Burnout Test

This burnout test is the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, a free 19-question survey from Danish researchers that gives three separate scores from 0 to 100: personal, work-related and client-related burnout [1]. The authors counted 50 or more as high [2]. It is a self-check and not a diagnosis, so use the result to start a conversation with a doctor or counselor.

13 questions + 6 optional · about 4 min

Part 1: Personal burnout

How you feel in general.

  1. 1. How often do you feel tired?
  2. 2. How often are you physically exhausted?
  3. 3. How often are you emotionally exhausted?
  4. 4. How often do you think: "I can't take it anymore"?
  5. 5. How often do you feel worn out?
  6. 6. How often do you feel weak and susceptible to illness?
Part 2: Work burnout

About your work. If you do not work, skip Parts 2 and 3.

  1. 7. Is your work emotionally exhausting?
  2. 8. Do you feel burnt out because of your work?
  3. 9. Does your work frustrate you?
  4. 10. Do you feel worn out at the end of the working day?
  5. 11. Are you exhausted in the morning at the thought of another day at work?
  6. 12. Do you feel that every working hour is tiring for you?
  7. 13. Do you have enough energy for family and friends during leisure time?
Part 3: Client burnout · optional

"Clients" means the people you work with: patients, students, customers, residents.

  1. 14. Do you find it hard to work with clients?
  2. 15. Do you find it frustrating to work with clients?
  3. 16. Does it drain your energy to work with clients?
  4. 17. Do you feel that you give more than you get back when you work with clients?
  5. 18. Are you tired of working with clients?
  6. 19. Do you sometimes wonder how long you will be able to continue working with clients?

Scored in your browser. Nothing you choose is sent or saved.

How to score by hand. In each part, add the numbers next to your answers and divide by the number of questions you answered. You get a score from 0 to 100 for that part. Skip a part if you answered fewer than 3 of its questions (fewer than 4 in Part 2).

Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Kristensen TS, Borritz M, Villadsen E, Christensen KB, 2005. Source as required by the authors: Borritz M et al. Burnout among employees in human service work: design and baseline findings of the PUMA study. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2006; 34: 49–58. The authors state the inventory "may be used freely for non-commercial and commercial purposes, provided that the following source is clearly cited."

Quietarium editorial team Updated Sources: 12

How the burnout test is scored

Each answer counts as 100, 75, 50, 25 or 0, and each part's score is the average of your answers [2]. Higher means more burnout. The first answer on a scale (Always, or To a very high degree) is worth 100 and the last is worth 0. One question runs the other way: in Part 2, "Do you have enough energy for family and friends during leisure time?", Always scores 0. A part is left out if you answered too few of its questions: fewer than 3, or fewer than 4 in Part 2.

PartWhat it asksDanish mean (PUMA)Scored 50 or more
PersonalTiredness and exhaustion in general, at work or not35.922.2%
WorkExhaustion you link to your job33.019.8%
ClientExhaustion from working with the people you serve30.915.9%

PUMA followed 2,391 Danish human service workers, and 80.1% answered at baseline [3]. The authors' norms use 1,917 PUMA participants, 83% of them women [2]. A personal score near 36 is average for those workers. Among 1,498 Danish adults aged 20 to 59, the personal average was 32.7 [2].

What a score of 50 means

In the PUMA study the authors counted a score of 50 or more as high burnout, which gave the shares in the table above [2]. They set the line to count cases in research. Sometimes is worth 50. So the line means that on average you answered Sometimes or more often.

No clinical test was used to set it. The National Academy of Medicine notes that one study chose 50 or higher to mean burnout, that another used 25 or lower, 25 to 50 and above 50 for low, intermediate and high, and that these cutoffs "were not established based on validity evidence" [4].

The share above the line also depends on who answers. In a 2024 Canadian survey of 147 emergency physicians and trainees, 44.2% were positive for burnout on the CBI, using a mean of 50 or more out of 100 [5]. Those are different people in a different year, so do not compare that figure with the Danish ones. A score of 50 or more is a reason to look closer. A lower score is a snapshot, and how you feel still counts.

Burned out, depressed or just tired?

Of the three, only burnout is defined by work, so a lighter workload may ease it without changing the other two. That is our own rule of thumb. We cite no study for it.

BurnoutDepressionTiredness with a medical cause
What it isA kind of work-related stress, not a medical diagnosis [6]A condition a doctor or therapist can diagnoseTiredness all the time with no known reason can be a sign of a problem [7]
What stands outA high work score on this testLow mood or little interest in things, which the PHQ-9 asks aboutTiredness for a few weeks, sometimes with weight loss or mood changes [7]
What to checkWorkload, control, clear expectations, support [6]Your answers on the PHQ-9A doctor may order blood tests for anemia, diabetes or an overactive thyroid [7]
Where to startTalk to your boss, set realistic goals [6]A doctor or therapistA primary care doctor

They overlap. In a 2019 meta-analysis, burnout and depression scores moved together (r = 0.52), yet the authors found "no conclusive overlap" and called them "different and robust constructs" [8]. Mayo Clinic adds that burnout can raise the risk of depression, and that the two need different treatments [6]. A high personal score is a reason to check the other two before assuming burnout. The PHQ-9 depression test takes about 3 minutes.

What WHO means by burnout

The World Health Organization calls burnout an occupational phenomenon [9]. Its ICD-11 entry says burn-out "is not classified as a medical condition" and describes a syndrome from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with three parts: exhaustion, mental distance or cynicism toward one's job, and reduced professional efficacy.

WHO also says the term "refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life" [9]. The Copenhagen personal part is wider: it asks about tiredness whatever the cause, and its authors built it for use in different domains [1]. A high score here does not prove that work is the cause.

Copenhagen or Maslach: why this test is free

The Maslach Burnout Inventory's questions are copyrighted and sold. Its publisher states "All rights reserved in all media," and the cutoff scores were removed from the fourth edition of the manual in 2016 because they had no diagnostic validity [10]. That is why no MBI questions appear on this page.

The Copenhagen authors say the inventory "may be used freely for non-commercial and commercial purposes" if the PUMA paper is cited [2]. This page uses the authors' published questions. It says where the 50 line comes from.

How far you can trust the result

The Copenhagen test was checked in about 1,900 Danish human service workers; it has no norms for the general US population. In the validation study (N = 1,914 at baseline), all three scales had very high internal reliability, and they predicted later sickness absence, sleep problems, painkiller use and intention to quit [1]. In PUMA, the top quarter of work burnout had 13.9 days of sickness absence against 6.0 in the bottom quarter [3].

Elsewhere the evidence is thinner. In 129 New Zealand secondary school teachers, the authors called it a reliable and valid measure, though the study was small and cross-sectional [11]. Among Canadian emergency physicians, the CBI and single-question MBI items disagreed about who was burned out for 21.1% overall [5].

In the US, a 6-item short form has been tested in emergency medicine residents [12]. We found no validation of the full English version in US adults, so read the Danish averages as a point of reference. The authors also advise mixing the questions with other topics in research, to avoid stereotyped answers [2]. Here the questions come in order by part. Answer each one on its own.

What to do with a high score

  • If your work score is highest, start with the workload. Mayo Clinic suggests talking to your boss about your concerns, setting realistic goals for what must get done and finding out what can wait [6].
  • If your personal score is highest and work is lower, look outside the job: sleep, health, home. Tiredness for a few weeks with no clear reason is worth a visit to your primary care doctor [7]. If nights are part of it, read why you can't sleep.
  • If your client score is highest, the drain is the work with other people. Mayo lists a helping profession, with a lot of giving to others, among the risk factors for burnout [6]. Ask what could change in your caseload, or in the breaks between people.
  • If all three are 50 or more, see a primary care doctor or a mental health professional and bring the three numbers. Mention your answer to "I can't take it anymore" too.

Write down your scores and the date. Change one thing, then retake the test and compare the same part. If low mood is part of the picture, behavioral activation describes one small-steps approach.

Frequently asked questions

Is this burnout test free, and do I need an email?

It is free, and there is no email or account. The authors allow free use, commercial sites included, as long as they are cited [2].

Can I take it if I am not working?

Answer Part 1 only and leave the other two blank. You will get one score. Part 1 asks about tiredness in general, so it does not depend on having a job. Part 3 is for people who work with patients, students, customers or residents.

How often can I take it again?

The authors publish no retest schedule. On the 6-question personal part, moving one answer by one step changes your score by about 4 points, so ignore swings of a few points. Compare the same part after something real changes, such as a new schedule or a week off.

Am I burned out or just lazy?

The test has no laziness scale. Its questions ask how tired and drained you feel. If tiredness is getting in the way of daily life, the NHS (UK) counts that as a reason to see a doctor [7].

Should I take an anxiety test as well?

If worry or restlessness comes with the exhaustion, the GAD-7 takes about 2 minutes. The 2019 meta-analysis linked burnout with anxiety at r = 0.46, a little lower than with depression [8].

When to see a professional

Book a visit with your primary care doctor if you have been tired for a few weeks and are not sure why, if the tiredness affects your daily life, or if it comes with other symptoms such as weight loss or mood changes. The NHS (UK) gives these as reasons to go, and says blood tests may follow [7]. A doctor can also look at depression, which Mayo says needs different treatment from burnout [6]. Go sooner if:

  • you have lost interest in things you used to enjoy, or felt down most days for 2 weeks or more: take the PHQ-9 and bring the result;
  • your personal and work scores are both 50 or more and time off has not helped;
  • you answered Always or Often to "I can't take it anymore."

If that thought means ending your life, use the crisis numbers below now instead of waiting for an appointment.

If the questions left you feeling worse, close the page. Tell someone you trust how your week has been.

If you feel very bad right now

Emergency, US and Canada 911

If you are thinking about suicide or are afraid you might hurt yourself, call or text now. You do not have to wait until it gets worse.

  • Emergency, US and Canada 911
  • Crisis line, US and Canada (free, 24/7) 988, call or text

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Author
Quietarium editorial team
Updated

This page does not replace advice from a doctor. Medical disclaimer · Editorial policy

Sources: 12
  1. Kristensen TS, Borritz M, Villadsen E, Christensen KB. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: a new tool for the assessment of burnout. Work & Stress. 2005;19(3):192-207. doi:10.1080/02678370500297720. Validation study, N = 1,914 (abstract read; not indexed in PubMed).
  2. National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA, Denmark). Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (English version); Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: normative data and results from the PUMA study (first edition, 2004). nfa.dk (accessed October 21, 2026). Official document of the authors: questions, scoring, terms of use, norms.
  3. Borritz M, Rugulies R, Bjorner JB, Villadsen E, Mikkelsen OA, Kristensen TS. Burnout among employees in human service work: design and baseline findings of the PUMA study. Scand J Public Health. 2006;34(1):49-58. doi:10.1080/14034940510032275. PubMed 16449044. Prospective cohort, baseline data, 2,391 employees.
  4. National Academy of Medicine. Valid and reliable survey instruments to measure burnout, well-being, and other work-related dimensions (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory entry). nam.edu (accessed October 21, 2026). Review of instruments.
  5. Li H, Dance E, Poonja Z, Aguilar LS, Colmers-Gray I. Agreement between the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory among emergency physicians and trainees. Acad Emerg Med. 2024;31(12):1243-1255. PubMed 39082466. Cross-sectional survey, 147 respondents, Canada.
  6. Mayo Clinic. Job burnout: how to spot it and take action. November 30, 2023. mayoclinic.org (accessed October 21, 2026). Patient information.
  7. NHS (UK). Tiredness and fatigue. Page last reviewed June 2, 2023. nhs.uk (accessed October 21, 2026). Patient information from the UK's National Health Service.
  8. Koutsimani P, Montgomery A, Georganta K. The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Psychol. 2019;10:284. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284. PubMed 30918490. Systematic review and meta-analysis.
  9. World Health Organization. Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. May 28, 2019. who.int (accessed October 21, 2026). Official statement.
  10. Mind Garden. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). mindgarden.com (accessed October 20, 2026). Publisher page.
  11. Milfont TL, Denny S, Ameratunga S, Robinson E, Merry S. Burnout and wellbeing: testing the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory in New Zealand teachers. Soc Indic Res. 2008;89. doi:10.1007/s11205-007-9229-9. Validation study, 129 teachers (not indexed in PubMed).
  12. Barton MA, Lall MD, Johnston MM, Lu DW, Nelson LS, Bilimoria KY, Reisdorff EJ. Reliability and validity support for an abbreviated Copenhagen burnout inventory using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2022 Aug;e12797. doi:10.1002/emp2.12797. PubMed 35949274. Validation study, emergency medicine residents, US.