Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) Test
How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- Never
- Very rarely
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
- Every day
- Never
- Very rarely
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
- Every day
- Never
- Very rarely
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
- Every day
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) Test - Description and methodology of the test
People reflecting on demanding work experiences can use this assessment to organize what they notice. By presenting a work-related burnout profile, it offers a structured snapshot of daily responsibilities without turning present experiences into a permanent label. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) Test is relevant to employees and managers whose roles involve responsibility for others.
What This Assessment Measures
Rather than producing a single undifferentiated label, the MBI questionnaire separates experiences that commonly appear in work-related strain. Items ask about emotional energy, attitudes toward coworkers or subordinates, conflict handling, empathy, satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness. The result is a profile showing which patterns are more pronounced at the time of answering.
The displayed dimensions are:
- Burnout Syndrome System Index (0-1) gives an integrated severity index; No burnout: 0-0, and Burnout present: 0.01-1.
- Reduced Personal Accomplishment (0-48) reflects satisfaction with personal and professional competence; Low accomplishment: 0-30, Moderate accomplishment: 31-36, and High accomplishment: 37-48.
- Depersonalization (0-30) captures emotional detachment, indifference, formal duty performance, or cynical distance; Low: 0-5, Moderate: 6-10, and High: 11-30.
- Emotional Exhaustion (0-54) reflects depleted emotional tone, mental fatigue, reduced interest, and feeling fed up with work; Low: 0-15, Moderate: 16-24, and High: 25-54.
Methodology and Evidence Base
Methodologically, the questionnaire uses self-report frequency ratings, from Never through Every day, with choices such as Very rarely, Sometimes, Often, and Very often. Items cover burnout-related experiences involving energy, empathy, effectiveness, fatigue, callousness, withdrawal, and overload, so the profile reflects both strain and involvement at work.
The evidence base is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the published instrument associated with Christina Maslach and Susan E. Jackson and its manuals, including the later edition with Michael P. Leiter. The Freudly questionnaire is conceptually consistent with that instrument, not an adaptation of it. In this online self-report implementation, responses produce four scales and their result bands; the item-level scoring rule, including point values or weighting, and the standardization status are not stated.
Interpretation is a snapshot of work-related experience. Higher strain or distancing scores can indicate that difficult patterns deserve attention, while lower perceived effectiveness can reflect dissatisfaction or reduced confidence in one's contribution. Workload, recent conflict, mood, role expectations, and response honesty can influence results, so the pattern is best considered alongside broader context rather than as a standalone conclusion.
- Maslach, Christina, and Susan E. Jackson. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99-113 (1981). 10.1002/job.4030020205
- Maslach, Christina, and Susan E. Jackson. Maslach Burnout Inventory: Manual; with a Special Supplement "Burnout in Education" [MBI]. 2nd ed. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press (1986).
- Maslach, Christina, Susan E. Jackson, and Michael P. Leiter. Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual. 3rd ed. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press (1996).
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