Narcissism Test (NPI-16)

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The NPI-16 (Narcissistic Personality Inventory, 16-item version) is a short-form measure of narcissistic personality traits developed by Daniel Ames at Columbia Business School with Paul Rose and Cameron Anderson, published in the Journal of Research in Personality in 2006. It is derived from the original 40-item NPI by Raskin and Terry (1988), and it correlates r = .90 with the full NPI-40.

16 Questions Forced-choice pairs. For each, choose the statement that better describes you.
0–16 Score Range Each narcissistic response scores 1 point. Population average is around 5 to 7.
4 Bands Result Few, moderate, elevated, or high narcissistic traits relative to the general population.

Narcissism is a personality dimension on a spectrum, not a binary label. Most people have some narcissistic traits. This test measures grandiose narcissism in the general population. It is not a clinical diagnostic tool and does not diagnose Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which can only be assessed by a qualified clinician.

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Your answers are processed locally in your browser. No data is collected or sent to any server. No login account or email is required and results are available instantly. This test is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute a clinical assessment.

Disclaimer

This test is based on the NPI-16 (Narcissistic Personality Inventory, 16-item version) and is for informational and educational purposes only. It measures narcissistic traits on a spectrum in the general population and is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is diagnosed through a comprehensive clinical assessment by a qualified mental health professional. If you are concerned about your wellbeing or relationships, please consider speaking with a qualified clinician.

FAQs

What is the NPI-16?

The NPI-16 is a 16-item short-form measure of narcissistic personality traits developed by Daniel Ames, Paul Rose, and Cameron Anderson and published in the Journal of Research in Personality in 2006. It is derived from the original 40-item NPI by Raskin and Terry (1988), which itself was based on the work of Raskin and Hall (1979). The NPI-16 correlates r = .90 with the full NPI-40, making it one of the most efficient and widely cited short-form narcissism measures in personality research.

Does a high score mean I have Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

No. The NPI-16 measures narcissistic personality traits on a spectrum in the general population, not the clinical disorder. Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a clinical diagnosis made through comprehensive psychiatric or psychological assessment using DSM-5 criteria. Many people score high on this scale without meeting criteria for NPD. This test is not designed as a diagnostic tool.

How is this test scored?

You choose one of two statements for each of 16 forced-choice pairs. Each narcissistic statement scores 1 point; the non-narcissistic statement scores 0. Your total ranges from 0 to 16. Population averages from the original validation samples are approximately 5 to 7.

  • 0 to 4: few narcissistic traits
  • 5 to 8: moderate (within typical range)
  • 9 to 12: elevated
  • 13 to 16: high

Note: the result bands above are editorial interpretations for informational use. The original Ames et al. (2006) paper uses the NPI-16 as a continuous measure and does not define categorical cutoffs.

Is narcissism always a problem?

Not at lower levels. Personality research distinguishes adaptive narcissism, associated with healthy self-confidence, assertiveness, and leadership emergence, from maladaptive narcissism, which involves entitlement, exploitativeness, and lack of empathy. The NPI-16 measures primarily grandiose traits. Higher scores correlate with leadership behavior as well as with interpersonal difficulties.

What is the difference between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism?

Grandiose narcissism involves overt self-promotion, dominance, exhibitionism, and a sense of superiority. Vulnerable narcissism, sometimes called covert narcissism, involves shame-based self-focus, hypersensitivity to criticism, and social withdrawal. The NPI-16 measures grandiose narcissism. Vulnerable narcissism is measured by different instruments such as the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale by Hendin and Cheek (1997).

How accurate is the NPI-16?

The NPI-16 has good psychometric properties for a 16-item scale. Cronbach's alpha is approximately .72 across validation samples, test-retest reliability is r = .85 over five weeks, and the correlation with the full 40-item NPI is r = .90. It is the most widely used short-form narcissism measure in personality and social psychology research.

How is this different from the full NPI-40?

The NPI-16 contains 16 of the 40 original forced-choice item pairs, selected for maximum efficiency while preserving the construct. The full NPI-40 provides seven subscale scores covering authority, exhibitionism, superiority, entitlement, exploitativeness, self-sufficiency, and vanity. The NPI-16 gives a single global narcissism score and is preferred when time is limited.

Who developed this test?

The 16-item version was developed by Daniel Ames at Columbia Business School with Paul Rose and Cameron Anderson, published in 2006. It is adapted from the original 40-item NPI by Robert Raskin and Howard Terry (1988), which was based on the earlier work of Raskin and Hall (1979).

Is my data stored anywhere?

No. OmLumi has a strong commitment to user privacy and does not collect any personal data. All scoring happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your answers are never transmitted to any server, stored in a database, or shared with any third party. No account or login is required, and results are available instantly. When you close the tab, your answers are gone.

REFERENCES

Raskin RN, Hall CS. A narcissistic personality inventory. Psychological Reports. 1979;45(2):590. doi:10.2466/pr0.1979.45.2.590

Raskin R, Terry H. A principal-components analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1988;54(5):890-902. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.890

Ames DR, Rose P, Anderson CP. The NPI-16 as a short measure of narcissism. Journal of Research in Personality. 2006;40(4):440-458. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2005.03.002

Ames DR, Rose P, Anderson CP. Journal of Research in Personality. 2006;40(4):440-458.