IPIP-NEO

The full Big Five (OCEAN) inventory

IPIP-NEO-300: the most detailed Big Five test

Three hundred statements, ten behind every one of your thirty facets. This is the full-length version of the IPIP-NEO, the public-domain inventory scientists use when they need the most stable picture a questionnaire can give. It is the full Big Five personality test (also called the five-factor model, or OCEAN), measured in the deepest detail the item pool allows.

  • 300 statements
  • about 40 minutes
  • 5 domains, 30 facets
  • norms from 135,000+ people

Free, no sign-up. Your answers save in this browser, so you can pause and come back.

Short on time? The 120-question version measures the same traits in about 15 minutes. Take the short version

What the test measures

Thirty-five scales in one sitting: five broad domains, each opening into six narrower facets, the thirty finer traits of personality. The facets are where two people with the same domain score stop looking alike.

35
scales scored
5
broad domains
30
narrow facets

Neuroticism

  • Anxiety
  • Anger
  • Depression
  • Self-Consciousness
  • Immoderation
  • Vulnerability

Extraversion

  • Friendliness
  • Gregariousness
  • Assertiveness
  • Activity Level
  • Excitement-Seeking
  • Cheerfulness

Openness to Experience

  • Imagination
  • Artistic Interests
  • Emotionality
  • Adventurousness
  • Intellect
  • Liberalism

Agreeableness

  • Trust
  • Morality
  • Altruism
  • Cooperation
  • Modesty
  • Sympathy

Conscientiousness

  • Self-Efficacy
  • Orderliness
  • Dutifulness
  • Achievement-Striving
  • Self-Discipline
  • Cautiousness

How the test works

Ten questions per facet

Each of the 30 facets is measured by ten different statements. One odd answer barely moves the score, which is what makes the long version so stable.

A five-point accuracy scale

You rate how accurately each statement describes you, from very inaccurate to very accurate. No trick items and no right answers.

Reverse-keyed items

Some statements are phrased against the trait. They keep quick, careless clicking from inflating your scores.

Pause whenever you need

Every answer is saved in your browser as you go and kept for seven days. Close the tab, come back, continue where you stopped.

Why 300 questions beat 120

Both versions score the same 35 scales. The long one simply collects more evidence for each of them.

More items per facet means tighter measurement: domain reliability reaches about .90 to .95, facet reliability about .77 to .88 (Johnson, 2014). If you want the clearest read of all thirty facets, this is the version researchers reach for.

Take the short version
statements per facet
IPIP-NEO-300
10
IPIP-NEO-120
4
statements in total
IPIP-NEO-300
300
IPIP-NEO-120
120

What you get at the end

The full profile is free and appears the moment you answer the last question.

  • A radar chart of your five domains
  • All thirty facets as percentile bars
  • Percentiles against people of your sex and age, not vague labels
  • Plain-language interpretation for every domain level
  • A share link that restores your profile on any device

A fragment of the result screen

The science behind it

The IPIP-NEO was assembled by personality psychologist John A. Johnson from the International Personality Item Pool, the public-domain item collection started by Lewis Goldberg at the Oregon Research Institute. It measures the same five-factor structure that commercial inventories measure, and its items, scoring keys and norm data are open to everyone.

Your percentiles on this site are computed from the open dataset Johnson published: after quality filters, 135,947 complete IPIP-NEO-300 protocols, split by sex and age group. We publish derived norm tables only, never raw answers.

Primary sources

  • 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

  • Goldberg, L. R., Johnson, J. A., Eber, H. W., Hogan, R., Ashton, M. C., Cloninger, C. R., & Gough, H. G. (2006). The International Personality Item Pool and the future of public-domain personality measures. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(1), 84-96.

    DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2005.08.007

  • Johnson, J. A. (2005). Ascertaining the validity of individual protocols from Web-based personality inventories. Journal of Research in Personality, 39(1), 103-129.

    DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2004.09.009

  • McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60(2), 175-215.

    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x

  • Goldberg, L. R. (1999). A broad-bandwidth, public-domain personality inventory measuring the lower-level facets of several five-factor models. In Personality Psychology in Europe, Vol. 7 (pp. 7-28). Tilburg University Press.

  • Open dataset

    Johnson's IPIP-NEO data repository (OSF)

  • Item pool

    International Personality Item Pool (ipip.ori.org)

The IPIP-NEO is an independent public-domain inventory. It is not the NEO PI-R and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publishers of commercial tests. Trademarks belong to their owners.

Honest answers to fair questions

Everything people usually ask before spending forty minutes on a questionnaire.

Is it really free?

Yes. All 300 questions, the full scoring and the complete 35-scale profile cost nothing and need no account. The only paid extra is an optional written deep-dive report.

Can I pause halfway?

Yes. Answers are saved in your browser after every question and kept for seven days. When you return, the test offers to continue where you left off.

How is this better than the 120-question version?

Ten statements per facet instead of four. Every facet score rests on more evidence, so the profile is more stable, especially at facet level. The short version is a good first look; the long one is the reference measurement.

Is this the NEO PI-R?

No. The IPIP-NEO is an independent public-domain inventory that measures the same five-factor model. It is not affiliated with the publishers of any commercial test.

What do the percentiles mean?

A percentile of 78 means you scored higher than about 78% of people of your sex and age among 135,000+ who took this inventory. It is a comparison with real people, not a pass or fail mark.

Is the Big Five actually scientific?

The five-factor model is the most researched framework in personality psychology, with decades of evidence on structure, stability and life outcomes. The primary sources below are a good starting point.

What if I answer the way I want to look?

The test measures how you describe yourself, so honest answers give a useful profile and flattering ones give a flattering picture. Answer as you are, not as you wish to be, and the mirror works.

Does personality change over time?

Traits are tendencies, not verdicts. They shift slowly with age and effort, and a retest after a year or two often shows real movement. Your profile is a snapshot, not a sentence.

Is this a Big Five test or an OCEAN test?

Both, because they are the same thing. Big Five, OCEAN and the five-factor model are three names for one model of personality, and IPIP-NEO-300 is a full, public-domain way to measure it. This single test answers a Big Five, OCEAN or five-factor search alike.

Forty minutes for a portrait that lasts

Find a quiet moment, answer honestly and meet all thirty facets of yourself.

Free, no sign-up. Your answers save in this browser, so you can pause and come back.