The most comprehensive Catholic examination of conscience available online. This interactive tool features 168 carefully crafted questions across 5 age groups, all based on the Ten Commandments. Whether you’re preparing a child for first confession or seeking a thorough adult examination, find the perfect age-appropriate tool below.
Choose Your Age Group
Each examination is specifically tailored to the spiritual needs, life circumstances, and moral challenges of that age group. Simply scroll down to your section or use the quick navigation links to jump directly to your age-appropriate examination.
Features of This Comprehensive Tool
- All Ages Covered: Children (7-12), Teens (13-18), Young Adults (19-29), Adults (30-64), and Seniors (65+)
- 168 Total Questions: The most comprehensive examination available
- Age-Appropriate Content: Each section addresses relevant moral challenges
- Interactive Experience: Real-time sin tracking and PDF generation
- Based on Ten Commandments: Traditional Catholic moral theology
- Mobile Responsive: Perfect on all devices
Catholic Examination of Conscience
Comprehensive Catholic examination of conscience for all ages, based on the Ten Commandments
Choose your age group below to begin your examination of conscience. Each examination is tailored to the specific spiritual needs and life circumstances of that age group. Answer each question honestly with "Yes" or "No", and items for confession will be added to your personal reflection list.
Children (Ages 7-12)
Gentle examination for young Catholics
Teens (Ages 13-18)
Comprehensive examination for Catholic youth
Young Adults (Ages 19-29)
Examination for young Catholic adults
Adults (Ages 30-64)
Thorough examination for mature Catholics
Seniors (Ages 65+)
Thoughtful examination for senior Catholics
Individual Age Group Pages
Prefer a focused examination? Visit the dedicated page for your age group:
How to make a good examination of conscience
“The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for by an examination of conscience made in the light of the Word of God” (CCC 1454). In practice:
- Find a quiet place and a few minutes of silence, ideally before the Blessed Sacrament.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for light, with the prayer below.
- Look back to your last good confession. Did you forget or hide a serious sin? Did you do your penance?
- Go through the commandments with the questions in the tool above or the short version below, honestly and without scrupulosity.
- Note any mortal sins and their number, and the venial sins that weigh on you most. See mortal and venial sin.
- Make an act of sorrow and a firm resolution, then go to confession. See how to go to confession and the Act of Contrition.
A prayer before the examination
From Father F. X. Lasance’s With God (1911):
Most merciful God, Father in heaven, relying on Thy goodness and mercy, I come to Thee with filial confidence to confess my sins and to implore Thy forgiveness. Thou wilt not despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless me and receive me again into Thy favor; I acknowledge that I have been most ungrateful to Thee, but I sincerely repent and detest the wrong I have done, and I desire henceforth to walk in the way of perfection in accordance with Thy holy will.
O Jesus, my Saviour, my good Shepherd, I have strayed far from the path that Thou hast marked out for me; I did not follow in Thy footsteps; I wandered into forbidden places. Repentant and sorrowful, I beg to be admitted again into the fold of Thy faithful followers. I want to confess my sins with the same sincerity as I should wish to do at the moment of my death. My Jesus, I look to Thee with confidence for the grace to examine my conscience well.
O Holy Spirit, come in Thy mercy; enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may know my sins, humbly confess them, and sincerely amend my life.
Mary, my Mother, immaculate spouse of the Holy Ghost, refuge of sinners, assist me by thy intercession.
Holy angels and saints of God, pray for me. Amen.
A short examination on the Ten Commandments
Written for this page, for a quick review before confession:
- I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me. Have I made time for God in prayer? Have I put money, success, pleasure or another person before God? Have I dabbled in superstition, fortune-telling or the occult? Have I doubted or denied the faith deliberately?
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Have I used God’s name carelessly or in anger? Have I cursed, or sworn falsely?
- Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. Have I missed Sunday Mass or a holy day of obligation through my own fault? Have I made Sunday a day of rest and worship?
- Honor your father and your mother. Have I been disrespectful or disobedient to my parents? Have I neglected my children, my spouse or elderly relatives?
- You shall not kill. Have I been angry, resentful or unwilling to forgive? Have I hurt anyone physically or with words? Have I harmed my own health through drunkenness, drugs or recklessness? Have I taken part in an abortion or encouraged one?
- You shall not commit adultery. Have I been unfaithful in thought or deed? Have I sinned against chastity, alone or with others, or viewed pornography?
- You shall not steal. Have I taken what is not mine, cheated at work or in school, or failed to pay debts or a just wage?
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Have I lied, gossiped, judged rashly or damaged someone’s reputation, including online?
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Have I entertained impure desires or fed them with what I watch and read?
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. Have I been envious, greedy or ungrateful for what I have?
The precepts of the Church (CCC 2042–2043): Have I attended Mass on Sundays and holy days? Confessed my sins at least once a year? Received Holy Communion at least during the Easter season? Kept the days of fasting and abstinence? Helped to provide for the needs of the Church?
Frequently asked questions
How often should Catholics examine their conscience?
Briefly every night before sleep, and more thoroughly before each confession. Many saints recommended a daily examen. See our Catholic night prayers.
What if I cannot remember all my sins?
Confess the sins you remember after an honest examination. Sins you have truly forgotten are forgiven with the others, and if you remember a serious sin later, mention it at your next confession (CCC 1456).
Is there an examination of conscience for children?
Yes. Choose the children’s section in the tool above, or see our examination of conscience for children.
More confession resources
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 1454, 1456, 2042–2043.
- Prayer before confession: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Devotions for Confession, public domain (Wikisource).
- The short examination was written for this page.