Free Burnout Assessment — MBI-GS

Based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory — General Survey · 16 questions · 4 minutes · Three-dimension result

🔬 Based on MBI-GS (Maslach, Schaufeli & Leiter, 1996) — the gold-standard measure of occupational burnout
Disclaimer: This assessment is for self-awareness and educational purposes only. It is not a clinical diagnosis. If you are experiencing significant distress, fatigue, or symptoms that are affecting your daily life, please speak with a qualified healthcare or mental health professional.

Instructions: For each statement, rate how frequently you experience it using the 0–6 frequency scale. Think about your current job or primary work role. 0 = Never, 6 = Every Day.

0 of 16 answered
🔥 Dimension 1: Emotional Exhaustion
1I feel emotionally drained by my work.
2I feel used up at the end of the workday.
3I feel tired when I get up in the morning and have to face another day on the job.
4Working all day is really a strain for me.
5I feel burned out from my work.
👤 Dimension 2: Cynicism
6I have become less interested in my work since I started this job.
7I have become less enthusiastic about my work.
8I have become more cynical about whether my work contributes anything.
9I doubt the significance of my work.
💡 Dimension 3: Professional Efficacy
10I can effectively solve the problems that arise in my work.
11I feel I am making an effective contribution to what this organisation does.
12In my opinion, I am good at my job.
13I feel stimulated when I achieve something at work.
14I have accomplished many worthwhile things in this job.
15I can calmly deal with problems at work.
16I feel confident that I am effective at getting things done.
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About This Burnout Assessment

This free burnout assessment is based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory — General Survey (MBI-GS), developed by Christina Maslach, Wilmar Schaufeli, and Michael Leiter. The MBI is the most widely used and rigorously validated burnout measure in psychological research, applied in thousands of studies across industries and countries.

Unlike single-score burnout measures, the MBI-GS assesses three distinct dimensions that together define the burnout syndrome:

🔥 Exhaustion

The feeling of being emotionally and physically depleted by work. The core energy dimension of burnout - the primary indicator of wear and overextension.

👤 Cynicism

Emotional distance, detachment, and indifference toward the job. A self-protective response to exhaustion that erodes engagement and meaning.

💡 Professional Efficacy

The sense of competence and achievement at work. In burnout, this deteriorates - you feel less capable, less effective, and less proud of your contributions.

How to Use This Assessment

  1. Think about your current job or primary work role as you answer each question.
  2. Rate each statement on how frequently it applies — from 0 (Never) to 6 (Every Day).
  3. Answer honestly. Your first instinct is usually most accurate.
  4. Complete all 16 questions covering all three dimensions.
  5. Click Calculate My Burnout Score for your three-dimension profile.
  6. Read your full result including immediate actions and longer-term recovery steps.
  7. If your scores are high, please consider speaking with a professional.
🔬
Scientific Foundation
The MBI-GS has been validated across dozens of countries and occupational groups. It demonstrates consistent reliability (Cronbach alpha typically above 0.75 for all three subscales) and has been used to study burnout in healthcare, education, technology, finance, and many other sectors. This assessment uses the published MBI-GS item set and scoring thresholds from Leiter and Maslach (2000).
Reference: Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W.B., & Leiter, M.P. (1996). MBI — General Survey. In MBI Manual (3rd ed.). Consulting Psychologists Press. Leiter, M.P. & Maslach, C. (2000). Preventing Burnout and Building Engagement. Jossey-Bass.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is burnout?

Burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterised by three dimensions: emotional exhaustion (feeling depleted), cynicism (becoming detached from work), and reduced professional efficacy (feeling less capable). It was first described by Herbert Freudenberger in 1974 and has been extensively researched by Christina Maslach.

What is the MBI-GS?

The Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey (MBI-GS) is the most widely used and validated measure of occupational burnout. Developed by Maslach, Schaufeli and Leiter (1996), it assesses three dimensions across 16 items. It is used across professions and industries and has been validated in hundreds of published studies.

Is burnout the same as depression?

Burnout and depression share overlapping symptoms - particularly fatigue, reduced motivation, and low mood - but they are distinct conditions. Burnout is specifically linked to the work context and its symptoms are typically more work-focused. Depression is a clinical condition that affects all areas of life. They can co-exist, and burnout can contribute to depression over time. A professional can help distinguish between them.

How long does burnout recovery take?

Recovery from burnout varies significantly depending on severity, the changes made, and individual factors. Mild burnout may improve in weeks with adequate rest and reduced demands. Severe burnout can take months to a year or more to recover from. Research suggests that meaningful environmental change - not just rest - is critical for lasting recovery.

Can I experience burnout outside of work?

Yes. While the MBI-GS is designed for occupational contexts, burnout-like states can occur in caregiving, parenting, volunteering, and other sustained high-demand roles. The same three dimensions - exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy - can develop in any context involving chronic giving without adequate recovery.

What causes burnout?

Research by Maslach and Leiter identifies six areas of work life that contribute to burnout: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values alignment. Burnout typically develops when there is a persistent mismatch between a person and their work in one or more of these areas - not simply from working too hard.

Is burnout an official medical diagnosis?

The WHO included burnout in the ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon - but notably not as a medical condition. It is defined as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress and includes feelings of energy depletion, increased mental distance from work, and reduced professional efficacy. In many countries burnout is recognised as grounds for sick leave.

How do I recover from burnout?

Recovery typically involves three elements: rest and recovery to address exhaustion, structural changes to reduce the stressors causing burnout, and psychological support to address cynicism and rebuild efficacy. Research consistently shows that rest alone - without addressing the underlying causes - leads to temporary improvement followed by relapse.

Can burnout happen to high performers?

Yes - and research suggests that high performers and those with strong commitment to their work are often more vulnerable to burnout, not less. The combination of high standards, difficulty delegating, and a tendency to push through warning signs makes conscientious and ambitious people particularly susceptible.

What is the opposite of burnout?

Maslach describes the opposite of burnout as work engagement - characterised by energy (as opposed to exhaustion), involvement (as opposed to cynicism), and efficacy (as opposed to reduced effectiveness). Engagement is not simply the absence of burnout; it is an active positive state that can be cultivated through job design, autonomy, and alignment between the person and their work.