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Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI)3

Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) Test

In about 10 minutes, it helps clarify borderline personality features and how they differ from neurotic or psychotic symptoms. A fast, validated 51 item screen that supports differential diagnosis and treatment planning.

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Questions: 5110 minutes

08:30

September 1, 2026

September 1, 2026
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

16,216 views

3,512 completions

1,191 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

23/51

Total Score (TS)

This scale measures the overall severity of traits associated with borderline personality organization.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 17: Low | 18 – 34: Moderate | 35 – 51: High

A score of 23 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a mid-level overall severity of borderline-associated traits on this screening measure.

example score

6/8

Fear of Enmeshment (FoE)

Measures fear of losing individuality and anxiety about being emotionally engulfed in close relationships.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 2: Low | 3 – 5: Moderate | 6 – 8: High

A score of 6 falls in the High range, suggesting a stronger tendency to feel anxious about closeness and to struggle with maintaining clear interpersonal boundaries.

example score

2/5

Impaired Reality Testing (IRT)

Measures the tendency toward distorted perception of reality and difficulty accurately evaluating what is real.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 1: Low | 2 – 3: Moderate | 4 – 5: High

A score of 2 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting occasional or situational difficulties in reality testing rather than pronounced distortion.

example score

2/8

Primitive Defenses (PD)

Assesses how strongly a person relies on primitive defense mechanisms such as denial or projection when managing internal distress.

Low use

Moderate use

High use

0 – 2: Low use | 3 – 5: Moderate use | 6 – 8: High use

A score of 2 falls in the Low use range, suggesting relatively limited reliance on primitive defenses in the situations reflected by the items.

example score

6/10

Identity Diffusion (ID)

Measures how stable and clearly defined a person’s sense of self and personal identity feels over time.

Clear identity

Some identity uncertainty

Marked identity diffusion

0 – 3: Clear identity | 4 – 6: Some identity uncertainty | 7 – 10: Marked identity diffusion

A score of 6 falls in the “Some identity uncertainty” range, suggesting noticeable but not extreme fluctuations in self-definition and inner coherence.

example score

6/20

Cut-20 (C2)

The Cut-20 scale provides an empirical estimate of the likelihood of borderline personality disorder features based on a brief screening score.

Lower likelihood

Higher likelihood

0 – 9: Lower likelihood | 10 – 20: Higher likelihood

A score of 6 falls in the 0–9 range, suggesting a lower likelihood of BPD features on this auxiliary screening scale.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Mental health clinicians

44%OF USERS

Psychologists and psychiatrists use it as a quick screen to support differential diagnosis when BPD traits are suspected.

People seeking clarity

34%OF USERS

Individuals who recognize intense mood swings, unstable relationships, or impulsivity take it to understand whether their symptoms resemble BPD.

Students and researchers

22%OF USERS

Graduate students and clinical researchers take it for training, study projects, or to compare borderline features with neurotic or psychotic symptoms.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Overall score (Os)

Average

Normal range

10.6 — 27.4

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Fear of Merging (FoM)

Average

5.6

Normal range

4.5 — 6.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Checking Distorted Reality (CDR)

Average

2.4

Normal range

1.6 — 3.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Primitive Defenses (PD)

Average

5.7

Normal range

4.4 — 7.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Blurred Identity (BI)

Average

4.4

Normal range

2.5 — 6.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Cut-20 (C)

Average

12.8

Normal range

9.8 — 15.8

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No
- Yes
- No

These are 3 of the 51 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) Test - Symptoms and Signs

borderline disorder

psychopathology

This measure is used to screen for features commonly associated with borderline personality pathology. The Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) is a self-report questionnaire intended to support clinical case formulation and decisions about whether further diagnostic evaluation is indicated.

It includes 51 items and typically takes about 10 minutes to complete. Item content focuses on characteristic symptom domains such as affective instability and interpersonal difficulties, and results are interpreted in the context of clinical history, current presentation, and other assessment data.

The Borderline Personality Inventory (BPI) may be used in outpatient or research settings as a brief adjunct to broader assessment, including differential considerations. The version referenced should be applied with attention to administration conditions and appropriate clinical interpretation.

Literature: Leichsenring, F. Development and first results of the Borderline Personality Inventory: A self-report instrument for assessing borderline personality organization. Journal of Personality Assessment. 1999.