Big Five personality test questions (free PDF)

All 120 questions of the IPIP-NEO-120, the public-domain Big Five personality test by John A. Johnson, ready to print, with the scoring key for the five traits and 30 facets. Prefer instant results? Take the same test online and see your percentiles.

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In short: you can take the full Big Five test on paper. Print the 120 statements, mark each from 1 to 5, reverse the ones marked R, then add four statements for each facet and six facets for each trait. Each trait scores from 24 to 120; below the 30th percentile counts as low and above the 70th as high, based on 619,150 people (Johnson, 2014).

How to use the printable Big Five test

Print the questionnaire (pages 2 to 4 of the PDF) and the scoring key with the score ranges (pages 5 to 7).
For each statement, mark the one circle that best describes how you generally are now, not how you wish to be. Compare yourself with people of your own sex and roughly your age.
Answer every statement and try not to use "Neither" too often. It takes most people 10 to 15 minutes.
Score your answers with the key below: each facet adds up 4 statements, each trait adds up its 6 facets.

The statements are public domain (International Personality Item Pool), shown here in the first person ("I worry about things"). Questionnaire: Johnson (2014). Free to print and copy for personal, teaching and research use.

The 120 Big Five questions

Name: ____________________ Date: __________

Mark one circle per statement: 1 = very inaccurate, 2 = moderately inaccurate, 3 = neither accurate nor inaccurate, 4 = moderately accurate, 5 = very accurate.

Number	Statement	1 Very inaccurate	2 Moderately inaccurate	3 Neither	4 Moderately accurate	5 Very accurate
1	I worry about things.
2	I make friends easily.
3	I have a vivid imagination.
4	I trust others.
5	I complete tasks successfully.
6	I get angry easily.
7	I love large parties.
8	I believe in the importance of art.
9	I use others for my own ends.
10	I like to tidy up.
11	I often feel blue.
12	I take charge.
13	I experience my emotions intensely.
14	I love to help others.
15	I keep my promises.
16	I find it difficult to approach others.
17	I am always busy.
18	I prefer variety to routine.
19	I love a good fight.
20	I work hard.
21	I go on binges.
22	I love excitement.
23	I love to read challenging material.
24	I believe that I am better than others.
25	I am always prepared.
26	I panic easily.
27	I radiate joy.
28	I tend to vote for liberal political candidates.
29	I sympathize with the homeless.
30	I jump into things without thinking.
31	I fear for the worst.
32	I feel comfortable around people.
33	I enjoy wild flights of fantasy.
34	I believe that others have good intentions.
35	I excel in what I do.
36	I get irritated easily.
37	I talk to a lot of different people at parties.
38	I see beauty in things that others might not notice.
39	I cheat to get ahead.
40	I often forget to put things back in their proper place.
41	I dislike myself.
42	I try to lead others.
43	I feel others' emotions.
44	I am concerned about others.
45	I tell the truth.
46	I am afraid to draw attention to myself.
47	I am always on the go.
48	I prefer to stick with things that I know.
49	I yell at people.
50	I do more than what's expected of me.
51	I rarely overindulge.
52	I seek adventure.
53	I avoid philosophical discussions.
54	I think highly of myself.
55	I carry out my plans.
56	I become overwhelmed by events.
57	I have a lot of fun.
58	I believe that there is no absolute right or wrong.
59	I feel sympathy for those who are worse off than myself.
60	I make rash decisions.
61	I am afraid of many things.
62	I avoid contacts with others.
63	I love to daydream.
64	I trust what people say.
65	I handle tasks smoothly.
66	I lose my temper.
67	I prefer to be alone.
68	I do not like poetry.
69	I take advantage of others.
70	I leave a mess in my room.
71	I am often down in the dumps.
72	I take control of things.
73	I rarely notice my emotional reactions.
74	I am indifferent to the feelings of others.
75	I break rules.
76	I only feel comfortable with friends.
77	I do a lot in my spare time.
78	I dislike changes.
79	I insult people.
80	I do just enough work to get by.
81	I easily resist temptations.
82	I enjoy being reckless.
83	I have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
84	I have a high opinion of myself.
85	I waste my time.
86	I feel that I'm unable to deal with things.
87	I love life.
88	I tend to vote for conservative political candidates.
89	I am not interested in other people's problems.
90	I rush into things.
91	I get stressed out easily.
92	I keep others at a distance.
93	I like to get lost in thought.
94	I distrust people.
95	I know how to get things done.
96	I am not easily annoyed.
97	I avoid crowds.
98	I do not enjoy going to art museums.
99	I obstruct others' plans.
100	I leave my belongings around.
101	I feel comfortable with myself.
102	I wait for others to lead the way.
103	I don't understand people who get emotional.
104	I take no time for others.
105	I break my promises.
106	I am not bothered by difficult social situations.
107	I like to take it easy.
108	I am attached to conventional ways.
109	I get back at others.
110	I put little time and effort into my work.
111	I am able to control my cravings.
112	I act wild and crazy.
113	I am not interested in theoretical discussions.
114	I boast about my virtues.
115	I have difficulty starting tasks.
116	I remain calm under pressure.
117	I look at the bright side of life.
118	I believe that we should be tough on crime.
119	I try not to think about the needy.
120	I act without thinking.

How to score the Big Five test

Write down the number you marked for each statement (1 to 5).
For statements marked R in the key, reverse the number: 1 becomes 5, 2 becomes 4, 3 stays 3, 4 becomes 2 and 5 becomes 1.
Add the four numbers for each facet (4 to 20), then add a trait's six facets for the trait score (24 to 120).

Facet	Statements (R = reverse)	Facet score
Openness		Trait total: ______
Imagination	3, 33, 63, 93	______
Artistic interests	8, 38, 68 R, 98 R	______
Emotionality	13, 43, 73 R, 103 R	______
Adventurousness	18, 48 R, 78 R, 108 R	______
Intellect	23, 53 R, 83 R, 113 R	______
Liberalism	28, 58, 88 R, 118 R	______
Conscientiousness		Trait total: ______
Self-efficacy	5, 35, 65, 95	______
Orderliness	10, 40 R, 70 R, 100 R	______
Dutifulness	15, 45, 75 R, 105 R	______
Achievement-striving	20, 50, 80 R, 110 R	______
Self-discipline	25, 55, 85 R, 115 R	______
Cautiousness	30 R, 60 R, 90 R, 120 R	______
Extraversion		Trait total: ______
Friendliness	2, 32, 62 R, 92 R	______
Gregariousness	7, 37, 67 R, 97 R	______
Assertiveness	12, 42, 72, 102 R	______
Activity level	17, 47, 77, 107 R	______
Excitement-seeking	22, 52, 82, 112	______
Cheerfulness	27, 57, 87, 117	______
Agreeableness		Trait total: ______
Trust	4, 34, 64, 94 R	______
Morality	9 R, 39 R, 69 R, 99 R	______
Altruism	14, 44, 74 R, 104 R	______
Cooperation	19 R, 49 R, 79 R, 109 R	______
Modesty	24 R, 54 R, 84 R, 114 R	______
Sympathy	29, 59, 89 R, 119 R	______
Neuroticism		Trait total: ______
Anxiety	1, 31, 61, 91	______
Anger	6, 36, 66, 96 R	______
Depression	11, 41, 71, 101 R	______
Self-consciousness	16, 46, 76, 106 R	______
Immoderation	21, 51 R, 81 R, 111 R	______
Vulnerability	26, 56, 86, 116 R	______

What your trait scores mean

The table shows the trait score reached by people at each percentile in Johnson's sample of 619,150 people who took this test online (data, CC BY 4.0). A score at the 70th percentile is higher than 70 out of 100 people.

Trait (24 to 120)	10th	30th	50th	70th	90th
Openness	67	77	83	90	99
Conscientiousness	68	80	88	96	106
Extraversion	63	76	84	91	100
Agreeableness	72	83	90	96	104
Neuroticism	48	59	67	76	89

Below the 30th percentile counts as low, above the 70th as high. The comparison group were online volunteers, mostly young adults and mostly from the USA, so treat these as a guide. Read what each trait means in our guide to the Big Five personality traits.

Big Five test PDF: common questions

Is the Big Five personality test PDF free to use?

Yes. The 120 statements come from the International Personality Item Pool, which places its items in the public domain, so you can print, copy and use them for personal, teaching or research purposes without a fee. Please credit Johnson (2014) and ipip.ori.org.

How long does the printed test take?

Most people take 10 to 15 minutes to answer the 120 statements on paper, and another 10 minutes to score them by hand with the key.

How do I get percentiles instead of raw scores?

Use the table of score ranges on this page for a rough guide, or take the same test online: the free Assessivo Big Five test scores it instantly and compares you with 619,150 people, by sex and age group.

Skip the scoring

The online version scores all 120 answers instantly, with percentiles for every trait and facet, by sex and age group.

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