Narcissism Test (NPI-16)

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory short form (NPI-16) is a 16-item version of the longer NPI-40, both developed by Robert Raskin and colleagues to measure narcissistic traits in the general population. Each question presents two statements and asks you to choose the one that better describes you (one narcissistic-leaning, one not). Your score is the total number of narcissistic-leaning choices, ranging from 0 to 16.

Average scores in the general population sit around 4 to 6 on the NPI-16. Significantly higher scores (10 and above) suggest stronger narcissistic traits, but this is sub-clinical narcissism, the everyday personality dimension that everyone has some of. It is not the same as Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), which is a diagnosed condition with much stricter criteria.

Scoring high on the NPI-16 does not mean you have NPD or that you are a bad person. Narcissism in the trait sense includes confidence, self-promotion, and willingness to take credit, all of which are useful in moderation and present in most successful people. NPD is a clinical diagnosis requiring persistent patterns of grandiosity, lack of empathy, and impairment in functioning, assessed by a clinician using DSM criteria. The NPI-16 cannot diagnose anything.

The other thing the score doesn't tell you: whether someone else in your life is a narcissist. People often take this hoping to confirm a partner or colleague's behaviour, and the test cannot answer that question because it is a self-report measure designed to be answered honestly by the person taking it. Someone with high narcissistic traits would either rate themselves accurately (because they think those traits are good) or distort the answers, and you have no way of telling which.

The most common reason is suspicion. Either someone has called you a narcissist and you want to check, or you suspect a partner or family member of narcissistic patterns and you want a framework. Both are reasonable, but only the first is something this test can help with directly.

If you are worried about a relationship rather than yourself, the [Red Flags Quiz](/red-flags-quiz) is more useful because it asks about observable behaviours rather than internal traits. If you are worried about a specific dynamic, the [Attachment Style Quiz](/attachment-style-quiz) and [Big Five Personality Test](/big-five-personality-test) cover related territory. None of these are diagnostic, but all of them are more directly aimed at the question you are probably asking.