Updated 3 November 2026
The Big Five, with the facets
IPIP-NEO-120, 120 items, 12 minutes
The Big Five are the five broad traits that personality research keeps finding: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. This inventory measures each with six facets, so it can say not just how extraverted you are but whether that comes from warmth, sociability, assertiveness, pace, thrill-seeking or cheerfulness. It is the public-domain IPIP-NEO-120, scored on your device and compared with a sample of over 400,000 people.
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0 of 120 answered. 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
Your answers and results are stored only in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent to us. A share link carries your scores in the link itself.
Understanding your scores
Neuroticism
High. People high on neuroticism say they worry about things, get irritated easily, often feel blue, are self-conscious around others, find cravings hard to resist and feel overwhelmed under pressure. In daily life that shows as careful planning for what might go wrong, sensitivity to criticism, moods that others can read, and a slow recovery after a bad day. The six facets below show which of those tendencies is strongest for you. It describes how readily feelings arise, not whether anything is wrong, and it is not a diagnosis.
Low. People low on neuroticism say they are not easily annoyed, feel comfortable with themselves, are not bothered by difficult social situations, resist temptations easily and remain calm under pressure. In daily life that shows as being the steady one in a crisis, not dwelling on what went wrong, and sleeping soundly. It does not mean feeling nothing: low scorers have the full range of emotions and return to baseline faster.
Extraversion
High. People high on extraversion say they make friends easily, love large parties, take charge, are always on the go, seek adventure and radiate joy. In daily life that shows as a wide circle, a liking for doing things with others, speaking before thinking, and energy that rises in a busy room. The facets separate warmth, sociability, assertiveness, pace, thrill-seeking and cheerfulness, which do not always go together.
Low. People low on extraversion say they prefer to be alone, avoid crowds, wait for others to lead, like to take it easy and keep others at a distance. In daily life that shows as a small circle of close friends, time alone to recover from social effort, careful speech, and no wish for attention. Introversion is the low end of this scale, not a type, and it is not shyness.
Openness to experience
High. People high on openness say they have a vivid imagination, believe in the importance of art, experience their emotions intensely, prefer variety to routine, love to read challenging material and question convention. In daily life that shows as a wide range of interests, boredom with repetition and a readiness to try the unfamiliar. The scale measures appetite for ideas and experience, not intelligence.
Low. People low on openness say they prefer to stick with what they know, dislike changes, avoid philosophical discussions and have little interest in art museums or poetry. In daily life that shows as settled habits, practical judgement, a liking for clear rules and familiar places, and impatience with speculation. Practical people solve problems every day; they just do not describe themselves as dreamers.
More about openness to experience
Agreeableness
High. People high on agreeableness say they trust others, do not use people, love to help, avoid fights, do not think highly of themselves and feel for those worse off. In daily life that shows as being the one others confide in, giving way in arguments, finding it hard to refuse, and assuming good intentions until proved otherwise. It is not a measure of being liked or of being good.
Low. People low on agreeableness say they distrust people, are indifferent to others' feelings, love a good fight, think highly of themselves and use others for their own ends. In daily life that shows as blunt feedback, hard negotiation, scepticism of motives and comfort with conflict. It is not unkindness: low scorers are often loyal, fair and honest.
Conscientiousness
High. People high on conscientiousness say they complete tasks successfully, like to tidy up, keep their promises, work hard, carry out their plans and avoid rash decisions. In daily life that shows as punctuality, lists, tidy spaces, a steady pace and a reputation for reliability. The costs are a difficulty relaxing, delegating or improvising.
Low. People low on conscientiousness say they leave a mess, break rules, waste time, do just enough to get by and jump into things without thinking. In daily life that shows as flexibility, spontaneity, last-minute finishes and a tolerance for clutter. The scale measures how people organise their effort, not talent or how good the result is.
How reliable is this test
Internal consistency (coefficient alpha) per scale: the published figure, and the figure computed from the norm sample by the script that built the norm table, kept apart:
| Scale | Published | From the norm sample |
|---|---|---|
| Neuroticism | not published | 0.90 |
| Extraversion | not published | 0.89 |
| Openness to experience | not published | 0.82 |
| Agreeableness | not published | 0.86 |
| Conscientiousness | not published | 0.91 |
30 facet scales
| Scale | Published | From the norm sample |
|---|---|---|
| Worry | 0.78 | 0.78 |
| Anger | 0.87 | 0.87 |
| Low mood | 0.85 | 0.85 |
| Self-Consciousness | 0.70 | 0.71 |
| Immoderation | 0.69 | 0.70 |
| Vulnerability | 0.76 | 0.77 |
| Friendliness | 0.81 | 0.81 |
| Gregariousness | 0.79 | 0.80 |
| Assertiveness | 0.85 | 0.85 |
| Activity Level | 0.69 | 0.70 |
| Excitement-Seeking | 0.73 | 0.74 |
| Cheerfulness | 0.79 | 0.80 |
| Imagination | 0.74 | 0.75 |
| Artistic Interests | 0.74 | 0.75 |
| Emotionality | 0.65 | 0.66 |
| Adventurousness | 0.70 | 0.71 |
| Intellect | 0.73 | 0.74 |
| Liberalism | 0.63 | 0.64 |
| Trust | 0.85 | 0.86 |
| Morality | 0.74 | 0.75 |
| Altruism | 0.73 | 0.74 |
| Cooperation | 0.71 | 0.71 |
| Modesty | 0.73 | 0.74 |
| Sympathy | 0.72 | 0.73 |
| Self-Efficacy | 0.77 | 0.78 |
| Orderliness | 0.83 | 0.84 |
| Dutifulness | 0.67 | 0.68 |
| Achievement-Striving | 0.79 | 0.80 |
| Self-Discipline | 0.71 | 0.72 |
| Cautiousness | 0.88 | 0.88 |
Coefficient alpha per facet from the IPIP key page (https://ipip.ori.org/30FacetNEO-PI-RItems.htm, internet sample N = 619,150), accessed 3 November 2026. The key page gives no domain alphas; the norms file records domain alphas computed from the same public dataset by scripts/norms/ipip-neo-120.py.
Cronbach's alpha from the 410376 complete rows, computed by the generating script. Published facet alphas are in the instrument file.
Percentiles compare you with 410,376 people (everyone in the sample) in Johnson, J. A. IPIP-NEO-120 public dataset (IPIP120.dat), OSF component wxvth of osf.io/tbmh5. 619150 rows read; 208774 dropped for a missing item response (coded 0) or a short line; 410376 kept. Age bands use the AGE field; the UK group uses the COUNTRY field. No licence is stated on the OSF component; the data are the public dataset the IPIP-NEO-120 paper describes.
No test-retest figure is given on the IPIP key page for the IPIP-NEO-120. Johnson (2014) reports the facet alphas shown here from an internet sample of 619,150 people. Personality scores are fairly stable over weeks and months; a change of a few points between attempts is usual.
Limits worth knowing: this is a self-report, so it measures how you see yourself. Four-item facets are short, and several have alphas below 0.70, so a facet score moves more between attempts than a domain score does. The comparison sample answered online, is young on average, and is not a representative sample of any country.
Guides that cover this
- Are personality tests accurate?
- Big Five vs HEXACO: which should I take?
- Big Five vs MBTI: which should I take?
- Can personality change?
- Can you fake a personality test?
- How do character strengths relate to the Big Five?
- How does curiosity relate to openness?
- How does perseverance relate to conscientiousness?
- How does trust relate to agreeableness?
- How reliable is the Big Five?
- Introvert, extrovert, ambivert: where is the line?
- Is 16Personalities accurate?
- Is courage a personality trait?
- Is creativity a personality trait?
- Is introversion the same as shyness?
- Is orderliness the same as perfectionism?
- Is patience a personality trait?
- Trait vs ability emotional intelligence: what is the difference?
- What are the six facets of extraversion?
- What does a high conscientiousness score mean at work?
- What does a low agreeableness score mean?
- What does the Big Five measure?
- What is a Holland code?
- What is assertiveness, and what is it not?
- What is emotional stability?
- What is honesty-humility?
Questions people ask
What is the difference between this and the short Big Five test?
This one has 120 items and scores thirty facets, six under each of the five domains, so it can tell you which parts of a trait are high or low for you. The short test has fifty items and scores only the five domains. Both are public-domain IPIP instruments.
Is the IPIP-NEO-120 the same as the NEO PI-R?
No. The IPIP-NEO-120 is a public-domain inventory built to measure constructs similar to the thirty facets of a well-known commercial inventory, using items from the International Personality Item Pool. The items, the norms and the scoring are its own, and anyone may use it for any purpose.
Who am I being compared with?
With 410,376 people who completed the inventory online, after rows with any missing answer were removed from the public dataset the test's author released. The site also holds counts by age band and for the United Kingdom, from the same dataset.
How long does it take?
About twelve minutes: 120 statements, each rated on a five-point scale, ten to a screen. Your answers are saved on your device as you go, so you can stop and carry on later.
What is a facet?
A narrower trait inside a broad one. Extraversion, for example, is made of friendliness, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity level, excitement-seeking and cheerfulness, and two people with the same extraversion score can differ a lot on those six.
Where do my answers go?
Nowhere. The test is scored in your browser and the result is kept only on this device. If you choose to share a link, your scores are inside the link itself and nothing is sent to this site.
Sources and licence
Instrument: IPIP-NEO-120. 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
Scoring key: https://ipip.ori.org/30FacetNEO-PI-RItems.htm, items from https://osf.io/ycvdk/, checked 2026-11-03.
Norms: Johnson, J. A. IPIP-NEO-120 public dataset (IPIP120.dat), OSF component wxvth of osf.io/tbmh5, https://osf.io/wxvth/, generated 2026-11-03 by scripts/norms/ipip-neo-120.py.
Licence: Public domain (IPIP). Permission is granted automatically for any person to use IPIP items for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial. https://ipip.ori.org/newPermission.htm Credit: International Personality Item Pool, https://ipip.ori.org/; IPIP-NEO-120 by John A. Johnson.