You've been getting closer with a woman and you're thinking, Hmm… she might be the one. But in the back of your mind an insistent little voice keeps nagging, This is too good to be true. And instant replays of all the mood swings, temper tantrums and unbridled greediness of your past girlfriends flit through your brain.

Maybe there have been inklings that all is not sunny in relationship paradise; or maybe you're just feeling a need to tap the brakes a little and tread cautiously — after all, dating is a significant investment of time if you're not headed in the right direction. So before you commit, put her to the test. Women are constantly testing us and constantly evaluating the results, so it's only fair for us to turn the tables. Here are a few tests you can try on for size:

Excess baggage

Lots of women are the "walking wounded" — they carry around unresolved hurt and anger from past relationships and expect the new men in their lives to tolerate their outbursts. To evaluate your girlfriend's baggage level, quiz her about her past boyfriends. If she comes back with, "Troy and I are still friends, even though it didn't work out," you're in safe territory. But if she says nothing or begins badmouthing him like a maniac, run.