Free self-tests · 15 min · 120 questions
Big Five Personality Test (IPIP-NEO-120)
This free Big Five personality test uses the IPIP-NEO-120, a 120-item questionnaire published by John A. Johnson in 2014. Its items come from Lewis Goldberg's public-domain International Personality Item Pool. You'll get a score for five broad traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness) and for six narrower facets within each one.
It takes about 15 minutes. Answer quickly and honestly; there are no right or wrong answers. Your answers are scored in your browser and never stored or sent anywhere. It's a tool for self-reflection, not a 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.
Your results
This is a self-report questionnaire, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified professional can assess you properly.
Talk it through: book a session
The PDF is created on your device. Your saved answers stay in this browser until you start again or clear them.
What your result can and can't tell you
The IPIP-NEO-120 describes broad patterns in how you tend to think, feel and act. It can't tell you who you should be, and it isn't a diagnosis. Scores shift a little with mood, stress and life stage, so a hard month can colour your answers.
The bands here are descriptive. They split the 1 to 5 answer range into lower (below 2.5), middle (2.5 to 3.49) and higher (3.5 and above). They aren't based on published norms, so they show where your answers sit on the scale rather than how you compare with other people.
Personality also lives in context. Moving countries can bring out a different side of you: someone sociable at home may feel shy in a second language, and family expectations can pull on agreeableness and conscientiousness in ways a questionnaire can't capture. If that rings true, you might find the pages on identity and belonging or family duty and self helpful.
Person-centred counselling doesn't try to change your personality. It offers a space to understand yourself on your own terms. If you'd like to talk something through, you can read about me, see online therapy for expats, or book a session.
How the score score works
120 questions, scored as the average of your answers; 55 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.
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Lower | 1 to 2.49 |
| Middle | 2.5 to 3.49 |
| Higher | 3.5 to 5 |
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Lower | 1 to 2.49 |
| Middle | 2.5 to 3.49 |
| Higher | 3.5 to 5 |
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Lower | 1 to 2.49 |
| Middle | 2.5 to 3.49 |
| Higher | 3.5 to 5 |
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Lower | 1 to 2.49 |
| Middle | 2.5 to 3.49 |
| Higher | 3.5 to 5 |
| Score | Range |
|---|---|
| Lower | 1 to 2.49 |
| Middle | 2.5 to 3.49 |
| Higher | 3.5 to 5 |
About this questionnaire
IPIP-NEO-120 by John A. Johnson (items from Lewis R. Goldberg's International Personality Item Pool) (2014).
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.05.003
Used in line with the published terms of use.
Questions people ask
What is the IPIP-NEO-120?
It's a 120-item personality questionnaire published by John A. Johnson in 2014. It uses items from the International Personality Item Pool, a public-domain collection started by Lewis Goldberg, to measure the five broad traits of the Five Factor Model and 30 narrower facets, with four items per facet. It was designed as a shorter version of the 300-item IPIP-NEO.
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 trait score is the average of your answers on a 1 to 5 scale, after reversing the items worded in the opposite direction. The lower, middle and higher bands simply divide that range into three parts. They aren't based on published norms, so they describe where your answers fall on the scale rather than ranking you against other people.
Can I take the test again?
Yes. You might find it interesting to retake it in a few months, or after a big change such as a move abroad. How you see yourself can shift with mood, stress and circumstance, and comparing results over time can be a useful prompt for reflection, on your own or with a counsellor.