Free Big Five Personality Test
Rate 120 short statements about yourself and see where you fall on the Big Five: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
120 statements · about 12 minutes · free results · no sign-up
How accurately does this describe you?
Free test and results. Optional full report $9.90, opening soon. See a sample result
What is the Big Five personality test?
The Big Five personality test measures the five broad traits psychologists use to describe personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, known as OCEAN. This version uses the IPIP-NEO-120, 120 public-domain statements published by John A. Johnson in 2014, and compares your answers with 320,128 people who took the same test online.
The model is also called the five-factor model (FFM) or the Big 5. Unlike type tests, it doesn’t sort you into a box: each trait is a scale, and your result shows where you fall on it compared with other people.
The test at a glance
- Questions
- 120 statements, each rated on a 5-point scale
- Time
- About 12 minutes
- Measures
- 5 traits and 30 facets (6 per trait)
- Questionnaire
- IPIP-NEO-120 (Johnson, 2014), public domain
- Compared with
- 320,128 adults who took it online (Kajonius & Johnson, 2019)
- Price
- Free test and trait scores; full report $9.90 once
- Sign-up
- Not needed
- Your result
- Private to you, never indexed, deletable
- O Openness
- C Conscientiousness
- E Extraversion
- A Agreeableness
- N Neuroticism
What your result looks like
Each column is one trait. The red line joins your five scores. A score of 84 means you scored higher than about 84% of people in a large online sample.
The shaded band is the average range, the 31st to 68th percentile, where about 38% of people score on any one trait. Scores outside it are where your personality stands out.
The free result explains each of the five traits. The full report splits each one into six facets and covers work, relationships and stress. Read a full sample report
The five Big Five traits (OCEAN)
Every trait is a scale between two ends. A score isn’t a verdict on you: each end has its own strengths and costs, and which helps more depends on the situation.
Openness
Lower:Prefers the familiar and practical; likes clear, conventional ways of doing things.
Higher:Curious and imaginative; drawn to new ideas, art and unusual experiences.
Conscientiousness
Lower:Flexible and spontaneous; plans loosely and can leave things unfinished.
Higher:Organized and dependable; plans ahead and follows through.
Extraversion
Lower:Reserved; recharges alone and prefers small groups and quiet settings.
Higher:Outgoing and energetic; seeks company, talk and excitement.
Agreeableness
Lower:Direct and skeptical; comfortable with conflict and competition.
Higher:Warm and trusting; cooperative and quick to help.
Neuroticism
Lower:Calm and steady; stress tends to pass quickly.
Higher:Feels worry, anger and sadness more often and more strongly.
What are the 30 facets?
Each trait splits into six narrower facets, measured by four statements each.
Facets explain why two people with the same trait score can feel so different. Two people can both score average on extraversion: one is friendly but rarely takes the lead, the other is assertive but happy alone. The full report scores and explains all 30.
Openness
- Imagination
- Artistic interests
- Emotionality
- Adventurousness
- Intellect
- Liberalism
Conscientiousness
- Self-efficacy
- Orderliness
- Dutifulness
- Achievement-striving
- Self-discipline
- Cautiousness
Extraversion
- Friendliness
- Gregariousness
- Assertiveness
- Activity level
- Excitement-seeking
- Cheerfulness
Agreeableness
- Trust
- Morality
- Altruism
- Cooperation
- Modesty
- Sympathy
Neuroticism
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Depression
- Self-consciousness
- Immoderation
- Vulnerability
Free result vs. full report
The free result is complete on its own: you see all five scores and what they mean, with no sign-up.
The full report is optional. It costs $9.90 once, with no subscription, and you can get a full refund within 14 days. The full report isn’t on sale yet; it opens soon, and the sample report shows everything in it. Read a full sample report
| Feature | Free | Full report |
|---|---|---|
| Your five trait scores as percentiles, on a profile chart | Included | Included |
| What each of your five scores means | Included | Included |
| A summary of what stands out in your profile | Included | Included |
| All 30 facet scores, each explained for you | Not included | Included |
| How your traits combine: strengths and blind spots | Not included | Included |
| Advice for work, relationships and stress, with examples | Not included | Included |
| Printable report, or save as PDF | Not included | Included |
| Price | Free | $9.90 once |
How it’s scored, and how accurate it is
How your answers are scored
- 1You rate each statement from “Very inaccurate” to “Very accurate”. Statements worded the other way round, such as “Rarely get irritated”, are reverse-scored.
- 2Each facet score adds up its four statements. Each trait score is the average of its six facets.
- 3Each score becomes an estimated percentile by comparing it with 320,128 adults who took the IPIP-NEO-120 online. A percentile of 70 means you scored higher than about 70% of them.
- 4Scores from the 31st to the 68th percentile count as average: within half a standard deviation of the mean, where about 38% of people score. Scores outside that range are where your personality stands out.
What it can and can’t tell you
- It is reliable for a questionnaire. In the norm sample, the five trait scales had reliabilities (Cronbach’s alpha) of .82 to .90. Facets, with four statements each, are less precise: .66 to .88.
- It shows how you see yourself. Mood, circumstances and how candidly you answer all move the scores. A score near a band edge is approximate.
- The comparison group isn’t everyone. It is US volunteers who took the test online, with an average age of 28.
- It isn’t a diagnosis. The test is for self-reflection and education. It isn’t a clinical assessment, and it shouldn’t be used to make hiring decisions about other people.
Big Five vs. MBTI and other type tests
Type tests, such as the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and 16Personalities, give you a four-letter type. The Big Five gives you scores.
If you know your type, your Big Five result will look familiar. Studies that gave people both tests found extraversion lines up with E/I, openness with N/S, agreeableness with F/T and conscientiousness with J/P. Neuroticism, how strongly you react to stress, has no letter in the MBTI.
| Aspect | Big Five (this test) | 16-type tests |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A score on each of five scales | One of 16 four-letter types |
| If you’re in the middle | Shown as average, the most common place to score | Rounded to one side of each letter |
| On a retest | Scores move a little | A letter can flip when a score sits near the cut-off |
| The questions | Public domain, free to use | The official MBTI is proprietary and paid |
| In research | The most widely used model | Used much less |
Questions people ask
Something else? Contact us
Is this personality test really free?
Yes. The 120 questions and your five trait scores, each with an explanation, are free, with no sign-up, email or card. The only paid item is the optional full report, $9.90 once, which adds your 30 facet scores and advice. The full report isn’t on sale yet; it opens soon, and the sample report shows everything in it.
Do I need to sign up or give my email?
No. You can take the test and see your result without an account or an email address. Your result is stored on our server, and a private key saved in your browser is what opens it. Only if you buy the full report do you sign in, so the report is saved to your account and opens on any device.
How long does the test take?
About 12 minutes for 120 short statements. Your answers are saved as you go, so if you close the page you can pick up where you left off on the same device.
How accurate is the Big Five test?
It is one of the most studied personality questionnaires. In a sample of 320,128 people, its five trait scales had reliabilities of .82 to .90 (Cronbach's alpha), which is good for a questionnaire. Your result still shows how you see yourself on the day you take it, so answer for how you usually are, not how you'd like to be. How the test is scored
Is the Big Five the same as OCEAN?
Yes. OCEAN is an acronym of the five traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. The same model is also called the five-factor model (FFM), the Big 5 or CANOE.
What's the difference between the Big Five and MBTI?
The Big Five scores you on five scales and shows where you fall compared with other people. The Myers-Briggs (MBTI) puts you into one of 16 types. Most people score near the middle on most traits, a detail a type has to round off. The Big Five is the model most used in personality research.
What's in the $9.90 full report?
All 30 facet scores, each with what it means for you; how your five traits combine; your strengths and blind spots; and advice for work, relationships and stress, with examples. You can print it or save it as a PDF. The full report isn’t on sale yet; it opens soon, and the sample report shows everything in it. Read a sample report
Is it a one-time payment or a subscription?
One payment of $9.90 for the report on one result. There is no subscription and nothing renews. If the report isn't useful, email us within 14 days for a full refund. Refund policy
Will it say something bad about me?
No trait score is good or bad. Both ends of every scale have strengths and costs: a low agreeableness score, for example, often goes with being direct and hard to push around. The result describes tendencies, not your worth or your future.
Can my personality change over time?
Yes, slowly. Traits are fairly stable from year to year, but on average people become more conscientious and agreeable and less neurotic as they get older, and research suggests deliberate effort can shift them a little. Retaking the test after a few years can show the change.
Can I save or share my result?
Your result has its own link that opens only in the browser that took the test (a private key there unlocks it), and search engines never index it. Bookmark it to come back later, but clearing your browser's cookies removes the key, so take a screenshot of anything you want to keep. To share your profile, share the screenshot; the link itself won't open for other people.
Is my data private?
Your answers are stored only to score and show your result. We don't sell them or use them for advertising, and you can delete a result permanently from its page. Privacy policy
Who made this test?
The statements are the IPIP-NEO-120, published by psychologist John A. Johnson in 2014 from the public-domain International Personality Item Pool. The scoring and explanations on this site are written by a small independent team, from published research. Methods and sources
Sources
Written by the Personality Test editorial team from published research. We don’t claim clinical credentials, and we say plainly where the evidence is weaker.
- 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
- Kajonius, P. J., & Johnson, J. A. (2019). Assessing the structure of the Five Factor Model of Personality (IPIP-NEO-120) in the public domain. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 15(2), 260–275. doi:10.5964/ejop.v15i2.1671
- McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1989). Reinterpreting the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator from the perspective of the five-factor model of personality. Journal of Personality, 57(1), 17–40. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1989.tb00759.x
- International Personality Item Pool: ipip.ori.org