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Personality

Big Five personality test

About 20 minutes

Say how well 120 short statements describe you.Say how well 120 short statements describe you.

There are no right or wrong answers. Your answers are saved as you go, so you can stop and carry on later.

About this test

This Big Five personality test asks how well 120 short statements describe you, and gives you a plain picture of five broad domains: how sensitive, outgoing, open to new things, warm and organised you see yourself. Under each domain it shows six facets, the finer traits that make the domain up. The statements are the IPIP-NEO-120 of the psychologist John A. Johnson, a public-domain short form of the long NEO inventories, with four statements for each of thirty facets[1]. It takes about twenty minutes. It is free, there is no sign-up, and your answers stay in this browser.

How the test works

  1. Press Start. You see one statement at a time, such as "Worry about things."
  2. Say how well it describes you, from very inaccurate to very accurate. The next statement comes up by itself.
  3. Changed your mind? Press Back. Each answer is saved in this browser as soon as you give it, so you can stop whenever you like and carry on another day.
  4. After the last statement, press See your result: first one sentence, then each of the five domains on its own ruler. Open a domain to see its six facets.

What your result means

The result has two levels. The five domains come first, each as one plain sentence and a ruler: sensitive or calm, outgoing or quiet, open to new things or down-to-earth, warm or direct, organised or easy-going. Being quiet is not worse than being outgoing, and being easy-going is not worse than being organised. Under each domain, closed until you open it, are its six facets. They show what lies behind the sentence: two people who are both outgoing can differ a lot, one by friendliness and cheerfulness, the other by assertiveness and a love of excitement.

Each ruler runs from the lowest sum your answers could give to the highest. We cut it into five equal parts, and the sentence names the part your sum falls in. That is a place on the ruler, not a rank among other people. A facet rests on only four statements, so read it as a hint to think about, not as a measurement to the decimal.

Each domain is also set beside the people of a published study. 320,128 people in the United States answered the same 120 statements on a website, and their averages and spread are in the table[2]. For answers in English the result says how many in 100 of them you are above or below; in another language it gives one of five rough levels, because the study used the English statements. The study gives each domain as the average of its six facets, and this test adds the facets up, so the figures below are the study's multiplied by six. The facets are not compared: they rest on four statements each. These people chose to take a test online, so they are not a whole country, and the comparison is a guide, not a verdict.

The people your domains are set beside
WhatFigure
People in the study320,128
Sensitive or calm: average and spread66.6, 16.0
Outgoing or quiet: average and spread82.1, 14.2
Open to new things or down-to-earth: average and spread82.3, 12.4
Warm or direct: average and spread89.2, 12.1
Organised or easy-going: average and spread89.7, 14.0
Year the study was published2019

How we measure

The test is the IPIP-NEO-120: 120 statements, four for each of thirty facets, five domains of six facets each, in the words and the order of the International Personality Item Pool[1]. The statements come from a public-domain collection that anyone may use for any purpose, and the author tested the short form against the long one. We show the statements in the authors' own English words, in their order, with their five answers.

  • A facet is the sum of its four statements and a domain the sum of its six facets. Statements that point the other way are counted backwards, so a high sum always means more of the trait.
  • You may leave out a few statements where the result still stands. A domain keeps its number while at most a fifth of its statements are missing, and the missing ones count as the average of the others. A facet has only four statements, so one left out is enough to leave that facet without a number. Every skipped statement is said on the result.
  • Your answers are saved in this browser after each statement, and kept for a month if you stop. When you come back, the test asks whether you want to carry on where you stopped. Once your result is saved, the unfinished sheet is deleted.
  • If the answers came quicker than the statements can be read, or were the same all the way through, the result is shown but kept out of every comparison, and it says so in plain words.

Below are the statements, how they are scored, the licence and the paper, exactly as we use them.

The questionnaire as we use it

The authors' instructions

Describe yourself as you generally are now, not as you wish to be in the future. Describe yourself as you honestly see yourself, in relation to other people you know of the same sex as you are, and roughly your same age. So that you can describe yourself in an honest manner, your responses will be kept in absolute confidence. Indicate for each statement whether it is 1. Very Inaccurate, 2. Moderately Inaccurate, 3. Neither Accurate Nor Inaccurate, 4. Moderately Accurate, or 5. Very Accurate as a description of you.

The statements

Each statement is printed as its authors wrote it. R: counted backwards.

  1. Worry about things.
  2. Make friends easily.
  3. Have a vivid imagination.
  4. Trust others.
  5. Complete tasks successfully.
  6. Get angry easily.
  7. Love large parties.
  8. Believe in the importance of art.
  9. Use others for my own ends.R
  10. Like to tidy up.
  11. Often feel blue.
  12. Take charge.
  13. Experience my emotions intensely.
  14. Love to help others.
  15. Keep my promises.
  16. Find it difficult to approach others.
  17. Am always busy.
  18. Prefer variety to routine.
  19. Love a good fight.R
  20. Work hard.
  21. Go on binges.
  22. Love excitement.
  23. Love to read challenging material.
  24. Believe that I am better than others.R
  25. Am always prepared.
  26. Panic easily.
  27. Radiate joy.
  28. Tend to vote for liberal political candidates.
  29. Sympathize with the homeless.
  30. Jump into things without thinking.R
  31. Fear for the worst.
  32. Feel comfortable around people.
  33. Enjoy wild flights of fantasy.
  34. Believe that others have good intentions.
  35. Excel in what I do.
  36. Get irritated easily.
  37. Talk to a lot of different people at parties.
  38. See beauty in things that others might not notice.
  39. Cheat to get ahead.R
  40. Often forget to put things back in their proper place.R
  41. Dislike myself.
  42. Try to lead others.
  43. Feel others' emotions.
  44. Am concerned about others.
  45. Tell the truth.
  46. Am afraid to draw attention to myself.
  47. Am always on the go.
  48. Prefer to stick with things that I know.R
  49. Yell at people.R
  50. Do more than what's expected of me.
  51. Rarely overindulge.R
  52. Seek adventure.
  53. Avoid philosophical discussions.R
  54. Think highly of myself.R
  55. Carry out my plans.
  56. Become overwhelmed by events.
  57. Have a lot of fun.
  58. Believe that there is no absolute right and wrong.
  59. Feel sympathy for those who are worse off than myself.
  60. Make rash decisions.R
  61. Am afraid of many things.
  62. Avoid contacts with others.R
  63. Love to daydream.
  64. Trust what people say.
  65. Handle tasks smoothly.
  66. Lose my temper.
  67. Prefer to be alone.R
  68. Do not like poetry.R
  69. Take advantage of others.R
  70. Leave a mess in my room.R
  71. Am often down in the dumps.
  72. Take control of things.
  73. Rarely notice my emotional reactions.R
  74. Am indifferent to the feelings of others.R
  75. Break rules.R
  76. Only feel comfortable with friends.
  77. Do a lot in my spare time.
  78. Dislike changes.R
  79. Insult people.R
  80. Do just enough work to get by.R
  81. Easily resist temptations.R
  82. Enjoy being reckless.
  83. Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.R
  84. Have a high opinion of myself.R
  85. Waste my time.R
  86. Feel that I'm unable to deal with things.
  87. Love life.
  88. Tend to vote for conservative political candidates.R
  89. Am not interested in other people's problems.R
  90. Rush into things.R
  91. Get stressed out easily.
  92. Keep others at a distance.R
  93. Like to get lost in thought.
  94. Distrust people.R
  95. Know how to get things done.
  96. Am not easily annoyed.R
  97. Avoid crowds.R
  98. Do not enjoy going to art museums.R
  99. Obstruct others' plans.R
  100. Leave my belongings around.R
  101. Feel comfortable with myself.R
  102. Wait for others to lead the way.R
  103. Don't understand people who get emotional.R
  104. Take no time for others.R
  105. Break my promises.R
  106. Am not bothered by difficult social situations.R
  107. Like to take it easy.R
  108. Am attached to conventional ways.R
  109. Get back at others.R
  110. Put little time and effort into my work.R
  111. Am able to control my cravings.R
  112. Act wild and crazy.
  113. Am not interested in theoretical discussions.R
  114. Boast about my virtues.R
  115. Have difficulty starting tasks.R
  116. Remain calm under pressure.R
  117. Look at the bright side of life.
  118. Believe that we should be tough on crime.R
  119. Try not to think about the needy.R
  120. Act without thinking.R

Answers, from 1 to 5

  • 1 Very Inaccurate
  • 2 Moderately Inaccurate
  • 3 Neither Accurate Nor Inaccurate
  • 4 Moderately Accurate
  • 5 Very Accurate

How it is scored

  • Neuroticism: the sum of statements 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 36, 41, 46, 51R, 56, 61, 66, 71, 76, 81R, 86, 91, 96R, 101R, 106R, 111R, 116R.
  • Extraversion: the sum of statements 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 37, 42, 47, 52, 57, 62R, 67R, 72, 77, 82, 87, 92R, 97R, 102R, 107R, 112, 117.
  • Openness to experience: the sum of statements 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28, 33, 38, 43, 48R, 53R, 58, 63, 68R, 73R, 78R, 83R, 88R, 93, 98R, 103R, 108R, 113R, 118R.
  • Agreeableness: the sum of statements 4, 9R, 14, 19R, 24R, 29, 34, 39R, 44, 49R, 54R, 59, 64, 69R, 74R, 79R, 84R, 89R, 94R, 99R, 104R, 109R, 114R, 119R.
  • Conscientiousness: the sum of statements 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30R, 35, 40R, 45, 50, 55, 60R, 65, 70R, 75R, 80R, 85R, 90R, 95, 100R, 105R, 110R, 115R, 120R.

A statement marked R is counted backwards: an answer a counts as 6 minus a.

Licence

Public domain (International Personality Item Pool)

Because the IPIP has been placed in the public domain, permission has already been automatically granted for any person to use IPIP items, scales, and inventories for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial..

https://ipip.ori.org/newPermission.htm

Read at the source on October 1, 2026.

How to cite it

Johnson, J. A. (2014). Measuring thirty facets of the Five Factor Model with a 120-item public domain inventory: Development of the IPIP-NEO-120. Journal of Research in Personality, 51, 78-89. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2014.05.003

Goldberg, L. R., Johnson, J. A., Eber, H. W., Hogan, R., Ashton, M. C., Cloninger, C. R., & Gough, H. G. (2006). The International Personality Item Pool and the future of public-domain personality measures. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(1), 84-96. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2005.08.007

The five domains and their thirty facets

  • Sensitive or calm (neuroticism): anxiety, anger, low mood, self-consciousness, immoderation and vulnerability.
  • Outgoing or quiet (extraversion): friendliness, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity level, excitement-seeking and cheerfulness.
  • Open to new things or down-to-earth (openness): imagination, artistic interests, emotionality, adventurousness, intellect and liberalism.
  • Warm or direct (agreeableness): trust, morality, altruism, cooperation, modesty and sympathy.
  • Organised or easy-going (conscientiousness): self-efficacy, orderliness, dutifulness, achievement-striving, self-discipline and cautiousness.

Researchers who study personality keep finding these five broad domains in many languages and countries. The facets are the finer grain: where a domain tells you roughly where you stand, its facets tell you what you stand on. The names are the researchers' own; on the result page each has a plain line to say what it means.

Why your result can change

Personality is fairly steady over the years, but answers to a questionnaire move a little from day to day. A tiring week, a recent argument or a good holiday can tip a few answers by a point. A domain rests on twenty-four statements, so it moves little; a facet rests on four, so it moves more. If you take the test again in a month, expect the domains to land in the same place or one fifth away, and a facet or two to jump.

Big Five or personality types?

The Big Five describes each trait as a ruler with most people in the middle. Type systems sort people into a few boxes, and a person near the middle of a ruler can fall into either box on another day. That is why researchers prefer the rulers, and why we show them first. If you want to see your answers read as a type, the 16 personality types test is a view over this test's result, and it says plainly that it is not the instrument behind the well-known sixteen-type tests.

Which personality test to take

The quick personality test has 10 statements and gives a first sketch in two minutes. The personality test has 50 and describes the five traits more steadily. This one has 120, takes longest and is the only one that looks at each trait from six sides. If you are short of time, take a shorter one; they all describe the same five traits.

Questions

Is the Big Five test free?

Yes. There is no account, no sign-up and no email, and nothing to pay.

How long does the Big Five test take?

About twenty minutes. You do not have to finish in one go: every answer is saved in this browser as you give it, and the test offers to carry on where you stopped for a month.

Are there right or wrong answers?

No. The statements ask how you see yourself. Neither end of a trait is better than the other.

Are my answers sent anywhere?

No. The test runs in your browser, and your answers and your result are kept there only. They never go into a web address, a message to us or a statistic.

Who is my result compared with?

With 320,128 people in the United States who answered the same statements online, in a published study we have read. In English each domain gets a percentile among them; in another language one of five rough levels. They are volunteers, not a whole country, so treat the comparison as a guide.

Sources

  1. Johnson, J. A. (2014). Measuring thirty facets of the Five Factor Model with a 120-item public domain inventory: Development of the IPIP-NEO-120. Journal of Research in Personality, 51, 78-89.doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2014.05.003
  2. Kajonius, P. J., & Johnson, J. A. (2019). Assessing the structure of the Five Factor Model of Personality (IPIP-NEO-120) in the public domain. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 15(2), 260–275.doi:10.5964/ejop.v15i2.1671
    n = 320,128; Volunteers in the United States aged 19 to 69 (mean age 28.1; 60% women) who answered all 120 items on a website