Am I Burnout? A Quiz Based on 15 Symptoms

If you feel overly exhausted at your job, take this Burnout Quiz. It exposes if you are working too much or have chronic occupation stress.

Do you wonder if you’re working too much and are burnt out? We’ve turned the fifteen most common symptoms of feeling overworked into a self-assessment quiz. By answering the questions on this page, you get to know if and how badly you are exhausted.

Burnout is a state of feeling mentally and physically drained because of external (often work-related) chronic stress. Herbert Freudenberger, a well-known psychologist who specialized in chronic fatigue and stress recovery, coined the term in the 1970s.

Freudenberger described burnout as “a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job.” However, with recent technological developments, psychologists acknowledge that burnout has extended its reach to non-professional settings such as schools.

According to a Deloitte survey, 77% of the American workforce have experienced burnout at some point in their careers. Even worse, more than 50% have reported feeling worn out more than once.

If you want to self-assess your symptoms, look for the following burnout signs:

• You feel cynicism toward your job.
• You are detached from your daily life.
• Your productivity level has decreased significantly.
• You are unmotivated and hopeless.
• You’re facing difficulty concentrating on your job.

Note that burnout is different from depression. A depressed person might go through all symptoms of burnout even when there are no particular stressors or excessive workloads. However, a burnt-out worker could recover from constant exhaustion provided that their workplace conditions are improved. (This is not to say that burnt-out people can’t become depressed or vice versa. The two conditions could be interconnected in most cases.)

The primary causes of feeling burnt out are unwarranted stress, irregular or unbearable workload, and perfectionism. If you have been dealing with any of these issues, take the Burnout Quiz and see if it’s time to take some days off—and perhaps plan a weekend getaway.

 

Questions of the quiz

• 1
  How many hours do you work per day?
  

  • About 6-7 hours (or less)

  • About 8-9 hours

  • Commuting and everything included, over nine hours a day

  • IDK. My work schedule has been pretty random

• 2
  Does your job hold you responsible for mistakes or shortcomings?
  

  • It depends

  • It usually does

  • Yes, there’s no room for mistake

  • Yes, but I don’t mind it

• 3
  How often do you get paid vacations?
  

  • Every six months or so

  • Every other year

  • I don’t get those at all

  • I’ve never requested paid vacations. I don’t need them

• 4
  Which one better describes your workplace’s management culture?
  

  • Open and friendly

  • Strict but professional

  • Unprofessional and harsh

  • Toxic and careless

• 5
  How easy is it for you to complain about your work conditions?
  

  • Pretty easy

  • It depends on the issue

  • That’s impossible

  • IDK. Never tried to complain

• 6
  How do you feel about the future of your career?
  

  • It looks good

  • It’s meh

  • It doesn’t look bright at all

  • I don’t care about the future. I just need the money

• 7
  Do you feel productive these days?
  

  • Yes, I’m pretty productive

  • I used to be more productive than this

  • Not at all. I’m just snoozing tasks

  • IDK. I just get the job done

• 8
  Are you motivated to grow your business or aim for promotions?
  

  • Sure!

  • Not anymore

  • No. I know that’s not possible

  • Nope. I don’t feel motivated for anything

• 9
  Do you have difficulty concentrating on your tasks?
  

  • I don’t think so

  • I can’t say no

  • Yes, I can’t focus on my tasks

  • Yup, but I know how to get things done with no concentration

• 10
  Are you feeling detached or numb toward important life events?
  

  • Nah, I rarely feel that way

  • It’s not a constant emotion. But yeah, sometimes

  • Lately, I’ve been feeling super detached

  • I’ve felt that way my entire life

• 11
  How proud are you of your career?
  

  • Pretty proud

  • I mean, meh

  • I used to be proud. But I don’t know how I feel anymore

  • I don’t need to be proud of what I do as long as I’m paid

• 12
  Is your workplace pushing you to work harder without offering to pay you more?
  

  • Nope. That’s illegal

  • It has happened a few times

  • It’s become a thing. Yes!

  • I’m usually volunteering for unpaid work

• 13
  How often do you think about quitting your job?
  

  • Not at all

  • Rarely

  • Often

  • I can’t quit. I need this job

• 14
  Is "money" the only reason you are putting up with your boss/patrons?
  

  • No, I love my job and my team

  • Not really. My boss/patrons are generally nice

  • I hate my boss

  • Who cares?

• 15
  Do you have someone to count on when you’re overwhelmed with workloads?
  

  • Yes, my friends and colleagues

  • I have some people in my family who help me out

  • Not really. It’s usually just me

  • I have no friends. So…