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BIG FIVE · IPIP-NEO-120

Big Five Facets Test: 30 Facets

The five broad traits and the thirty facets beneath them, measured with the public-domain IPIP-NEO-120 and compared with a reference sample of over 300,000 adults — by sex and age band if you choose.

Why facets

The Big Five Facets test measures the five Big Five domains and the thirty narrower facets beneath them, six per domain, using the IPIP-NEO-120: a 120-item public-domain inventory developed by John A. Johnson from the International Personality Item Pool. Scores are reported as percentiles against a large online reference sample, optionally restricted to one sex and age band.

A domain score is an average, and averages hide things. Two people at the 70th percentile for Extraversion can be one who is warm and loves a crowd, and one who takes charge and is always on the go. The facets below are the thirty narrower traits of the NEO PI-R model, six under each domain.

Openness to Experience

Imagination · Artistic Interests · Emotionality · Adventurousness · Intellect · Liberalism

Conscientiousness

Self-Efficacy · Orderliness · Dutifulness · Achievement-Striving · Self-Discipline · Cautiousness

Extraversion

Friendliness · Gregariousness · Assertiveness · Activity Level · Excitement-Seeking · Cheerfulness

Agreeableness

Trust · Morality · Altruism · Cooperation · Modesty · Sympathy

Neuroticism

Anxiety · Anger · Depression · Self-Consciousness · Immoderation · Vulnerability

How it compares you with other people

John A. Johnson, who built the IPIP-NEO-120, published the anonymised answers of everyone who took it online. Percentiles here come from the 339,977 adults among them who answered every item — and because that file records sex and age, you can compare yourself with everyone or only with people of your own sex and age band. It is a large self-selected sample, mostly from the United States, not a representative population norm; the result page says so next to every percentile.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Big Five facet questions, answered

How is this different from the 50-question Big Five test?

The 50-question test measures the five broad domains and nothing below them. This one measures the same five domains plus thirty facets — six narrower traits under each — so it can show how you reach a domain score, not just where you land. It takes about sixteen minutes instead of seven, and its percentiles come from a larger reference sample that records sex and age.

Is this the NEO PI-R?

No. The NEO PI-R is a commercial inventory. The IPIP-NEO-120 measures the same thirty facets with public-domain items written for the International Personality Item Pool, and its author published validity evidence comparing it with longer versions. Facet names follow the IPIP's own labels, which differ from the NEO PI-R's in a few places.

Why can I choose who I am compared with?

Average scores differ by sex and age — Neuroticism tends to run higher among women, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness rise with age — so a percentile depends on the comparison group. The reference data record both, so you can compare yourself with all adults or with your own sex and age band. Your choice stays on your device unless you share or buy a report, when it travels in the link.

How much should I trust a single facet?

Less than a domain. Each facet is four items, and in the reference sample their reliabilities range from about .66 to .89, compared with .82 to .90 for the domains. Treat a single facet as a lead to check against your experience, and look for patterns across several facets before drawing a conclusion.

SOURCES

Where this test comes from

  1. [1]
  2. [2]
    Johnson's IPIP-NEO data repository (Open Science Framework) ↗

    The author's item key, from which the items and keys here are copied verbatim, and the anonymised answers of 619,150 respondents. The 339,977 adults among them with no missing answers are the reference sample, processed by scripts/build-ipip-neo-norms.mjs. The repository states no licence; the author describes the data as freely available.

  3. [3]
  4. [4]