Interest may be defined as a tendency to choose one activity in preference to another, or to seek out an activity or object. It implies preferences or likes and dislikes for specific activity or a group of specific activities such as lawyer, physician, engineer, musician, artist etc. Interest is generally manifested in the way one likes to spend one’s leisure time. Interest is a preference for a particular activity. Interest provides emotional pleasure. Hobbies are based on interests. In a broad sense interests can be classified in two categories: Extrinsic interests and Intrinsic interests.

If the emotional pleasure of the interest area is attached to the activity, it is intrinsic interest. Liking an activity without any reward is intrinsic. If the emotional pleasure is attached to some reward and praise, it implies extrinsic interest. Liking or doing

any activity for some reward or money implies extrinsic interest. 

Various techniques have been developed to measure interests. They include self ratings, interviews, questionnaires, checklists and inventories. Interest inventories have been primarily used in vocational and educational guidance. They are more satisfactory in some ways than interviews because a large number of specific questions representing a broad range of careers or subject areas are used. A typical interest inventory consists of a list of activities to each of which an individual responds by indicating whether he or she likes/dislikes or is indifferent by indicating preferences. Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) and Kuder Preferences Record are some well known inventories/records for measuring interest.