The 30 IPIP-NEO facets, A to Z

Drive: setting demanding goals and working hard to reach them.

1. Do more than what's expected of me.
2. Work hard.
3. Put little time and effort into my work.reverse-keyed
4. Do just enough work to get by.reverse-keyed

Pace and energy: a busy, fast-moving way of living against a slower, easier one.

1. Am always busy.
2. Am always on the go.
3. Do a lot in my spare time.
4. Prefer a slow, unhurried pace.reverse-keyed

Willingness to try unfamiliar activities, places and food, and to break routine.

1. Prefer variety to routine.
2. Prefer to stick with things that I know.reverse-keyed
3. Dislike changes.reverse-keyed
4. Am attached to conventional ways.reverse-keyed

Active concern for other people’s welfare, shown in practical help.

1. Am concerned about others.
2. Love to help others.
3. Am indifferent to the feelings of others.reverse-keyed
4. Take no time for others.reverse-keyed

How quickly and how strongly a person feels irritated or angry, and how long frustration lasts.

1. Get angry easily.
2. Get irritated easily.
3. Lose my temper.
4. Am not easily annoyed.reverse-keyed

How readily a person worries and expects things to go wrong; feeling tense, uneasy or apprehensive.

1. Worry about things.
2. Fear for the worst.
3. Am afraid of many things.
4. Get stressed out easily.

Appreciation of art, music, poetry, nature and beauty, and the pull to take them in.

1. Believe in the importance of art.
2. See beauty in things that others might not notice.
3. Do not like poetry.reverse-keyed
4. Do not enjoy going to art museums.reverse-keyed

Speaking up, taking charge and leading, rather than waiting to be asked.

1. Take charge.
2. Try to lead others.
3. Take control of things.
4. Wait for others to lead the way.reverse-keyed

Thinking before acting: weighing consequences and avoiding rash decisions.

1. Jump into things without thinking.reverse-keyed
2. Make rash decisions.reverse-keyed
3. Rush into things.reverse-keyed
4. Act without thinking.reverse-keyed

The tendency to feel happy, enthusiastic and in good spirits.

1. Radiate joy.
2. Have a lot of fun.
3. Love life.
4. Look at the bright side of life.

A preference to avoid conflict, compromise and yield, against a readiness to argue a point.

1. Love a good fight.reverse-keyed
2. Yell at people.reverse-keyed
3. Insult people.reverse-keyed
4. Get back at others.reverse-keyed

The tendency toward low mood, discouragement and a negative view of oneself.

1. Often feel blue.
2. Dislike myself.
3. Am often down in the dumps.
4. Feel comfortable with myself.reverse-keyed

A sense of obligation: keeping promises, following rules and meeting commitments.

1. Keep my promises.
2. Tell the truth.
3. Break rules.reverse-keyed
4. Break my promises.reverse-keyed

Awareness of one’s own feelings and openness to experiencing them strongly.

1. Experience my emotions intensely.
2. Feel others' emotions.
3. Rarely notice my emotional reactions.reverse-keyed
4. Don't understand people who get emotional.reverse-keyed

A craving for stimulation, novelty and thrills, including a taste for risk.

1. Love excitement.
2. Seek adventure.
3. Enjoy being reckless.
4. Act wild and crazy.

Ease in making friends and warmth toward other people.

1. Make friends easily.
2. Feel comfortable around people.
3. Avoid contacts with others.reverse-keyed
4. Keep others at a distance.reverse-keyed

A liking for company: seeking out groups, crowds and busy social settings.

1. Love large parties.
2. Talk to a lot of different people at parties.
3. Prefer to be alone.reverse-keyed
4. Avoid crowds.reverse-keyed

A vivid inner world: daydreaming, imagining and playing with ideas in the mind’s eye.

1. Have a vivid imagination.
2. Enjoy wild flights of fantasy.
3. Love to daydream.
4. Like to get lost in thought.

How hard it is to resist cravings and urges, such as for food, spending or other indulgences.

1. Go on binges.
2. Rarely overindulge.reverse-keyed
3. Easily resist temptations.reverse-keyed
4. Am able to control my cravings.reverse-keyed

Curiosity about ideas, a liking for abstract or philosophical thinking and for puzzles.

1. Love to read challenging material.
2. Avoid philosophical discussions.reverse-keyed
3. Have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.reverse-keyed
4. Am not interested in theoretical discussions.reverse-keyed

Readiness to re-examine social, political and moral values rather than accept tradition as given.

1. Am open to re-examining my core values and beliefs.
2. Believe that different cultures and lifestyles have much to teach us.
3. Tend to vote for conservative political candidates.reverse-keyed
4. Believe that traditional ways of doing things should never be questioned.reverse-keyed

Humility: not putting oneself above others or claiming special status.

1. Believe that I am better than others.reverse-keyed
2. Think highly of myself.reverse-keyed
3. Have a high opinion of myself.reverse-keyed
4. Boast about my virtues.reverse-keyed

Frankness and sincerity: saying what one means without manipulating others.

1. Use others for my own ends.reverse-keyed
2. Cheat to get ahead.reverse-keyed
3. Take advantage of others.reverse-keyed
4. Obstruct others' plans.reverse-keyed

Tidiness and organisation: keeping things in order and working by method.

1. Like to tidy up.
2. Often forget to put things back in their proper place.reverse-keyed
3. Leave a mess in my room.reverse-keyed
4. Leave my belongings around.reverse-keyed

Sensitivity to what others think: embarrassment, shyness and discomfort in social situations.

1. Find it difficult to approach others.
2. Am afraid to draw attention to myself.
3. Only feel comfortable with friends.
4. Am not bothered by difficult social situations.reverse-keyed

Starting tasks and sticking with them despite distraction or boredom.

1. Am always prepared.
2. Carry out my plans.
3. Waste my time.reverse-keyed
4. Have difficulty starting tasks.reverse-keyed

Confidence in one’s own ability to get things done and to handle what comes up.

1. Complete tasks successfully.
2. Excel in what I do.
3. Handle tasks smoothly.
4. Know how to get things done.

Compassion: being moved by other people’s hardship and feeling for them.

1. Sympathize with the homeless.
2. Feel sympathy for those who are worse off than myself.
3. Am not interested in other people's problems.reverse-keyed
4. Try not to think about the needy.reverse-keyed

The assumption that other people mean well, against a wariness of their motives.

1. Trust others.
2. Believe that others have good intentions.
3. Trust what people say.
4. Distrust people.reverse-keyed

How easily a person feels overwhelmed under pressure and unable to cope with demands.

1. Panic easily.
2. Become overwhelmed by events.
3. Feel that I'm unable to deal with things.
4. Remain calm under pressure.reverse-keyed