Social competence is concerned to how people perceive and act in a variety of social situations. This study evaluates the psychometric characteristics of the Perceived Social Competence Scale (PSC-Car). Participants were 572 Portuguese adolescents (M=13.28 years; SD=.59) who are in the 8th grade. Results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis suggest a factorial solution consisting of eight factors. The global indices of fitness of the model are quite robust, proving that it is a good solution in the adjustment of empirical data (X²/df=4.097, CFI=.895, GFI=.851, RMSEA=.079). The results stimulate the development of new researches and interventions that approach social skills in order to develop socially intelligent behaviors for career adaptation, advancement and success of young people.
Social skills; vocational guidance; adolescents; confirmatory factor analysis