Burnout Test (Copenhagen Burnout Inventory)

What it measures

This is a free, 6-question burnout self-check based on the personal-burnout subscale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), a public-domain tool developed by researchers at the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment. It measures how often you feel physically and emotionally exhausted, tired, and worn out — the core experience of burnout. It looks at your general exhaustion rather than blaming any one cause, so it works whether your pressure comes from a job, caring for others, studying, or life in general.

How it works

You answer six short questions about how often you have felt tired, exhausted, and worn out recently, choosing from Never through to Always. Each answer scores from 0 (Never/almost never) to 100 (Always) on the standard CBI frequency scale. The official CBI uses the average of your answers, where a score of 50 or above suggests burnout is present and 75 or above suggests high burnout. To keep things simple this check adds your answers into a running total out of 600 and places you in a band using the very same cutoffs (a total of 300 matches an average of 50, and 450 matches an average of 75). You get an instant, plain-language result you can save or share with your GP.

Tips for an accurate result

• 1Protect recovery, not just rest — Real recovery means genuine breaks, decent sleep, and time doing things that refill you — not simply collapsing at the end of the day.
• 2Look at the demands, not just yourself — Burnout is often driven by sustained, excessive demands. See what can be reduced, shared, or said no to, rather than trying to push through harder.
• 3Talk to someone — Sharing how you feel with someone you trust, your GP, or an occupational-health service can lift the load and help you spot what needs to change.
• 4Watch for overlap with low mood — Burnout, depression, anxiety, and long-term stress often feel similar and overlap. If low mood or hopelessness is part of the picture, mention it to a professional.
• 5Re-check over time — Burnout builds and eases gradually. Retaking this every few weeks can show whether changes you make are helping.