How to Take the Free Readiness Self-Assessment

MSCi — Management System Compliance Incorporation — offers a free readiness self-assessment checklist for the standards we work with.

The assessment takes around 15 minutes, is completely free, and your information is not shared with anyone unless you choose to request your results or further support.

1. Choose the Standard You Need

Go to Free Self-Assessment from the menu.

You will find checklists for different standards, including:

• ISO 9001 – Quality Management

• ISO 14001 – Environmental Management

• ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety

• ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security

• ISO 22000 – Food Safety

• ISO 13485 – Medical Devices

• ISO 42001 – AI Management

• Data protection and other applicable standards

You can also search for a standard by typing its name.

If a standard has more than one applicable edition, select the edition you are expected to follow.

If you cannot find the standard you need, you can submit an enquiry through the same page.

Starting from a Standard or Industry Page

You can also start directly from any standard or industry page. Look for the assessment option near the demo button. It will take you directly to the relevant checklist.

2. Tell Us About Your Organisation

Before starting the questions, you will be asked to briefly describe your organisation.

This information helps us understand your answers in the right context.

Just write two or three simple sentences about:

• What your organisation does

• What products or services you provide

• Who your customers are

Adding your website is optional.

3. Answer the Questions Honestly

Each question has four answer options:

• Yes – The requirement is in place and you can provide evidence of it.

• Maybe / Partly – Something is in place, but it may not be complete or consistent.

• Not Sure – You genuinely do not know whether the requirement is being met.

• No – The requirement is not currently in place.

Be honest about your current situation

Answer based on what is actually happening today, not what you plan to implement in the future.

An overly positive assessment can give you an inaccurate picture of your readiness. It may also result in recommendations for work you do not actually need while missing areas that require attention.

Each question also includes a note explaining what an auditor would normally look for. Use these notes to help you decide whether your answer should be "Yes" or "Maybe / Partly."

What if you skip a question?

You can leave a question unanswered.

However, unanswered questions are treated as "No."

Before your result is calculated, you will see which questions you have left blank. You can go back and answer them or continue with them being counted as "No."

Assured Discount

If you complete at least 80% of the checklist, the assured discount will apply to any subsequent work you engage MSCi for.

The 80% requirement helps ensure that there is enough information to understand your organisation's actual needs and provide an appropriate proposal.

4. Provide Your Contact and Organisation Details

You will be asked to provide information such as:

• Company name

• Your name

• Email address

• Phone number with country code

• Industry

• Countries where you operate

• Number of sites

• Your location

These details are important because the same assessment score can mean different things depending on the size and complexity of your organisation.

For example, the requirements and challenges for a single-site organisation may be very different from those of an organisation operating across multiple locations.

5. Verify Your Email

A six-digit verification code will be sent to the email address you provide.

The code remains valid for 15 minutes.

Enter the code to access your result.

This verification step helps ensure that your assessment results are delivered to the correct person and prevents them from being sent to someone else because of an incorrect email address.

6. What You Will Receive

Once your assessment is complete, your result will be available immediately on the screen.

You will see:

• Your score out of 100

• Your readiness level or band

• What your score means

• What areas may require attention

• The most significant gaps, ranked by priority

You will also receive the results by email.

The email includes your complete assessment, including:

• Your answers to each question

• The marks assigned to each answer

• Your overall result

• The key gaps identified

Keep this email. It can be useful when discussing your readiness with MSCi or with another professional or organisation.

What the Self-Assessment Does Not Do

The readiness assessment is not an audit.

It also does not predict the outcome of a future audit.

Your result is based on the information you provide. To understand your organisation's actual level of compliance, a professional gap assessment is required.

A gap assessment is carried out by an expert who reviews objective evidence and actual practices, rather than relying only on answers or recollection.

About the Author

Prem Kumar Dvivedi is an experienced auditor with more than 40 years of industry experience.

He has worked on both sides of management systems — helping organisations develop their systems as well as auditing them.

His experience covers areas including:

• Quality Management

• Environmental Management

• Occupational Health & Safety

• Food Safety

• Information Security