The CDS provides an estimate of career indecision and its antecedents, as well as an outcome measure to determine the effects of relevant interventions.

The 4-page Test Booklet contains all items and ratings, as well as space for scoring and recording. Students indicate on a scale of 1 to 4 how closely each statement describes their own thinking process regarding their educational and occupational plans. The CDS is composed of 19 items. The Certainty scale (items 1 and 2) measures the degree of a certainty a student feels about his/her decision about a college major and/or a career. The Indecision scale (items 3-18) provides a measure of career indecision. Item 19 is open-ended, allowing the student to clarify or provide additional information about his/her career decision making.

The CDS Manual provides normative data for high school and college students, as well as limited norms for adult college women and continuing education students.