The IPIP-NEO-120 is the validated 120-item short form of the full 300-item IPIP-NEO, built to measure the same Five Factor Model of personality — Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness — and the same 30 lower-level facets, using 4 items per facet instead of 10. Taking it gives you the same 30-facet personality profile as the full inventory in roughly a third of the time, trading some precision for length. It's a good option when you want a genuine multi-facet Big Five profile without committing to the full 300-item version.
Instrument Specifications
Target Population
Adults
Administration Format
Self-Administered
Intended Domain / Purpose
Research & Empirical Study
Recommended Age Bracket
18+
Duration & Pacing
15 Minutes (Self-Paced)
Access License
Open Creative Commons
Academic Citation & Instrument Provenance
When referencing this instrument in research, academic theses, or clinical institutional audits, please cite the original author publication:
License: Public Domain (International Personality Item Pool, ipip.ori.org). Citation: Johnson, J. A. (2014). Measuring thirty facets of the Five Factor Model with a 120-item measure: The IPIP-NEO-120. Journal of Research in Personality, 51, 78-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.05.003. This is not a diagnostic tool. Facet scores reflect this test's own item pool only — they are not compared against a published clinical or population norm; no such norm has been entered for this instrument.
Governance, Boundaries & Ethical Use
Construct Boundaries & Interpretive Limitations
Because each facet is measured with only 4 items instead of 10, individual facet scores are less precise than the full 300-item IPIP-NEO. Results reflect how you currently see yourself, not an objective or clinical evaluation of personality.
License: Public Domain (International Personality Item Pool, ipip.ori.org). Citation: Johnson, J. A. (2014). Measuring thirty facets of the Five Factor Model with a 120-item measure: The IPIP-NEO-120. Journal of Research in Personality, 51, 78-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.05.003. This is not a diagnostic tool. Facet scores reflect this test's own item pool only — they are not compared against a published clinical or population norm; no such norm has been entered for this instrument.
