The Bernreuter Personality Inventory is a personality test developed by Robert G. Bernreuter in 1931 measuring general personality. It is sometimes cited as the first multi-scale personality questionnaire.
The test consists of 125 yes or no question which yield six scores: neurotic tendency, self-sufficiency, introversion-extraversion, dominance-submission, sociability, and confidence.[1] A 1936 survey of members of the American Psychological Association found that the Bernreuter Personality Inventory was the most well known psychological test.[2]
The inventory became widely used quickly after it was first published, but also attracted many critics who questioned its usefulness and theoretical basis.[3] The test was sold by the Stanford University Press, priced at $1.75 for 25 administrations. The test incorporated questions from the Thurstone Personality Schedule and others.
The test was originally developed with four scales (neurotic tendency, self-sufficiency, introversion-extraversion, dominance-submission) chosen with items chosen logically. The other two scales (sociability, and confidence) came from a factor analysis by John C. Flanagan.[4] The "Flanagan keys" eventually were incorporated into the published version of the test.