Home1
Psychological tests2
Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)3

Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Test

Understand how you relate to others and respond emotionally in about 6 minutes. Get a clear four-part empathy profile to improve communication, coaching, and team dynamics.

Start Online Test

Questions: 286 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

30,031 view

3,507 completions

2,671 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

14/28

Perspective Taking (PT)

Decentration (Perspective-Taking) reflects how readily a person considers and understands other people’s viewpoints in everyday situations.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 20: Moderate | 21 – 28: High

A score of 14 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting an average tendency to take others’ perspectives into account, with room to do so more consistently under stress or conflict.

example score

16/28

Empathic Engagement (Fantasy) (EE)

Measures the tendency to imaginatively immerse yourself in fictional characters’ experiences and emotions.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 22: Moderate | 23 – 28: High

A score of 16 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a fairly typical ability to identify emotionally with characters in books or films.

example score

20/28

Empathic Concern (EC)

Measures the tendency to feel warmth, compassion, and concern for others and to respond with a supportive, helping attitude.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 21: Moderate | 22 – 28: High

A score of 20 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a generally strong capacity for compassionate concern that is present in many situations without being consistently intense.

example score

15/28

Personal Distress (PD)

Measures how much discomfort, tension, or unease you feel in response to other people’s distress, especially in stressful situations.

Low distress

Moderate distress

High distress

0 – 4: Low distress | 5 – 16: Moderate distress | 17 – 28: High distress

A score of 15 falls in the Moderate distress range, suggesting a noticeable but generally manageable level of unease when confronted with others’ emotional difficulties.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Psychologists and therapists

41%OF USERS

They use it to quickly profile a client’s empathy components and spot patterns like high distress or low perspective taking.

Coaches and team leads

34%OF USERS

They take it to understand communication styles in groups and adjust feedback, conflict resolution, and support strategies.

Students and researchers

25%OF USERS

They use it for coursework or studies to measure empathy facets and compare groups or track change over time.

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.

Decentration (D)

Average

10.6

Normal range

6.7 — 14.6

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.

Empathy (E)

Average

17.4

Normal range

13.1 — 21.8

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.

Empathic Care (EC)

Average

15.4

Normal range

12 — 18.8

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.

Empathic Distress (ED)

Average

13.9

Normal range

9.3 — 18.6

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.

Start Online Test

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

The following statements describe people’s thoughts and feelings in a variety of situations. For each statement, indicate the extent to which it applies to you. Please respond as honestly as possible.

- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Not sure
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Cannot say
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Somewhat disagree
- Cannot say
- Somewhat agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 28 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Test - Symptoms and Signs

empathy

This measure is designed to assess individual differences in empathic tendencies across several domains. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is a self-report questionnaire that evaluates perspective taking, empathic concern, fantasy, and personal distress in response to others’ experiences.

It contains 28 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is commonly used in clinical and research settings to characterize patterns of emotional and cognitive responsiveness and to inform case conceptualization when interpersonal functioning or sensitivity to others’ distress is a relevant focus.

Author: Mark H. Davis

Literature: Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. Psychological Bulletin. 1987.; Davis, M. H. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1983.; Decety, J., & Jackson, P. L. The functional architecture of human empathy. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews. 2004.; Davis, M. H. A multidimensional approach to individual differences in empathy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1980.