A burnout self-assessment you can actually fill in: 12 signs, scored
Most burnout quizzes give you a label and nothing else. A score is only useful if you can repeat it, compare it and see which direction you are moving in.
Why a number helps
Burnout builds slowly, which makes it almost impossible to judge from memory. Ask someone whether they are worse than three months ago and they will guess — usually wrongly, because the baseline moved with them.
A repeated score removes the guessing. It will not diagnose anything, but it will tell you whether the direction is right, and that is the question that actually matters during recovery.
The 12 signs to score
Rate each one from 0 to 3, based on the last two weeks: 0 never, 1 rarely, 2 often, 3 almost always.
- Exhausted after a full night of sleepRest no longer restores you.
- Dreading the start of the working daySunday evening becomes the worst part of the week.
- Cynical or detached about your workEspecially telling if you used to care.
- Feeling that nothing you do mattersEffort and outcome feel disconnected.
- Guilt when not workingRest feels unearned.
- Concentration noticeably worseSimple tasks take longer than they should.
- Irritability out of proportionSmall things produce reactions that surprise you.
- Physical symptomsRecurring headaches, shoulder tension, stomach problems, more frequent illness.
- Disrupted sleepTrouble falling asleep, or waking between 2am and 4am.
- Withdrawing from peopleCancelling plans that would probably help.
- Relying more on coping habitsMore caffeine, alcohol, screens or food to get through the day.
- Wanting to walk awayNot as a plan, but as escape.
Reading your score
- 0-12 — LowNormal work stress. Worth repeating in three months.
- 13-24 — BuildingEarly burnout. This is the range where changes are easiest and most effective.
- 25-30 — HighSignificant burnout. Rest alone will not be enough; conditions need to change too.
- 31-36 — SevereSpeak to a doctor. At this level self-management is not the right tool on its own.
A single score is a snapshot. The useful signal is the difference between this month and last.
How often to repeat it
Monthly is enough. More often and normal week-to-week variation drowns out the trend; less often and you miss a slide until it is well under way.
Write the score down somewhere you will find it again, with one line about what was happening that month. Six months later that context is what makes the numbers readable.
What the score cannot tell you
This is an educational self-assessment, not a diagnostic instrument, and it is not medical advice. Burnout symptoms overlap with depression, anxiety, thyroid problems, anaemia and sleep disorders. If your score is high, if it stays high for more than two months, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself, speak to a doctor. A high score is information, not a verdict.
Questions
How is this different from the Maslach Burnout Inventory?
The MBI is a validated research instrument used in clinical and organisational settings, usually under licence. This is a plain self-check for personal tracking — useful for noticing direction, not for diagnosis or research.
My score went up even though I rested. Why?
Rest addresses exhaustion but not the conditions producing it. If workload, lack of control or a values conflict is unchanged, the score often returns. That is a signal about the situation, not about you.
Can I use this for my team?
Not as a management tool. People under-report when an employer sees the answers, and it is not built for that. Sharing the questions so individuals can score themselves privately is fine.