Copenhagen Burnout Inventory
A free burnout test from Denmark’s National Research Centre for the Working Environment. Its 19 questions measure exhaustion three ways: in general, tied to your work, and tied to working with clients. Each part is scored from 0 to 100. Skip the client part if you don’t work with clients. For therapists and other helping professionals, it measures the strain of client work on its own.
This is a research questionnaire for information and self-monitoring. It doesn’t diagnose anything and doesn’t replace a professional evaluation. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911.
Pick the answer that fits you best for each question. Each part gets its own score from 0 to 100, and a higher score means more burnout.
Private by design: scoring runs entirely in your browser. Responses are never sent to or stored on our servers, and closing the tab erases them.
Part 1: Personal burnout
Personal burnout is a state of prolonged physical and psychological exhaustion.
How often do you feel tired?
How often are you physically exhausted?
How often are you emotionally exhausted?
How often do you think: “I can’t take it anymore”?
How often do you feel worn out?
How often do you feel weak and susceptible to illness?
Part 2: Work-related burnout
Work-related burnout is a state of prolonged physical and psychological exhaustion, which is perceived as related to the person’s work.
Is your work emotionally exhausting?
Do you feel burnt out because of your work?
Does your work frustrate you?
Do you feel worn out at the end of the working day?
Are you exhausted in the morning at the thought of another day at work?
Do you feel that every working hour is tiring for you?
Do you have enough energy for family and friends during leisure time?
Part 3: Client-related burnout
Client-related burnout is a state of prolonged physical and psychological exhaustion, which is perceived as related to the person’s work with clients (clients, patients, social service recipients, elderly citizens, or inmates).
Do you find it hard to work with clients?
Do you find it frustrating to work with clients?
Does it drain your energy to work with clients?
Do you feel that you give more than you get back when you work with clients?
Are you tired of working with clients?
Do you sometimes wonder how long you will be able to continue working with clients?
Your scores
Answer at least 3 of the 6 questions for a score (0 so far).
Answer at least 4 of the 7 questions for a score (0 so far).
Answer at least 3 of the 6 questions for a score (0 so far).
The PUMA study, where this questionnaire was built, counted 50 or more on a scale as high burnout. It is a line drawn for research, and a score above it doesn’t diagnose anything.
Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, English version used in the PUMA study, from the National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NFA), Denmark. Free to use with this citation:
Borritz, M., Rugulies, R., Bjorner, J. B., Villadsen, E., Mikkelsen, O. A., & Kristensen, T. S. (2006). Burnout among employees in human service work: Design and baseline findings of the PUMA study. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 34(1), 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/14034940510032275
Kristensen, T. S., Borritz, M., Villadsen, E., & Christensen, K. B. (2005). The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: A new tool for the assessment of burnout. Work & Stress, 19(3), 192-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370500297720