Skip to main content
Brain Quiz
Sign in

Methodology note

Methodology of the Burnout test: workplace exhaustion questionnaire

  • Self-observation
  • 24 items
  • 4 axes
  • 5 references

This page describes where the items come from, how the score is computed and the limits of this questionnaire. It is public and asks for no sign-up.

1Where the items come from

The items are written for Brain Quiz from the published literature in the field.

The 24 items in this questionnaire were written for Brain Quiz, drawing on the research literature about workplace exhaustion. No published scale is reproduced, in whole or in part: not the Maslach inventory, which its publisher distributes under a commercial licence, nor the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, nor the Burnout Assessment Tool, nor the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. The references below document the field we explored and where the four dimensions come from. They are not the source of the items.

Sources. 24 items in total.1,2,3,4,5

2How the score is computed

Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points. Each question carries a weight of 1 to 3 depending on its place in its dimension. On the Reduced sense of efficacy and Lack of resources dimensions, most items are worded positively and then scored in reverse: the more you recognise yourself in them, the lower the score. The total is rescaled to 100 and placed in one of four bands. Each dimension also gets its own percentage, computed on its own questions only. The weights and the thresholds were set by the Brain Quiz editorial team: they come from no population calibration and no threshold has statistical value.

2.1The reading axes

Each item feeds a single axis. Each axis is computed as a percentage of the maximum reachable on its own items.

Table 1. The 4 reading axes and the number of items feeding each one.
Reading axisItems
Exhaustion6
Mental distance and loss of meaning6
Reduced sense of efficacy6
Lack of resources and support6

2.2The reading bands

The score brought back to 100 falls into one of these bands. The bounds are set by the editorial team, and shown here.

Table 2. The reading bands of the score out of 100, and the guidance attached to each one.
BandRange out of 100Guidance
Sustainable load0 to 24nonea
First signs of wear25 to 49conversation suggestedb
Marked wear50 to 69conversation suggestedb
Numerous converging signals70 to 100reinforced guidancec
  1. No guidance message comes with this band.
  2. The result mentions that a conversation with a professional can help.
  3. The result shows a guidance message towards a health professional.

3Limits of the result

This questionnaire does not tell you whether you are going through workplace burnout. It does not tell burnout apart from a depressive state, whose signs overlap heavily. It does not measure how long the situation has lasted, nor how it has moved over the months. It does not examine your actual working conditions, which call for a proper workplace assessment. Finally, in the World Health Organization's international classification, burn-out is not an illness: it is a work-related phenomenon. This questionnaire can neither confirm nor rule out a disorder.

4References

Each entry carries its authors, year, title, journal and identifier.

  1. Organisation mondiale de la sante (2019). Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases. who.int, communique du 28 mai 2019. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases opens in a new tab ↑
  2. Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99-113. doi:10.1002/job.4030020205 opens in a new tab ↑
  3. 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. doi:10.1080/02678370500297720 opens in a new tab ↑
  4. Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job Demands, Job Decision Latitude, and Mental Strain: Implications for Job Redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(2), 285. doi:10.2307/2392498 opens in a new tab ↑
  5. Schaufeli, W. B., Desart, S., & De Witte, H. (2020). Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) - Development, Validity, and Reliability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9495. doi:10.3390/ijerph17249495 opens in a new tab ↑
Take the questionnaireBack to the questionnaire page