The STQ^© is a self-report measure of strategic thinking skills which includes three validity indicators: Omission Rate (number of omitted responses) Inconsistency Index (degree of response inconsistency) and Impression Adjustment. A detailed description of the STQ's development is found in Pisapia's (2005) seminal article, his (2012) Strategic Management Society paper, and his 2010 Top 5 business book:The Strategic Leader. 

The STQ is 4 pages long and consists of 25 Likert type questions in the form of short sentances. The STQ provides an estimate of the the use of three skills – systems thinking, reflection - reframing.

The STQ was originally developed from an interpretation of the literature on strategic thinking as being composed of systems thinking, reframing and reflection. Using the definitions as guides, statements were written to describe the skills required to think in SYSTEMS, REFRAMING, and REFLECTION terms. A panel of five experts knowledgeable about strategic thinking reviewed the resulting 180 items. They sorted the statements into the three categories. In an iterative fashion, the statements were modified or discarded following lengthy discussions and repeated feedback sessions between the panel and researchers. Items on the STQ are cast on a five-point Likert scale. A higher value represents greater use of a cognitive skill.

The STQ^(TM) asks respondents how often they use the skills when confronted with difficult decisions in thier work place. It is available in a self-assessment format. Typically, participants take the assessment on paper in seminars or online. Based on the Flesch formula of readability, the reading level in English has been assessed at the North American eighth grade level. The STQ takes approximately fifteen minutes to complete and is capable of being either self or electronically scored.