How to Choose a Big Five Personality Test: “Official” Claims, Scales, and Results Explained

If you search for “Big Five personality test,” you may find websites offering different numbers of questions and different reports, all emphasizing their scientific basis. They all mention openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, but they do not necessarily use the same questions or interpret results in the same way.

Before choosing a test, consider three questions: Who does “official” refer to? Is the test’s basis explained in enough detail? Once you receive your results, can you understand how the numbers and descriptions were produced?

First, distinguish the model, the scale, and the online product

The Big Five is a framework that describes personality differences using five broad traits. For an introduction to the five dimensions, read What Is the Big Five? Understanding the Five Dimensions and Their Combinations. When choosing a test, you also need to look one level deeper: What exactly does this website use to measure them?

A scale is a measurement tool that includes specific questions and scoring procedures. For example, the researchers’ BFI-2 resources page lists full, short, and extra-short versions, along with questionnaires in different languages. The IPIP project provides multiple sets of items and scale resources. These show that the Big Five framework can be measured using different tools; not every Big Five test uses the same questionnaire.

An online product also includes how a website presents questions, handles languages, displays scores, and organizes its report. Even after learning that a model or scale has research support, you still need to confirm which version the product uses and whether the relevant research applies to how it actually works.

When you see “official,” check who it refers to

“A website’s official site,” “a research project’s official site,” and “a scale researcher’s resources” refer to different things.

For example, IPIP explicitly describes its pages as the official website of the IPIP project. It provides an item pool and measurement resources, but another website’s mention of IPIP does not, on its own, mean that the project has endorsed that website or that its translations, scoring, and reports have been validated.

So when you see “official,” look for a specific institution, project, or tool name, and open the linked source. Broad terms such as “Big Five” or “scientific personality” are not enough on their own to assess the product’s measurement basis.

If you are looking for a particular named scale, start with resources from its researchers or publisher. If you are choosing a website for self-exploration, you also need to review that website’s own product information.

How specific does the test’s basis need to be?

You do not need to understand an entire research paper first. Start with the following information:

• Tool name and version. Which questionnaire and version does it use, or has it written its own questions? “Based on Big Five theory” tells you about the framework; you still need to check the specific tool.
• Language information. Where does the language version you are using come from? Is there information about its translation or intended scope of use? Switching languages is a product feature; the measurement basis for that language version needs to be checked separately.
• Relevance of the research. Which questions, language, and participants did the cited research study? Do the conclusions it supports match the website’s claims?

A paper introducing the Big Five model can help explain the framework, but it cannot, on its own, prove that every website using the “Big Five” name has been validated. Likewise, more questions, a longer report, or a radar chart on the page all need to be assessed alongside specific measurement documentation.

If this information is not yet clearly explained, you can ask the website. There is no need to rush to a conclusion about the test, and unconfirmed details should not be treated as proven strengths.

For result numbers, check the units first, then the reference group

Numbers in different tests may represent scores based on your answers, converted scales, or your position relative to a reference group. Before comparing two results, check what each is expressing.

In particular, clarify what “high,” “medium,” and “low” are based on: Are they categories the website uses to explain results, or comparisons with a group whose source is clearly identified? If a report uses wording such as “higher than a certain percentage of people,” you need to know who the reference data comes from and whether it is appropriate for the current language and population.

IPIP’s guidance on interpreting individual scores discusses interpreting scores in relation to a sample’s distribution and cautions against treating continuous traits as categories. This guidance helps explain issues in interpreting IPIP scores; it cannot be used to directly define another website’s scores.

Consider these two hypothetical descriptions side by side:

Description A: Based on Big Five theory, provides scores for five traits and a personality analysis.

Description B: Identifies the questionnaire and language version used, and explains the score units, the reference for “high” and “low,” and the scope of use for the results.

These two examples were written for this article and are not actual reports from any website. A tells you the general subject of the results; B also gives you clues for checking what the numbers mean. B’s information is easier to interpret, but you still need to review its stated basis to assess its quality further.

Before taking the test, clarify the results and costs

Pricing information answers “What will I get?” Measurement documentation answers “What are the results based on?” These need to be reviewed separately.

Before starting, check whether answering the questions costs money, whether the five trait results require paid access, what the basic results and full report each include, and whether a purchase renews automatically. If you specifically need a PDF or other features, check whether the current plan explicitly includes them rather than assuming they are covered by the words “full report.”

BigFiveLab provides interpretations of the five traits and their combinations. Access to the five personality trait results and the full report on this website requires a one-time purchase, with no automatic renewal. For specific prices and included features, refer to the current plans page. You can first read our test overview to understand the scope of the results before deciding whether to begin.

Keep these five questions in mind before deciding

1. Do I want to understand my overall personality tendencies, or a specific issue that requires professional assessment?
2. Does this test clearly explain the tool, version, and basis for its language version?
3. Can I find out the score units and who “high” and “low” are compared with?
4. Does the report explain the scope of use for its results, or does it infer abilities, careers, or life choices directly from scores?
5. Do I understand which results require a purchase and what the current plan includes?

For everyday self-exploration, a set of results can help you develop more specific questions to consider in light of your own experiences. It should not be used on its own to choose a career or judge a person’s worth, and it cannot replace a mental health diagnosis. When choosing a test, understanding its basis, intended use, and what you receive makes it easier to judge whether the results are suitable for you.

References

1. Berkeley Personality Lab: Measures. Cited to show that BFI-2 has different versions and language resources; this does not indicate that BigFiveLab uses this questionnaire.
2. International Personality Item Pool: Project Homepage. Cited to distinguish the IPIP project and its item pool resources from online products that use those resources; this does not indicate that IPIP has endorsed this website.
3. IPIP: Interpreting Individual IPIP Scale Scores. Cited to explain why score references matter and why continuous traits should be categorized with caution; it does not define this website’s scores or norms.