16-item alternative burnout measure with exhaustion and disengagement subscales. ≈ 5 min to complete. Free with attribution.
OLBI (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 16-item alternative burnout measure with exhaustion and disengagement subscales.. It is most often used for 16-item alternative burnout measure with exhaustion and disengagement subscales.. The instrument contains 16 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
16-item alternative burnout measure with exhaustion and disengagement subscales. OLBI is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, OLBI is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 16 items below to see your OLBI score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 4-point scale (4–1). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Two subscales (8 items each) scored 1-4. Exhaustion and Disengagement each range 8-32.
Scoring notes: Two subscales (8 items each) scored 1-4. Exhaustion and Disengagement each range 8-32.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 8–16 | Low burnout | None |
| 17–24 | Moderate burnout | Consider intervention |
| 25–32 | High burnout | Active treatment |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I always find new and interesting aspects in my work | Strongly disagree | 1 |
| 2 | There are days when I feel tired before I arrive at work | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 3 | It happens more and more often that I talk about my work in a negative way | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 4 | After work, I tend to need more time than in the past in order to relax and feel better | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 5 | I can tolerate the pressure of my work very well | Strongly disagree | 1 |
| 6 | Lately, I tend to think less at work and do my job almost mechanically | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 7 | I find my work to be a positive challenge | Disagree | 2 |
| 8 | During my work, I often feel emotionally drained | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 9 | Over time, one can become disconnected from this type of work | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 10 | After working, I have enough energy for my leisure activities | Disagree | 2 |
| 11 | Sometimes I feel sickened by my work tasks | Strongly agree | 1 |
| 12 | After my work, I usually feel worn out and weary | Agree | 2 |
| 13 | This is the only type of work that I can imagine myself doing | Disagree | 2 |
| 14 | Usually, I can manage the amount of my work well | Strongly disagree | 1 |
| 15 | I feel more and more engaged in my work | Disagree | 2 |
| 16 | When I work, I usually feel energized | Strongly disagree | 1 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + … (items 9–16 sum to 12) = 21
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 21 falls between 17 and 24 → Moderate burnout
Moderate burnout. Consider intervention
A score is one input alongside history and examination. OLBI supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If OLBI doesn't fit your context, related instruments in self-efficacy include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSE | 10-item measure of general confidence in ability to cope with difficult demands in life. | 10 | ≈ 2 min |
| WSAS | 5-item simple measure of impaired functioning at work, home, and socially. | 5 | ≈ 1 min |
| MBI-GS | 16-item measure of burnout in occupational settings with three subscales. | 16 | ≈ 5 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
OLBI (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory) is a validated instrument that assesses exhaustion and disengagement subscales. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 5 min to complete, and the 16 items are summed to produce a total score.
OLBI typically takes about 5 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
OLBI contains 16 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 8 to 32, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Low burnout’ up to ‘High burnout’.
On the OLBI (total score 8–32), scores of 25–32 fall in the ‘High burnout’ band — interpreted as: Active treatment. The full ladder is: 8–16 — Low burnout: None.; 17–24 — Moderate burnout: Consider intervention.; 25–32 — High burnout: Active treatment. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 8–16 fall in the ‘Low burnout’ band: None. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
OLBI has reported Cronbach's α of 0.84 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.78. Validated across multiple occupations and countries. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.84 indicates good internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.78 means scores are well when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
OLBI is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Vardakou, I., & Kantas, A. (2003). The convergent validity of two burnout instruments. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 19(1), 12-23. This is the original publication for the OLBI — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. OLBI is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of exhaustion and disengagement subscales — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
OLBI is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: