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IPIP NEO 120 personality inventory

The IPIP NEO 120 is a questionnaire of one hundred and twenty short statements that measures the five broad traits of personality, called the Big Five, and thirty finer facets inside them[1]. This page prints the whole instrument as this site uses it: all of its statements, how they are scored, the licence it is used under and the papers that published it.

Measures
Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness
The statements
120
Licence
Public domain
Statements from
ipip.ori.org
Used on this site by
Big Five personality test

What it is

John Johnson published the inventory as a short, public-domain way to measure the same thirty facets that a well-known commercial inventory measures, using statements from the International Personality Item Pool. The pool is a collection of questionnaire statements that its authors have given to everyone, and the paper that describes it is listed below with Johnson's own.

Each statement is a short phrase that describes a person, for example "Worry about things". You say how accurate it is as a description of you, from very inaccurate to very accurate. The five domains are neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Each domain has six facets, and each facet has four statements, so every domain is measured by twenty-four statements.

Scoring in plain words

Answers are numbers from one for very inaccurate to five for very accurate. Many of the statements are worded in the opposite direction of their trait, and these are counted backwards, so that a higher number always means more of the trait: an answer of 2 counts as 4.

A facet is the sum of its four statements. A domain is the sum of its six facets, which is the same as the sum of its twenty-four statements. The scoring key below lists every domain and every facet with the statements that make it up, and the list of statements marks the backwards ones with an R. The statements are printed in the numbering of the published inventory, which goes round the five domains and the six facets in turn.

What it can and cannot tell you

Four statements make a facet score a rough guide, and a single odd answer moves it noticeably. The domain scores, with twenty-four statements each, are steadier. A result describes how you answered on one day.

It does not tell you what kind of person you are, which job to take or how you will act in a given situation. The 16 personality types view on this site has no instrument of its own: it re-reads the answers you gave to this inventory and shows them as four dials.

Where you can try it here

The Big Five test asks these statements, shows your five domains and lets you open each one to see its facets, and the 16 personality types test draws the same answers as dials. How the site works out and words its results is described on the methodology page.

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.
  • Anxiety: the sum of statements 1, 31, 61, 91.
  • Anger: the sum of statements 6, 36, 66, 96R.
  • Low mood: the sum of statements 11, 41, 71, 101R.
  • Self-consciousness: the sum of statements 16, 46, 76, 106R.
  • Immoderation: the sum of statements 21, 51R, 81R, 111R.
  • Vulnerability: the sum of statements 26, 56, 86, 116R.
  • Friendliness: the sum of statements 2, 32, 62R, 92R.
  • Gregariousness: the sum of statements 7, 37, 67R, 97R.
  • Assertiveness: the sum of statements 12, 42, 72, 102R.
  • Activity level: the sum of statements 17, 47, 77, 107R.
  • Excitement-seeking: the sum of statements 22, 52, 82, 112.
  • Cheerfulness: the sum of statements 27, 57, 87, 117.
  • Imagination: the sum of statements 3, 33, 63, 93.
  • Artistic interests: the sum of statements 8, 38, 68R, 98R.
  • Emotionality: the sum of statements 13, 43, 73R, 103R.
  • Adventurousness: the sum of statements 18, 48R, 78R, 108R.
  • Intellect: the sum of statements 23, 53R, 83R, 113R.
  • Liberalism: the sum of statements 28, 58, 88R, 118R.
  • Trust: the sum of statements 4, 34, 64, 94R.
  • Morality: the sum of statements 9R, 39R, 69R, 99R.
  • Altruism: the sum of statements 14, 44, 74R, 104R.
  • Cooperation: the sum of statements 19R, 49R, 79R, 109R.
  • Modesty: the sum of statements 24R, 54R, 84R, 114R.
  • Sympathy: the sum of statements 29, 59, 89R, 119R.
  • Self-efficacy: the sum of statements 5, 35, 65, 95.
  • Orderliness: the sum of statements 10, 40R, 70R, 100R.
  • Dutifulness: the sum of statements 15, 45, 75R, 105R.
  • Achievement-striving: the sum of statements 20, 50, 80R, 110R.
  • Self-discipline: the sum of statements 25, 55, 85R, 115R.
  • Cautiousness: the sum of statements 30R, 60R, 90R, 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

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