This is meant to be a quick assessment for the Big Five personality traits currently favoured by academic psychology (Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, and Extraversion – CANOE or OCEAN). Supposedly, it has excellent reliability and validity to measure someone’s Big Five results compared to the 240 question Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), developed by Paul Costa and Robert R. McCrae. Of course, the TIPI is more prone to error than the NEO PI-R, but it is ideal for those who don’t have the time or the resource to do the NEO PI-R, and might be a good introduction for the CANOE theory and how you fare with it.

For each question, rate your “agreement” using the following scale

1 = Disagree strongly
2 = Disagree moderately
3 = Disagree a little
4 = Neither agree nor disagree
5 = Agree a little
6 = Agree moderately
7 = Agree strongly

I see myself as

A. Extraverted, enthusiastic _______ 

B. Critical, quarrelsome _______ 

C. Dependable, self-disciplined _______ 

D. Anxious, easily upset _______ 

E. Open to new experiences, complex _______ 

F. Reserved, quiet _______ 

G. Sympathetic, warm _______ 

H. Disorganized, careless _______ 

I. Calm, emotionally stable _______ 

J. Conventional, uncreative _______ 

Rating

Before you tally up your results, please note the following chart for tallying. For some answers you gave, you will need to obtain a “reverse” score. I suspect it the questions and tallying was set up with some complications to minimize ease of “cheating” while answering the questions, though, ultimately, it’s still a self-assessment where if you were not being honest with yourself, you’ll only get the answers you “want” rather than what you “are”.

Score (reverse score)
1 (reverse 7)
2 (reverse 6)
3 (reverse 5)
4 (reverse 4)
5 (reverse 3)
6 (reverse 2)
7 (reverse 1)

 

Conscientiousness  ______  +  ______  =  _______

(C score + reverse of H score)

 

Agreeableness  ______  +  ______  =  _______

(B score + reverse of G score)

 

Neuroticism  ______  +  ______  =  _______

(D score + reverse of I score)

 

Openness  ______  +  ______  =  _______

(E score + reverse of J score)

 

Extraversion  ______  +  ______  =  _______

(A score + reverse of F score)

Obtaining Results

Look through the following ranges to see whether you are “Low”, “Below Average”, “Average”, “Above Average”, or “High”, from over 300,000 test results from various academic assessments. Then describe your score accordingly from the adjective given. The intervals are not “perfect” mathematically, but the way the scoring is done with whole numbers of points, the imperfections won’t matter.

 

Conscientiousness  ____________________

Low = up to 6.4
Below Average = 6.4 to 7.8
Average = 7.8 to 10.6 (9.22 mean)
Above Average = 10.6 to 11.99
High = 12 and above

 

Agreeableness  ____________________

Low = up to 7.0
Below Average = 7.01 to 8.2
Average = 8.2 to 10.6 (9.38 mean)
Above Average = 10.6 to 11.8
High = 11.8 and above

 

Neuroticism (low score desired)  ____________________

Low = up to 5.8
Below Average = 5.8 to 7.2
Average = 7.2 to 10.2 (8.68 mean)
Above Average = 10.2 to 11.6
High = 11.6 and above

 

Openness  ____________________

Low = up to 8.8
Below Average = 8.8 to 9.9
Average = 9.9 to 12.1 (11.02 mean)
Above Average = 12.1 to 13.2
High = 13.2 and above

 

Extraversion  ____________________

Low = up to 4.8
Below Average = 4.8 to 6.4
Average = 6.4 to 9.6 (7.96 mean)
Above Average = 9.6 to 11.2
High = 11.2 and above

What do your results mean?

There is a lot of research on the various levels of each of the Big Five traits that it wouldn’t be possible to cover it all here. However, here are the notes I’ve taken from some exposure and resources I have about those traits, in simple bullet points, along with a few general links at the end. If there were anything below that you wanted to know more about, I would suggest searching the trait and the text about it that you want to know more about. I would suggest transferring your description for each trait into the blank below for an easy read if you printed this out.

The descriptive results above are often presented only with High, Low, and Average, where Above Average and Below Average are combined with Average. I introduced the Above Average and Below Average categories so that if you were close enough to the High or Low end, meaning you were Above Average or Below Average, respectively, you might want to consider accepting, embracing, or just being aware of those interpretations (High or Low) rather than think of yourself as “average”, for which there isn’t a lot of information because at Average strength, those traits don’t often manifest strongly enough to result in many behaviours generally deemed to be a bit too much or to be extreme compared to the norm.

 

Conscientiousness     ____________________

• People high on this scale are well organized, orderly, careful, persevering, prudent, circumspect, and non-impulsive. Meanwhile, those scoring low are disorganized, spontaneous, careless, imprudent, and impulsive.
• Helps with many diverse aspects of well-being according to a lot of research.
• Strongly related to measures of successful treatment in school and at work. For example, students scores on conscientiousness are a better predictor of average college grades compared to high school grades that are generally thought to be the best predictors. Conscientiousness is also a strong predictor of post-secondary retention.
• Being high on conscientiousness is one of the very best predictors of conventionally defined success, and an important determinant of our potential well-being as a result.
• Being conscientious isn’t just associated with greater school and work success, it’s also a strong predictor of health and longevity.
• Conscientious people tend to live longer due to the kinds of health related tasks and projects they engage in throughout their lives.
• Conscientiousness is adapted primarily in environments and social situations that are predictable and well ordered. But that means in an environment that is chaotic, unpredictable, and fast paced, conscientiousness could be maladaptive. There, the less conscientious person might be better able to orient away from routine activities, to attend to certain intrusions, and to change direction with alacrity.
• Genetics is estimated to be influential for 44% of Conscientiousness (see note at end).

 

Agreeableness     ____________________

• Highly agreeable people think they are pleasant, cooperative, friendly, supportive, and empathetic, and are also often seen by others as such. Meanwhile, their disagreeable counterparts are seen as cynical, confrontational, unfriendly, and mean spirited.
• It is the dimension of the Big Five that people are most attuned to when they form first impressions of others.
• Agreeableness isn’t associated with success like conscientiousness. Compared with other Big Five traits, agreeableness is one of the weakest predictors of organizational success, with some evidence that agreeable people are less successful at work when indexed by salaries. This is because the impact of personality on performance needs to take into account timing and context of the impact. People too agreeable or disagreeable are both associated with poorer performance, and that an optimal, middle level degree of agreeableness exists. In other words, both nice and nasty guys finish last, but only if they overdo it.
• Disagreeable people, along with extraverts, are both characterized by assertive behavior.
• When individuals were asked to evaluate leaders effectiveness, those who were seen as too high or too low on assertiveness were deemed least effective, while those at the optimal level rated most effective.
• Disagreeable people differ from extraverted ones in that while both are assertive, those who are highly disagreeable fail to differentiate between important and unimportant situations and tasks. They are indiscriminately assertive.
• The link between health and agreeableness is complex. Highly agreeable people are likely to create social networks that are important for enhancing health.  Meanwhile, disagreeable people not only suffer from not having close social ties, they are also at direct risk for health issues relating to anger, cynicism, and antagonism.
• Agreeable people are more likely to report they are happy, while disagreeable people are only happier when they are being disagreeable!
• Genetics is estimated to be influential for 41% of Agreeableness (see note at end).

 

Neuroticism (opposite of Emotional Stability)     ____________________

• Neuroticism and its opposite, emotional stability (aka Stability), are among the most extensively studied personality dimension, and one of the most critical for predicting diverse aspects of well-being.
• The Neuroticism – Stability dimension’s relation to health is fairly straightforward. Those who score on the Neurotic end of the dimension also score low on many different aspects of positive functioning. They  also have lower subjective well-being, more negative than positive emotions, difficulties in marriage and interpersonal relations, less job satisfaction, and compromised physical health.
• The central component of Neuroticism is sensitivity to negative cues in the environment. It is associated with hypersensitivity of the amygdala that alerts organisms to the presence of threat.
• Those scoring high on the neuroticism scale detect, recall, and ruminate on perceived, threats, dangers, and slights that a more stable person would not notice or care much for. However, being ever vigilant to the possibility of threat, real or imagined, Neurotic individuals experience high levels of chronic stress that can challenge the immune system and create a risk for physical illness.
• Those who score high on Neuroticism are also more prone to anxiety, depression, self consciousness, and emotional vulnerability.
• Neuroticism can be thought of as an amplifier of other dispositions. For example, those who are conscientious and highly neurotic are more conscientious than if they were low on Neuroticism, possibly to the point of being prone to obsessive compulsive type behavior. Also, those disagreeable and highly neurotic are at risk for being deeply, perhaps dangerously, antagonistic.
• During the Pleistocene, when our ancestors were hunting and living in groups of about 30, and the varieties of human personality emerged, the conditions were challenging so having individuals who were particularly sensitive to threats play a valued role. Despite the nature of threat being different now, the Neurotic sensitivities are often still sensitive to them and may continue to exert a protective influence when not necessary, with a side effect being stress to their health over the long term.
• Genetics is estimated to be influential for 41% of Neuroticism (see note at end).

 

Openness     ____________________

• Openness versus being closed to experience refers to the tendency to be receptive to new ideas, interactions, environments, and is closely related to creativity.
• Openness also applies to experiencing emotions. Like Neurotic individuals, Open ones are more likely to acknowledge anxiety, depression, or hostility than Closed individuals. But unlike their Neurotic counterparts, Open ones are also more likely to experience positive emotions, such as delight, wonderment, and joy, like if you frequently feel the hairs on your back rising in response to hearing a particular piece of music, reviewing a particular piece of art (pilo-erections or literally “hair standing up“).
• With respect to well-being, openness has affects health differently from the other Big Five factors. Openness is like sushi, share it with both positive and negative emotions, so, on balance, open individuals may have a more nuanced sense of well-being.
• Disposition to openness is often associated with success in endeavours and occupations that place a premium on innovative accomplishment.
• Genetics is estimated to be influential for 61% of Openness (see note at end).

 

Extraversion     ____________________

• This, along with Neuroticism, is the most studied of major dimensions of personality, and one of the most consequential for understanding will be. While it is typically spelled Extraversion in common language
• Among dimensions of the Big Five, Extraversion is known to have a moderately high degree of variability. One biological model of this dimension proposes that differences in Extraversion reflect differences in the arousal levels of certain neocortical areas in the brain. Those high in Extraversion have low levels of arousal, where is Introverts have high levels. Given that effective performance on daily tasks require an optimal level of arousal, Extraverts are typically seeking to increase the levels of arousal, where is Introverts are trying to lower them.
• Introverts actually have greater sensitivity to pain, then do Extraverts, particularly if they’re also Neurotic.
• You can also achieve an optimal level of arousal by drinking beverages that have a direct impact on neocortical arousal, like coffee or wine.
• Most individuals actually end up with middle level scores on Extraversion. They are referred to as Ambiverts, and chances are that you are one.
• Ambivert are always close to the optimal level between Introversion and Extraversion that is their advantage.
• The organizational psychologist, Adam Grant presents evidence that, contrary to the common assumption that Extraverts are the best people in sales fields, Ambiverts do best.
• Generally speaking, except for kindergarten where students mingle more than later years of secondary school, Introverts get higher marks so by the time they are university, they are more likely to obtain a first class graduating average. As such, it is not wise to predict leadership, academic achievements, and such on the basis of how our children did in kindergarten.
• There is no reliable differences in IQ between those scoring high and low on Extraversion, but the learning environment is critical. Extraverts learn better environments that are stimulating, engaging, and conventional schools may not be able to provide such an environment. Extraverted children may well have peaked then!
• The Introvert advantage in marks disappears when we look only at laboratory classes that has more collaborative and group work like in kindergarten.
• Extraverts have better memories than introverts do, but only in short term memory. Introverts do better than on long term memory tasks.
• When we engage in tasks, we adapt different strategies involving a quality – quantity trade-off, to do things quickly and make a few mistakes, or do things slowly for perfection. Extraverts and more likely to opt for quantity, while Introverts go for quality.
• Extraversion and Introversion also help helps us understand motivation, and the ways in which we scan our environments. Just as neurotics have a sensitivity to punishment cues, Extraverts are highly sensitive to reward cues and reward opportunities. They can see the positive possibilities. Meanwhile, reward cues do not motivate introverts as much, especially if they are also neurotic to be hyper sensitive to punishment use.
• Extravert and Introverts can see virtually identical events in radically different ways.
• Although Extraversion-Introversion is an exceptionally important, it is only one in five major traits personality researchers have identified. In America and other modern western countries, Introverts have been given short shrift by a culture that systematically discriminate against them, as noted by Susan Cain in the best selling book, The Quiet Power of Introverts.
• Many classrooms are designed for group activities that work, as we have seen, to the disadvantage of introverts. Many of the professional schools in business administration place a premium on the Extravert interaction style of fast, intense, and noisy. The consequence of such pressures against introverts is they have been cheated prospects for a happy life relative to their Extraverted friends and peers.
• Susan Cain’s conclusions in her book are compelling and dramatic. She calls for a shift in consciousness that would empower Introverts.
• Genetics is estimated to be influential for 53% of Extraversion (see note at end).

 

Genetic influence

In a 1996 study of identical and fraternal, twins measure with the NEO PI Dash R (the full version of the shortened TIPI), the genetic influence was estimated to be:

• Conscientiousness [44%]
• Agreeableness [41%],
• Neuroticism [41%]
• Openness [61%]
• Extraversion [53%]