You’ll answer questions about data leaks, ransom scams, financial privacy, and two-factor authentication (2FA). Not only should you be aware of these threats, but you should also know how to protect yourself against them and what to do in a privacy breach situation. While the questions in the National Privacy Test are fairly straightforward, they do contain some technical terms you might not be familiar with. Consider this an opportunity to learn more about proper cybersecurity practices and where the Internet is expanding to. Once you finish the National Privacy Test, you’ll be able to see your results. Your score is shown as a percentage that represents how competent you are when it comes to online safety and risk awareness. In order to assess how good your score is, you can compare it to others in your country, gender, age group, industry, and marital/family status. This information is collected at the end of the test, so you’ll be contributing to these averages by answering these final few questions. The US has the highest number of respondents who have taken the test, and the average National Privacy Test score there is 68%. Canada has an average score of 63%, while the UK has a 64% average score. If you’re from another country, you can easily find your country’s statistics once you receive your results. Men have a higher average score than women and third-gender people. Men score 66% on average, while women score an average of 57% and third-gender people score about 61%. This reveals a noteworthy cybersecurity gap between men and women. Another interesting finding is that the age groups of 30-44 and 45-54 are tied for having the highest average score, both at 66%. Children younger than 15 years old have the lowest average score of 58%. Surprisingly, the age groups of 15-29 years old and those over the age of 65 have average scores that are roughly equivalent, at 63% and 62% respectively. Is your score lower than you’d like it to be? It might be time to make some changes based on the questions you got wrong. You can go through the test question by question to see which areas you’re lacking in. Even if you have an above-average score, you can still find room for improvement. After all, it only takes one “in” for a hacker to take over your device. When are you going to find time to squeeze the National Privacy Test into your busy schedule? The total time it takes to complete the test is just five minutes, so it takes about as much time as it would take to brush your hair or make yourself a sandwich. And it’s totally worth it. In terms of the equipment required to take the test, all you need is an electronic device and some sort of internet connection. You can even do it on your phone while you wait in line at the grocery store. It comes down to this: taking the National Privacy Test and spending a few minutes analyzing your results is much easier than trying to do cybersecurity research on your own, especially after your cybersecurity is compromised. This test will target your exact weaknesses so you can take steps to fix them. Follow these simple steps to take the National Privacy Test: Taking the National Privacy Test will only take you a few minutes, and it’s certainly time well spent. Knowledge is power. You’ll be able to pinpoint specific areas where your online safety is at risk and can take action to fix them. Revamping your cybersecurity could save you from a future internet threat so you don’t become a victim of identity theft.