A study attempted to: (1) identify principals' perceptions of their occupational responsibilities and their academic preparation to function in these areas; (2) determine significant relationships between perceptions of preparation and perceptions of difficulty; and (3) determine significant differences among the perceptions of groups of principals categorized on the bases of: level of school, number of students enrolled in the school, years of service, highest degree attained, sex, and race. Subjects were 312 Georgia school principals who returned a survey out of an original randomly-selected sample of 500. Data were analyzed using three statistical procedures: one-way frequency distributions; Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients; and analyses of variance. Study findings do not imply (as other research has) a mass exodus from the principalship in Georgia. Principals generally feel adequately prepared for most role activities, and this perception of preparation is highly correlated with their perceptions of role difficulty. There are a great many differences in principals' perceptions based on background variables. Ten tables of study data are appended. (JMK)