Agreeableness
Agreeableness is the Big Five personality trait that describes how warm, trusting and cooperative you are with other people, from kind and easygoing at the high end to frank, questioning and competitive at the low end.
Take the free 10-statement quiz below to see your own score in about two minutes. Then read what high and low scores look like.
- 10 statements
- About 2 min
- Free score
Updated
How well does each statement describe you? Answer for how you usually are.
Compare yourself with people you know of about your own age, and go with your first honest reaction. There are no right or wrong answers. Keyboard: 1 to 5 to answer, Enter for next, Backspace to go back. Answers save on this device as you go.
Your result
Your score is where your answers fell on a 0 to 100 scale. 50 is the middle of the scale, not the average person, and it is not a percentile. It is saved only on this device.
These ten statements measure one trait. For all five traits and your four-letter type, take the quick test or the full test.
What is agreeableness?
Agreeableness is one of the five traits in the Big Five model of personality. It is about how you treat other people and how you handle conflict. People who score high tend to be kind, helpful and trusting. They notice how others feel and work hard to keep the peace. People who score low tend to be direct and questioning. They say what they think, they don’t take things at face value and they are comfortable with a good argument.
A low score does not mean a person is unkind, and a high score does not mean a person is weak. Agreeableness is about what you put first when your needs and other people’s needs pull in different directions. High scorers lean toward getting along. Low scorers lean toward getting it right, or getting ahead.
What does high agreeableness look like?
- Kind and helpfulYou go out of your way for people and find it easy to say yes when someone needs a hand.
- TrustingYou assume most people mean well, and you give them the benefit of the doubt.
- Keeps the peaceYou avoid fights, forgive quickly and look for a middle ground.
- ModestYou don’t like to brag, and you are happy to share the credit.
- Feels for othersYou are moved when people are struggling, and you want to help.
What does low agreeableness look like?
- Says what it thinksYou give honest feedback, even when it is not what people want to hear.
- Questions claimsYou want proof before you believe something, and you notice hidden motives.
- Holds firmYou can stand your ground in a disagreement or a deal without feeling bad about it.
- CompetitiveYou like to win, and you are not shy about saying you did well.
- Head before heartWhen a choice affects people, you look at what is fair and logical before what feels nice.
What are the facets of agreeableness?
Each Big Five trait breaks down into smaller parts called facets. Our full test scores 6 facets of Agreeableness, four statements each. The names in brackets are the research labels.
- Trust (Trust)
- Whether you assume other people are honest and mean well.
- Fair play (Morality)
- How straight you play it. High scorers don’t cheat, lie or use people to get ahead.
- Helpfulness (Altruism)
- How much you enjoy helping others and making them feel welcome.
- Keeping the peace (Cooperation)
- How much you avoid arguments, and how quickly you let go of a grudge.
- Modesty (Modesty)
- Whether you play down your own success or like to talk about it.
- Compassion (Sympathy)
- How much you feel for people who are having a hard time.
Is it better to be high or low in agreeableness?
Each end has its uses. Higher Agreeableness helps with teamwork, caring work and close friendships, because people feel safe with you. Lower Agreeableness helps when you need to give hard feedback, push back on a bad idea or bargain for a fair deal.
Each end also has a risk. Very agreeable people may say yes too often, hide their own needs or get taken advantage of. People who score very low may come across as harsh, and may win the argument but lose the friend. Most people do best when they can be warm and still say no.
Can your agreeableness score change?
Yes, slowly. Studies that follow people for many years find that, on average, Agreeableness rises a little through adulthood. People can also learn skills that work alongside the trait, like giving feedback kindly or saying no politely.
Which personality types are high in agreeableness?
On this site, your Agreeableness score sets the third letter of your type code. A score of 50 or more gives F (Warm). A score under 50 gives T (Frank). Here F and T are about warmth versus frankness, not about how clever someone is.
Higher Agreeableness: F types
What are the other four Big Five traits?
Agreeableness is one of five traits. Together they make up the Big Five, the model of personality that researchers use most. Read our Big Five personality test guide for all five at once.
- Openness: How much you enjoy new ideas, art, change and big “what if” questions.
- Conscientiousness: How much you plan ahead, keep order and push yourself to finish things.
- Extraversion: How much energy you get from people, activity and excitement.
- Neuroticism: How strongly you feel stress, worry and other difficult emotions. It is not a measure of any health condition.
Agreeableness questions and answers
What is a good agreeableness score?
There is no good or bad score. A high score helps you build trust, and a low score helps you stand your ground. What matters is knowing your habit, so you can choose when to lean the other way.
What does low agreeableness mean?
It means you tend to be direct, questioning and competitive. You say what you think and check what you hear. It does not mean you are mean or uncaring. Many people with low scores are loyal friends who show care through honesty.
Is agreeableness the same as being nice?
Partly. Agreeableness includes kindness, but also trust, modesty and avoiding conflict. Someone can be polite and well-mannered and still score low, because they like to compete and to question things.
Are agreeable people pushovers?
Not always. Many very agreeable people are firm when it matters. The risk is that they may avoid conflict for too long. Learning to say no kindly helps them keep both the peace and their own needs.
Where do the quiz statements come from?
They are the ten Agreeableness statements from the 50-item IPIP Big-Five factor markers, a free, public-domain set of research questions. Our quick test uses the same ten. The How it works page explains the source and the scoring.
See all five of your scores
The full test scores every Big Five trait and its facets, and gives you a four-letter type. It is free.