Free self-tests · 15 min · 99 questions

Big Five Aspects Test (BFAS)

The Big Five Aspect Scales (BFAS) were developed by Colin DeYoung, Lena Quilty and Jordan Peterson in 2007. They split each of the five broad personality traits into two aspects: for example, Neuroticism into Volatility and Withdrawal, and Extraversion into Enthusiasm and Assertiveness. The items are published on the public-domain International Personality Item Pool.

It takes 12 to 15 minutes. Answer as you usually are, not as you'd like to be. Your answers are scored in your browser and never stored or sent. It's for self-reflection, not diagnosis.

Free, no sign-up. Your progress is saved only in this browser on this device, so you can stop and come back later. Nothing is sent to anyone.

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.

1. Get angry easily.
2. Am filled with doubts about things.
3. Feel others’ emotions.
4. Respect authority.
5. Carry out my plans.
6. Like order.
7. Make friends easily.
8. Take charge.
9. Am quick to understand things.
10. Enjoy the beauty of nature.
11. Get upset easily.
12. Feel threatened easily.
13. Inquire about others’ well-being.
14. Hate to seem pushy.
15. Finish what I start.
16. Keep things tidy.
17. Warm up quickly to others.
18. Have a strong personality.
19. Can handle a lot of information.
20. Believe in the importance of art.
21. Change my mood a lot.
22. Worry about things.
23. Sympathize with others’ feelings.
24. Avoid imposing my will on others.
25. Get things done quickly.
26. Follow a schedule.
27. Show my feelings when I’m happy.
28. Know how to captivate people.
29. Like to solve complex problems.
30. Love to reflect on things.
31. Am a person whose moods go up and down easily.
32. Am easily discouraged.
33. Take an interest in other people’s lives.
34. Rarely put people under pressure.
35. Always know what I am doing.
36. Want everything to be “just right.”
37. Have a lot of fun.
38. See myself as a good leader.
39. Have a rich vocabulary.
40. Get deeply immersed in music.
41. Get easily agitated.
42. Become overwhelmed by events.
43. Like to do things for others.
44. Insult people.
45. Waste my time.
46. See that rules are observed.
47. Laugh a lot.
48. Can talk others into doing things.
49. Think quickly.
50. See beauty in things that others might not notice.
51. Can be stirred up easily.
52. Am afraid of many things.
53. Am not interested in other people’s problems.
54. Believe that I am better than others.
55. Find it difficult to get down to work.
56. Want every detail taken care of.
57. Am hard to get to know.
58. Am the first to act.
59. Formulate ideas clearly.
60. Need a creative outlet.
61. Rarely get irritated.
62. Seldom feel blue.
63. Can’t be bothered with other’s needs.
64. Take advantage of others.
65. Mess things up.
66. Leave my belongings around.
67. Keep others at a distance.
68. Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
69. Do not like poetry.
70. Keep my emotions under control.
71. Feel comfortable with myself.
72. Am indifferent to the feelings of others.
73. Seek conflict.
74. Don’t put my mind on the task at hand.
75. Am not bothered by messy people.
76. Reveal little about myself.
77. Lack the talent for influencing people.
78. Avoid philosophical discussions.
79. Seldom get lost in thought.
80. Rarely lose my composure.
81. Rarely feel depressed.
82. Take no time for others.
83. Love a good fight.
84. Postpone decisions.
85. Am not bothered by disorder.
86. Rarely get caught up in the excitement.
87. Wait for others to lead the way.
88. Avoid difficult reading material.
89. Seldom daydream.
90. Am not easily annoyed.
91. Am not embarrassed easily.
92. Don’t have a soft side.
93. Am out for my own personal gain.
94. Am easily distracted.
95. Dislike routine.
96. Am not a very enthusiastic person.
97. Hold back my opinions.
98. Learn things slowly.
99. Seldom notice the emotional aspects of paintings and pictures.

What your result can and can't tell you

The BFAS shows broad patterns in how you tend to feel, relate and act. It can't tell you who you should be, and it isn't a diagnosis. Mood, stress and circumstance all colour the answers you give on a particular day.

Your scores are compared with the university sample in DeYoung, Quilty and Peterson (2007): 480 students in Canada, mostly young adults, from varied ethnic backgrounds. "Lower than most" means more than one standard deviation below that group's average, and "higher than most" more than one above. Compared with people of your own age or culture, your result might look different.

The aspects can be more revealing than the five big traits. Two people with the same Agreeableness score might differ a lot: one warm and caring (Compassion), the other careful to respect authority and avoid conflict (Politeness). If you grew up putting family first, that second pattern may feel familiar, and the pages on people-pleasing and boundaries with family might be useful.

Person-centred counselling isn't about fixing your traits. It's a place to understand them on your own terms. You can read more about online counselling for women or book a session.

How the BFAS score works

99 questions, scored as the average of your answers; 45 are reverse-scored. These are the score ranges this page uses to describe your result. Where the questionnaire's authors publish official cut-offs, the ranges follow them; the sources are listed below.

Neuroticism
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.11
Around average2.12 to 3.52
Higher than most3.53 to 5
Volatility
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 1.89
Around average1.9 to 3.54
Higher than most3.55 to 5
Withdrawal
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.16
Around average2.17 to 3.67
Higher than most3.68 to 5
Agreeableness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 3.13
Around average3.14 to 4.26
Higher than most4.27 to 5
Compassion
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 3.21
Around average3.22 to 4.52
Higher than most4.53 to 5
Politeness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.84
Around average2.85 to 4.19
Higher than most4.2 to 5
Conscientiousness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.49
Around average2.5 to 3.62
Higher than most3.63 to 5
Industriousness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.13
Around average2.14 to 3.54
Higher than most3.55 to 5
Orderliness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.63
Around average2.64 to 3.92
Higher than most3.93 to 5
Extraversion
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.73
Around average2.74 to 4.0
Higher than most4.01 to 5
Enthusiasm
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.78
Around average2.79 to 4.25
Higher than most4.26 to 5
Assertiveness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.49
Around average2.5 to 3.92
Higher than most3.93 to 5
Openness/Intellect
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.94
Around average2.95 to 3.99
Higher than most4.0 to 5
Intellect
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.71
Around average2.72 to 4.06
Higher than most4.07 to 5
Openness
ScoreRange
Lower than most1 to 2.87
Around average2.88 to 4.16
Higher than most4.17 to 5

About this questionnaire

Big Five Aspect Scales (BFAS) by Colin G. DeYoung, Lena C. Quilty, Jordan B. Peterson (2007).

DeYoung, C. G., Quilty, L. C., & Peterson, J. B. (2007). Between facets and domains: 10 aspects of the Big Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(5), 880-896. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.5.880

Used in line with the published terms of use.

Questions people ask

What's the difference between aspects and facets?

Facets are narrow traits, such as the 30 measured by the IPIP-NEO. Aspects sit between facets and the five broad domains. DeYoung, Quilty and Peterson found that the facets within each domain clustered into two related but distinct groups, giving ten aspects in all. They're a middle level of detail, more specific than the Big Five but simpler than 30 facets.

Are my answers stored anywhere?

No. The test runs entirely in your browser. Your answers and scores aren't saved on a server, sent to me, or shared with anyone. If you close or refresh the page, your answers are gone, so you may want to note down your scores if you'd like to keep them.

How are the bands worked out?

Each score is the average of your answers on a 1 to 5 scale, after reversing the items worded in the opposite direction. Bands use the means and standard deviations reported for the university sample in DeYoung, Quilty and Peterson (2007). Scores within one standard deviation of that average count as around average. Bear in mind it was a group of mostly young students.

Is this the same as the Big Five test?

It measures the same five broad traits, but with different items and a different level of detail. If you'd like facet-level results instead, the IPIP-NEO-120 on this site gives 30 narrower facets. Taking both can be interesting, and small differences between them are normal because each uses its own set of questions.

Sources

  1. IPIP: BFAS Scoring Keys
  2. International Personality Item Pool: permission
  3. DeYoung, Quilty & Peterson (2007), Between facets and domains: 10 aspects of the Big Five (PDF)
  4. International Personality Item Pool: scoring instructions

Related tests

Assertiveness test: do you take the lead or hold back?Big Five Personality Test (IPIP-NEO-120)Emotional awareness test: how closely do you notice your feelings?Perfectionism test: how high are your standards?Self-consciousness test: how comfortable are you around others?Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI): a two-minute Big Five test