What next?
A burnout score is a prompt to look at load and recovery.
How to take this test
- Answer each statement about how you have felt lately.
- Be honest — only you see the result.
- See your stress and burnout reading.
Understanding your result
The result gauges your current stress and burnout signals across work and wellbeing. It is a self-check to raise awareness, not a medical assessment. Persistent high stress is worth taking seriously — speak to a GP or professional if it is affecting your health.
Why this one is different
An overall risk figure sits above a breakdown by dimension, so exhaustion driven by workload reads differently from exhaustion driven by loss of control. The dimension scoring worst is named with concrete steps for it, and the number of questions still outstanding is stated while the set is incomplete.
Burnout is more than being tired
Researchers describe burnout as three things happening together: exhaustion (your energy is gone), detachment (you feel cynical or distant from work and people), and a loss of a sense of accomplishment as everything feels overwhelming. You can be high on one and low on another — which is exactly why a single "stress score" misses the picture.
This test scores all three so your plan targets the right thing. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
How it's scored
Six statements measure each of the three dimensions, rated from "never" to "always". Each dimension becomes a percentage, and your overall risk is their average, mapped to Low, Moderate, High or Severe. Your highest dimension decides which advice you see first.
Worked example
How the three dimensions combine into one risk reading:
Cynicism 52%
Reduced efficacy 41%
Average 57% → Moderate risk, exhaustion first
The average is the headline, but the shape matters more. Exhaustion running twenty-five points ahead of the other two is the classic early pattern — depletion has set in but detachment has not yet followed. That is why the advice you see is ordered by your highest dimension rather than by the overall figure, and why a "moderate" average can still deserve attention.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a clinical diagnosis?＋
No. It's an educational self-assessment inspired by established burnout research, not a medical tool. Only a qualified professional can diagnose burnout, depression or anxiety.
How often should I take it?＋
Every few weeks is plenty. Taking it too often turns a helpful check-in into another source of pressure. Use it to spot a trend, not to monitor daily.
What is the difference between stress and burnout?＋
Stress is a state of over-engagement, with too much pressure and urgency. Burnout is closer to depletion, marked by exhaustion, cynicism and a sense that effort no longer produces results.
Can burnout be fixed with a holiday?＋
Rarely on its own. A break helps with acute exhaustion, but if the workload and control problems are unchanged the recovery usually fades within weeks of returning.
Is burnout a medical diagnosis?＋
The WHO classifies it as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition. Its symptoms overlap with depression and anxiety, which is why persistent scores are worth discussing with a GP.
What actually helps?＋
The evidence favours changes to the work itself, such as workload, autonomy and clarity of role, over individual resilience training alone. Sleep, exercise and social contact support recovery but do not remove the cause.
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Assumptions & limitations
This is a reflection tool, and its limits matter:
- Burnout as an occupational phenomenon is described in the WHO's ICD-11 across three dimensions: exhaustion, mental distance from the job, and reduced professional efficacy. This questionnaire is informed by that structure but is not the Maslach Burnout Inventory or any other validated instrument.
- It cannot diagnose anything. Burnout, depression and anxiety overlap in how they feel and differ in how they are treated — only a qualified professional can tell them apart.
- The score reflects the last few weeks as you remember them, which is a genuinely useful prompt and a genuinely unreliable measurement.
- If your result concerns you, or low mood, exhaustion or hopelessness has persisted for more than two weeks, speak to your GP. If you are in crisis, contact emergency services or a crisis line rather than a web page.