Workaholism Test: the Bergen Scale and Your Risk Map

Online self-check for workaholism. The test has two parts: a map of five dimensions — compulsion, overload, life displacement, the toll on health, and enjoyment of work — plus the Bergen Work Addiction Scale (BWAS) with its official risk cutoff. You get your profile, every number explained in plain words, and concrete first steps.

How to take the test

1
Take the two parts

Rate how often each statement applies to you: first the five-dimension map, then the 7 Bergen scale items. The full version is 37 questions, about 6 minutes.

2
Explore your profile and the scale

See your archetype, the five dimensions ranked from most to least loaded, and your position on the Bergen scale against the official cutoff.

3
Start with three steps

For the most loaded dimension the test suggests three concrete actions — and tells you when talking to a professional makes sense.

Find out where loving your work ends and being unable to stop begins

Loading the test…

Features

The real Bergen scale, not a magazine quiz
BWAS was developed at the University of Bergen (Andreassen et al., 2012) on behavioural-addiction criteria and validated in 15+ languages — the only workaholism scale with an official risk cutoff.
Tells an engaged professional from a workaholic
Enjoyment of work is measured separately from compulsion — the key scientific distinction (Schaufeli): "I work because I love it" and "I cannot stop" are different things.
Tells workaholism from external overload
Long hours demanded by your job are not an addiction. The test separates internal compulsion from external demands — and gives different advice for each.
Every number explained in plain words
No bare percentages: each dimension gets a verbal level and a personalised note for your range, and the Bergen scale comes with a strip showing the official cutoff.
Concrete first steps, not platitudes
For your most loaded dimension — three specific actions to start with: from one fully offline evening to a boundaries conversation.
Instant result, no registration or email
Both parts and the full breakdown open right after you finish — free, in 9 languages, in the browser.

What you can do

  • Check yourself against the Bergen Work Addiction Scale with its official risk cutoff
  • Build a 5-dimension profile: compulsion, overload, life displacement, toll, enjoyment
  • Learn your archetype — from "engaged professional" to "risk zone"
  • See whether it is workaholism or external overload — and what to do about each
  • Download a PNG card and a PDF report, or share your result as a link

How the test works

Part one is 30 statements across five dimensions (six per dimension); answers become percentages. Compulsion, overload, displacement and toll are RISK axes; enjoyment of work is the protective axis — the one that tells engagement from addiction. Part two is the Bergen Work Addiction Scale: seven items, one per behavioural-addiction component; the official criterion is answering "often" or "always" on at least four. We deliberately keep the two numbers apart: the map shows what your picture is made of, the scale shows how it compares with the published threshold.

Frequently asked questions

Is workaholism just "working a lot"?

No. Science defines workaholism through inner compulsion, not hours: being unable to stop, guilt when resting, working to quiet anxiety. You can work 50 enthusiastic hours without harm — and exhaust yourself in 40 driven by compulsion.

What is the Bergen scale (BWAS)?

The Bergen Work Addiction Scale was developed by psychologists at the University of Bergen (Andreassen, Griffiths, Hetland, Pallesen, 2012) around seven components of behavioural addiction: salience, tolerance, mood modification, relapse, withdrawal, conflict and problems. It has been validated in 15+ languages. The official risk criterion: answering "often" or "always" on at least 4 of the 7 items.

How common is workaholism?

In the only nationally representative study (Norway, 1,124 employees, PLOS ONE 2014), 8.3% of workers crossed the Bergen cutoff. Estimates from other scales and countries run higher — up to ~14% — but those instruments are more generous with the label.

Why is workaholism harmful?

A meta-analysis (Clark et al., 2016) links workaholism to burnout, work-life conflict, worse emotional and physical health, and lower life satisfaction. The telling detail: no performance advantage was found — the suffering does not pay off.

How is a workaholic different from an engaged professional?

By the engine. An engaged professional works a lot because work delights and energises — and can stop. A workaholic is driven by inner compulsion: anxiety and guilt without work, exhaustion with it. That is why the test measures enjoyment as its own axis instead of mixing it into the risk score.

I work long hours because my job demands it. Is that workaholism?

Not necessarily. External overload is a real problem, but a different one: it is solved with boundaries, a workload conversation and changed conditions — not by treating compulsion. The test deliberately separates the two cases, and your profile shows which one is yours.

Is this a diagnosis?

No. It is a screening self-test for orientation, not a medical diagnosis: "work addiction" is not yet part of official disease classifications. If your result is high and you are struggling, that is a good reason to talk to a professional — especially since workaholism has high co-occurring anxiety.

Are my answers saved anywhere?

Answers and result history are stored in your browser — you can wipe them with "Start over" and "Clear history". The share link carries only numeric scores.

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