For employees, managers & knowledge workers
Free Job Burnout Quiz — Am I Burnt Out at Work?
Job burnout is what happens when the demands of your work chronically outpace the recovery you're able to give yourself. You end up depleted, cynical about work you used to care about, and running on cognitive fumes — while, from the outside, it often still looks like you're coping.
This free quiz uses the clinical Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) to give you a score across the four signs of job burnout — exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive strain and emotional strain — in about two minutes.
Signs this quiz picks up
Sunday-night dread that starts earlier every week
The classic early signal — the working week begins to occupy Sunday afternoon, then Sunday morning, then Saturday evening. Not just 'not looking forward to Monday', but a body-level dip.
Cynicism about work you used to care about
The meetings feel pointless, the mission feels hollow, colleagues start to irritate you. Mental distance is one of the four BAT pillars — and one of the earliest to shift.
Cognitive strain — forgetting words, losing track mid-sentence
Not a memory problem; a bandwidth problem. When the nervous system is chronically over-drawn, working memory is one of the first things to go.
Emotional flatness or short-fuse irritability
Either you feel very little (flat, blunted, going through the motions), or small things provoke a bigger reaction than they warrant. Both are emotional-strain signs.
Sleep isn't restoring you anymore
You sleep, sometimes for a long time, and wake up already tired. This is one of the most reliable indicators that recovery isn't keeping up with demand.
Frequently asked
What are the main signs of job burnout?+
Chronic exhaustion, mental distance from work, cognitive strain (memory and focus problems), and emotional strain (flatness or irritability). If three or more of these have been true for two weeks or more, it's worth taking a proper burnout test rather than waiting to see.
Is this quiz the same as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)?+
No — it's based on the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) developed at KU Leuven, which is a more recent instrument. Both are validated. The BAT is free to use for self-check and covers the same underlying construct.
Can I be burnt out even if I still perform well at work?+
Yes — this is high-functioning burnout, and it's one of the most under-recognised presentations. The output looks fine from the outside while the inside is running on fumes. It's exactly why a validated quiz is worth taking rather than relying on how visible your struggle is.
What should I do if I score high risk?+
Please book a GP appointment this week and, if you can, speak to a therapist. High-risk job burnout responds well to support but rarely improves on its own — and it usually gets worse if the underlying workload doesn't change.
Should I tell my employer?+
Often yes, but frame it in terms of workload and sustainability rather than diagnosis. See the recovery guide for scripts on talking to your manager about burnout.
Other burnout quizzes
More burnout tests and quizzes
Every version uses the same clinical Burnout Assessment Tool, framed for a different situation.