A burnout self-test is a short questionnaire that helps you reflect on whether you have signs of burnout. This one follows the World Health Organization’s ICD-11 definition, which describes burnout as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with three dimensions: exhaustion, mental distance or cynicism about your job, and reduced professional efficacy.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Reading time: about 9 minutes
How we wrote this article: this article was written by Saj Ali. It includes a free interactive self-test based on the WHO’s definition of burnout, explains the research and gives practical next steps, and every research claim links to its source.
The burnout self-test in brief
- What it is. 15 questions, about 3 minutes, scored out of 45.
- What it checks. The WHO’s three dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, mental distance and reduced effectiveness.
- What you get. Your overall level and which dimension is strongest for you.
- Privacy. Your answers stay in your browser and are not saved.
- Next step. Use the result as a starting point for changes at work and, if needed, a conversation with your doctor.
Take the Burnout Self-Test
Answer 15 quick questions about how you have felt at work over the past month. You will get a score out of 45 and a breakdown across the three dimensions of burnout. Your answers stay on this page and are not saved or sent anywhere.
Contents
- What Burnout Is
- The Three Dimensions This Test Measures
- What Your Score Means
- What Causes Burnout
- Why Burnout Matters for Health
- How to Recover From Burnout
- How to Prevent Burnout
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Key Takeaways
- Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
- Sources
What Burnout Is
The World Health Organization (WHO) includes burn-out in its International Classification of Diseases, ICD-11, as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition. It defines burn-out as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (WHO, 2019).
The WHO describes three dimensions:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.
- Increased mental distance from your job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to your job.
- Reduced professional efficacy.
The WHO also notes that burn-out refers specifically to the work context and should not be used to describe experiences in other areas of life. Caregivers, parents and students can feel very similar exhaustion, and the same recovery ideas often help, but the formal term is about work.
Our main burnout guide covers causes and recovery in more depth. This page focuses on the self-test and what to do with your result.
The Three Dimensions This Test Measures
The test has five questions for each dimension, so each area is scored out of 15.
| Dimension | What it feels like | Example question |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaustion | Feeling drained, with rest that no longer restores you | “Rest at the weekend no longer refreshes me.” |
| Mental distance and cynicism | Pulling away from work and the people in it, and doubting it matters | “I feel cynical about whether my work matters.” |
| Reduced effectiveness | Feeling less capable, focused or productive than before | “I doubt that I am doing my job well.” |
Christina Maslach, whose research shaped the modern understanding of burnout, describes these three dimensions as linked. Long-term exhaustion often comes first. People then pull back emotionally to cope, and over time their sense of achievement drops (Maslach and Leiter, 2016).
Your result lists all three dimensions as percentages, highest first. The highest one is usually the best place to focus.
What Your Score Means
Each answer scores 0 for “Never”, 1 for “Sometimes”, 2 for “Often” and 3 for “Almost always”. Your total is out of 45.
| Score | Result | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| 0–11 | Few signs of burnout | Keep your current habits, and recheck if things change |
| 12–22 | Some early warning signs | Protect recovery time and look at what is driving the strain |
| 23–33 | Clear signs of burnout | Look at workload, control and rest, and consider talking to your doctor |
| 34–45 | Many strong signs | Talk with your doctor or a health professional, and with your manager or HR if you can |
This is a self-reflection tool, not a diagnosis. Professional assessments, such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory, are used in research and workplaces. Tiredness, low mood and poor concentration can also come from depression, anaemia, thyroid problems, sleep disorders and other causes, so it is worth checking with a doctor if symptoms are strong or lasting.
What Causes Burnout
Burnout is linked to how work is set up, not just to personal resilience. Maslach and Leiter describe six areas of work life where a mismatch between the person and the job raises the risk (Maslach and Leiter, 2016):
| Area | What a mismatch looks like |
|---|---|
| Workload | Too much work, with too little time or resources |
| Control | Little say over how, when or what you work on |
| Reward | Effort that is not recognised, financially or socially |
| Community | Poor relationships, conflict or isolation at work |
| Fairness | Decisions that feel unfair or inconsistent |
| Values | A gap between your values and what the job asks of you |
Seeing which areas apply to you helps you decide what to change. Some changes are within your control, like boundaries on working hours. Others need a conversation with a manager. The American Psychological Association has practical guidance on coping with work stress.
Why Burnout Matters for Health
Burnout is more than feeling tired. A systematic review of 36 prospective studies found that burnout predicted a range of later physical, psychological and work outcomes (Salvagioni et al., 2017).
| Type of outcome | Examples linked to burnout in the review |
|---|---|
| Physical | Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, prolonged fatigue, headaches, musculoskeletal pain |
| Psychological | Insomnia, depressive symptoms, use of psychotropic and antidepressant medicines |
| Work | Job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, disability pension |
That is why it helps to act on early warning signs instead of waiting for things to get worse.
How to Recover From Burnout
Research on recovery from work highlights four kinds of experiences that help people recharge: psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences such as learning something new, and a sense of control over free time (Sonnentag, Venz and Casper, 2017).
Practical ways to build these in:
- Switch off properly. Set a clear end to the working day. Turn off work notifications in the evening and at weekends.
- Rest your nervous system. Slow breathing, a walk outside or non-sleep deep rest can help the body settle after a stressful day. See our guide to nervous system regulation.
- Do something absorbing. A hobby, sport or creative project gives your mind a break from work and a sense of progress.
- Protect sleep. Poor sleep and burnout feed each other. Our sleep guide has practical steps.
- Talk to people. Share how you feel with someone you trust. Isolation makes burnout harder.
Recovery also often needs changes at work. Use your result to start a conversation about workload, deadlines or support. Tools like SMART goals and the GROW model can help you plan the changes you want.
How to Prevent Burnout
If your score was low, these habits help keep it that way:
- Notice early signs. Irritability, poor sleep and dreading Monday are signals to act on.
- Set boundaries. Agree when you are and are not available. Our guide to setting boundaries has scripts you can use.
- Take real breaks. Short breaks during the day and proper holidays both matter.
- Keep perspective. Perfectionism is a common driver of overwork. See our guide to perfectionism.
- Manage stress daily. Small daily habits work better than occasional big fixes. See our stress management guide.
- Retake this test. Checking every few months, or after a big change at work, helps you spot a trend early.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I have burnout?
Burnout usually shows up as three things together: exhaustion, pulling away from or feeling cynical about your job, and feeling less effective. This self-test checks all three. For a proper assessment, talk to your doctor or an occupational health professional.
Is burnout a medical diagnosis?
The World Health Organization classifies burn-out in ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. It is listed among factors that influence health or contact with health services.
What is the difference between stress and burnout?
Stress often feels like too much: too much pressure and urgency. Burnout often feels like not enough: not enough energy, motivation or care. Long-term stress that is not managed can lead to burnout.
How long does it take to recover from burnout?
It varies from person to person. Mild burnout may ease within weeks once workload and rest improve. More severe burnout can take months, especially if the causes at work stay the same.
Is this the same as the Maslach Burnout Inventory?
No. The Maslach Burnout Inventory is a copyrighted professional questionnaire. This self-test uses original questions based on the WHO’s three dimensions of burnout, for self-reflection only.
Are my answers saved?
No. The test runs in your browser, and your answers are not saved or sent anywhere.
Key Takeaways
- The WHO defines burnout as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
- It has three dimensions: exhaustion, mental distance or cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.
- This self-test scores you out of 45 and shows which dimension is strongest for you.
- Burnout is closely linked to workload, control, reward, community, fairness and values at work.
- Recovery is helped by detaching from work, relaxation, absorbing activities and a sense of control over free time.
Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
Use these pages alongside this one:
- Burnout – the full guide to burnout causes and recovery
- Stress Management – daily ways to manage stress
- Nervous System Regulation – ways to help your body settle
- Energy and Fatigue – how to restore your energy
- Emotional Intelligence Quiz – another free interactive quiz
- Setting Boundaries – how to protect your time and energy
- Browse all self-help techniques – compare every method on Self Help Supermarket.
Sources
- World Health Organization (2019). Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
- Maslach, C., and Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
- Salvagioni, D. A. J., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., and Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLOS ONE, 12(10), e0185781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185781
- Sonnentag, S., Venz, L., and Casper, A. (2017). Advances in recovery research: What have we learned? What should be done next? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 365–380. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000079
- American Psychological Association. Coping with stress at work. https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/work-stress
Self Help Supermarket guides are for general information and are not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. If you are going through a hard time, you can find free, confidential support in your country at findahelpline.com.