Burnout assessment tools compared
See how CBI stacks up against the Maslach Burnout Inventory, BAT, and OLBI when you are choosing an instrument.
Read more
Comparison
Burnout measurement
Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) – Complete Guide
Understand how the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) measures personal, work, and client-related exhaustion, how scores are calculated, and how to interpret benchmarks before you take the burnout test.
What the CBI measures
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) is an open-source screening instrument developed by the National Institute for Occupational Health in Denmark. It evaluates exhaustion in three domains:
- Personal burnout: How persistently tired, drained, or unable to recover you feel overall.
- Work-related burnout: Exhaustion that stems from workload, task design, role clarity, and organisational factors.
- Client-related burnout: Strain that appears when you work with patients, clients, students, or service users.
Each scale uses the same 5-point response set to keep the questionnaire quick and comparable across roles. Scores are converted to a 0–100 scale so you can quickly see which areas feel most intense.
How CBI scoring works
Answers are recoded to numeric values (Always = 100, Often = 75, Sometimes = 50, Seldom = 25, Never/Almost never = 0). We average the items in each scale and round to the nearest whole number. The CBI literature suggests the following interpretive anchors:
| Scope | Score range | Typical interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | 0–49 | Low exhaustion; daily recovery is working. |
| Personal / Work / Client | 50–74 | Moderate exhaustion. Watch triggers and add recovery buffers. |
| Personal / Work / Client | 75–89 | High exhaustion. Consider workload redesign and additional support. |
| Any scale | 90–100 | Very high strain. Prioritise rest and consult a professional if symptoms persist. |
These thresholds come from the original validation paper and follow-up occupational health studies. Your context matters—compare trends over time and combine results with conversations about workload, support, and health.
Normative benchmarks
Because the CBI is open, many organisations have published reference values. Common findings across healthcare, education, and knowledge work cohorts include:
- Healthcare staff often report personal burnout scores in the high 50s, with client burnout peaking in emergency and oncology teams.
- Teachers and social workers typically sit in the mid-40s to low-50s, with work burnout climbing during peak seasons.
- Knowledge workers with high autonomy tend to score in the 30s or 40s, but spikes above 60 frequently mark crunch periods or unclear priorities.
Use these numbers as orientation, not a diagnosis. Persistent scores above 60 merit a conversation about workload and health with your manager, HR partner, or clinician.
Why we use the CBI
We chose the CBI because it is validated, openly available, and separates personal, work, and client demands. Licensed tools like the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) or the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) require paid access and are harder to integrate in self-guided settings.
Curious about how the CBI compares to other instruments? Read our overview in the burnout assessment guide for side-by-side differences.
Try the burnout test
Get personal, work, and client burnout scores in five minutes using the full Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.
Keep learning
Pair the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory with these resources to deepen understanding and plan next steps.
Evidence-based guidance from our team
The About Burnout editorial team synthesises peer-reviewed research on stress and recovery into practical advice. We cite the studies we rely on and invite independent clinicians to review updates.
Last reviewed for accuracy
May 1, 2024
About Burnout Editorial Team
Writers & researchers focused on occupational wellbeing
Cross-disciplinary team that translates peer-reviewed burnout research into accessible guidance for individuals and organisations.
Includes experience in organisational psychology, employee wellbeing programmes, evidence synthesis, and workload design.
About Burnout Research & Insights
Data and literature review contributors
Responsible for maintaining the burnout assessment, reviewing validation studies, and curating emerging evidence on job demands and recovery.
Monitors Copenhagen Burnout Inventory research, stress and resilience studies, and job demands-resources frameworks.
External clinical review
We are actively recruiting licensed clinicians with stress and occupational health expertise to review new content. Reach out via editor@about-burnout.com if you are interested in contributing.
Independent clinicians we collaborate with
Key studies referenced
- Kristensen TS, Borritz M, Villadsen E, Christensen KB (2005). The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: A new tool for the assessment of burnout. — Work & Stress, 19(3), 192–207 View study
- Milfont TL, Denny S, Ameratunga S, Robinson E (2008). Burnout and wellbeing among New Zealand secondary school teachers. — Work, 30(4), 357–367
- Schaufeli WB, Bakker AB (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement. — Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315