Career Decision Ambiguity Tolerance Scale: Construction and initial validations

• The Career Decision Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (CDAT) was developed.
• The exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of the CDAT.
• The confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated the three-factor structure of the CDAT.
• The incremental validity of the CDAT was demonstrated by its additive prediction on criteria.

The Career Decision Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (CDAT) measures individual evaluations of and responses to ambiguity encountered in career decision making. It was developed and initially validated through two studies of college students. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis consistently showed a three-factor structure for career decision ambiguity tolerance, consisting of preference, tolerance, and aversion. In addition to support for construct validity and subscale reliabilities, the findings also support the scale's incremental validity in predicting career indecision, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career adaptability over and beyond general ambiguity tolerance. The theoretical meaning and practical application of the CDAT were discussed along with its limitations and suggestions for future research.