⚠ Educational Use Only — The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory is a self-reflection worksheet for educational purposes only. It does not provide a clinical diagnosis or formal evaluation. If you are experiencing severe burnout symptoms, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
19Items
3Subscales
~5 minEst. Time
FreeOpen Source

Free Copenhagen Burnout Inventory — CBI Test Online

The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) measures burnout across three independent subscales: Personal, Work-related, and Client-related exhaustion. Unlike single-dimension tools, the CBI shows exactly where your energy is being depleted — so you know precisely where to act. Developed by Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen & Christensen (2005) and fully open-source.

Free printable PDF — complete the test, export instantly, no account needed.
✓ Open-source & free to use: The CBI is released under a free, open-source license by the original authors (Kristensen et al., 2005). Unlike the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which requires a paid commercial license, the CBI is freely available for educational, clinical, and research use with no fees or restrictions.

 CBI Scoring Thresholds (Kristensen et al., 2005)

0 – 49Normal range — demands and recovery are in balance
50 – 74Moderate burnout — demands beginning to outpace recovery
75 – 100Severe burnout — significant impairment, professional support recommended
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Neuroviax Academy — Copenhagen Burnout Inventory
neuroviaxacademy.com/tools/cbi-burnout-test.html

CBI Results

Copenhagen Burnout Inventory — Educational Profile

Personal Burnout 0 Pending
Work Burnout 0 Pending
Client Burnout 0 Pending

 CBI Scoring Reference

0 – 49Normal range
50 – 74Moderate burnout
75 – 100Severe burnout
Personal Burnout: Pending

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Work-related Burnout: Pending

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Client-related Burnout: Pending

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CBI open-source license: The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory is released under an open-source license by the original authors (Kristensen et al., 2005). It is free for educational, clinical, and research use — no fees or restrictions. This is a key advantage over proprietary tools like the MBI, which require paid licensing.

Academic Citation

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. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370500297720

How to Use This CBI Burnout Test

Step 01

Answer 19 items

Rate each statement based on your actual experience — how often or to what degree. One item (Q10) is reverse-scored automatically. There are no right or wrong answers.

Step 02

Get 3 subscale scores

Your Personal (6 items), Work-related (7 items), and Client-related (6 items) burnout scores are calculated independently on a 0–100 scale. Each subscale tells a different story.

Step 03

Read your bar chart

The bar chart makes it immediately clear which subscale is highest. A high Work score but low Personal score points to structural work conditions. A high Personal score points to deeper systemic depletion.

Step 04

Export free PDF

Save your complete CBI results as a formatted PDF — including all three subscale scores, your bar chart, and the scoring threshold reference — to share with a professional or keep for reference.

Why three subscales matter: A single burnout score can be misleading. Someone might score 80 on Work-related burnout but only 35 on Personal burnout — meaning the problem is structural and environmental, not generalized. The CBI's three-subscale design allows you to distinguish between general life exhaustion, occupational overload, and the specific toll of working with people. This precision is why researchers prefer the CBI over single-dimension tools.
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Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: Free, Open-Source & Online

The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) was developed by Kristensen, Borritz, Villadsen and Christensen (2005) at the National Institute of Occupational Health in Denmark specifically to address methodological limitations in existing burnout tools. The CBI is released under an open-source license — free to use for educational, clinical, and research purposes with no fees or restrictions. This distinguishes it sharply from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which requires paid commercial licensing for each use.

CBI Scoring: Understanding the Thresholds

The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory produces a score from 0 to 100 for each subscale, calculated as the average of item responses within that domain. Based on Kristensen et al. (2005) validation research: scores below 50 fall within the normal range, indicating that demands and recovery are broadly in balance. Scores from 50 to 74 indicate moderate burnout — a signal that demands are beginning to outpace recovery capacity, and structural adjustment is advisable. Scores of 75 or above indicate severe burnout associated with significant functional impairment, where professional support is recommended. These thresholds apply independently to each of the three subscales.

Why Three Subscales?

The CBI's three-subscale architecture captures nuance that single-dimension tools miss entirely. Personal Burnout (items 1–6) measures general physical and psychological fatigue, independent of employment context — making it applicable to anyone regardless of work situation. Work-related Burnout (items 7–13) isolates exhaustion attributable to the work environment, tasks, and organizational pressures. Client-related Burnout (items 14–19) captures the specific energy drain from direct interpersonal work — whether with clients, students, patients, or constituents. Critically, a person can score very high on one subscale and low on another, revealing the specific locus of depletion rather than a blurred average.

CBI and Autistic Burnout

The CBI's Personal Burnout subscale — measuring general physical and psychological fatigue independent of work — has been used in research on autistic burnout, the state of profound exhaustion resulting from chronic masking, sensory overload, and the sustained effort of navigating neurotypical environments. While the CBI was not designed specifically for autistic burnout, the Personal subscale captures the core exhaustion component that characterizes it. Researchers studying autistic burnout often combine CBI Personal scores with camouflaging measures such as the CAT-Q for a more complete picture.

CBI vs MBI: Key structural differences
FeatureCopenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI)Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)
LicenseOpen-source — free to use, no restrictionsProprietary — paid commercial license required
Core constructFatigue and exhaustion onlyExhaustion + depersonalization + reduced accomplishment
ApplicabilityAll professions and demographicsOriginally human services only
SubscalesPersonal, Work-related, Client-relatedEmotional exhaustion, Depersonalization, Personal accomplishment
Scoring0–100 per subscale, threshold at 50Low/Moderate/High per dimension

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and is it free to use?

The CBI is a validated burnout assessment developed by Kristensen et al. (2005). It is explicitly open-source and free to use — no license fees, no restrictions for educational, clinical, or research use. It measures burnout across three subscales: Personal (6 items), Work-related (7 items), and Client-related (6 items), each scored 0–100.

What are the CBI scoring thresholds?

Based on Kristensen et al. (2005): scores below 50 are in the normal range; 50–74 indicates moderate burnout where demands are beginning to outpace recovery; 75+ indicates severe burnout associated with significant functional impairment. These thresholds apply independently to each subscale.

How does the CBI differ from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)?

The CBI is open-source and free; the MBI requires paid licensing. The CBI focuses exclusively on fatigue and exhaustion; the MBI adds depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. The CBI applies to all professions; the MBI was originally designed for human services. The CBI separates client-related exhaustion as a distinct subscale, which the MBI does not.

Can the CBI measure autistic burnout?

The CBI's Personal Burnout subscale measures general fatigue independent of work context, making it applicable to autistic burnout — the profound exhaustion from chronic masking and sensory overload. While not designed specifically for autistic burnout, the Personal subscale captures its core exhaustion component. Researchers often combine CBI Personal scores with the CAT-Q camouflaging scale for a fuller picture.

What do the three CBI subscales mean?

Personal Burnout measures general fatigue regardless of work status. Work-related Burnout isolates exhaustion from work environment and tasks. Client-related Burnout captures the energy drain from direct interpersonal work. Someone can score high on one and low on another — this specificity tells you exactly where to focus recovery efforts.

Does this replace a formal professional evaluation?

No. This is an educational self-reflection tool. It does not provide a clinical diagnosis. If you are experiencing severe burnout symptoms, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.