---
title: "16PF Test Explained: The 16 Personality Factors"
url: "https://www.ellomind.com/ai-tools-for-psychologists/tests/16pf/"
description: "A clinician's overview of the 16PF (Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire): what it measures, the sixteen traits and global factors, and its use in India. Educational only."
---
Personality 

# Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)

Normal-range personality questionnaire · 16 years and above

A clinician's overview of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), a well-established measure of normal-range personality. What it measures, its sixteen traits, and its use in India.

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**Educational overview only.** The 16PF is a copyrighted, published instrument obtained through its publisher and used by qualified professionals. ElloMind does not reproduce the items or scoring; this page is educational only.

## What it is

The 16PF, developed by Raymond Cattell using factor analysis, measures sixteen primary personality traits that combine into five broader global factors similar to the Big Five. Unlike the MMPI, it focuses on normal-range personality rather than psychopathology.

It is used to build a rounded description of how a person tends to think, feel and relate, for self-understanding, counselling, and occupational and career contexts.

## Who it is for

It is used with adults and older adolescents in counselling, career guidance, selection and clinical formulation, where a normal-range personality profile is helpful.

It is administered and interpreted by trained users, with the profile read as a whole.

## How it is administered

The person answers a set of self-report items; responses are scored into the sixteen primary factors and the global factors, then interpreted as a profile.

The questionnaire is copyrighted and obtained through its publisher; the items are not circulated openly.

## Use in India

In India, the 16PF is used in counselling, career guidance and organisational settings, with translated and adapted versions available. Clinicians consider language and cultural response tendencies when interpreting profiles.

## Related free tools

[Formulation Case formulation (5Ps and CBT)](/ai-tools-for-psychologists/case-formulation/)

## Citation and sources

Cattell, R.B., Cattell, A.K., & Cattell, H.E.P. (1993). Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (5th ed.). IPAT.

* [16PF Questionnaire (overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16PF%5FQuestionnaire)  — Wikipedia

## Frequently asked questions

What does the 16PF measure? + 

Normal-range personality across sixteen primary traits, which combine into five broader global factors similar to the Big Five. It is not a measure of psychopathology.

What is the 16PF used for? + 

Counselling, career guidance, selection and clinical formulation, wherever a rounded, normal-range personality profile is useful.

Who developed the 16PF? + 

The psychologist Raymond Cattell, using factor analysis to identify sixteen underlying personality factors.

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This page is general educational information for professionals, not clinical or legal advice, and not a substitute for training in the instrument. ElloMind does not provide, sell or reproduce copyrighted test materials.

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