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HEXACO is a six-factor model of personality structure, and the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) is the questionnaire used to measure it in research. This page explains the model, the 60-, 100- and 200-item versions, and exactly how the 60-item form is scored, with a worked example. It describes a research instrument, not a diagnostic or self-assessment service.
What is HEXACO personality?
HEXACO is an acronym for the six broad factors the model proposes: Honesty-Humility (H), Emotionality (E), eXtraversion (X), Agreeableness versus Anger (A), Conscientiousness (C) and Openness to Experience (O). The model was developed by Kibeom Lee and Michael C. Ashton, and the inventory is copyrighted to them (2009). Its distinguishing feature, compared with the five-factor model, is the sixth domain, Honesty-Humility, together with a somewhat different definition of Agreeableness and Emotionality (see Ashton, Lee and de Vries, 2014, in the sources below).
What are the traits in the five-factor model, and how does HEXACO differ?
The five-factor (Big Five) model names five domains: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. HEXACO has six domains, and the extra one is Honesty-Humility. For public-domain item pools used with the five-factor model, see the IPIP guide. Eysenck’s personality inventory is a different instrument and is not part of HEXACO, so it is not covered here.
The six factors and 24 facets
Each factor is made up of four facets. An additional interstitial scale, Altruism (versus Antagonism), belongs to no single factor. The facet structure as published on hexaco.org:
| Factor | Facets |
|---|---|
| Honesty-Humility | Sincerity, Fairness, Greed Avoidance, Modesty |
| Emotionality | Fearfulness, Anxiety, Dependence, Sentimentality |
| eXtraversion | Social Self-Esteem, Social Boldness, Sociability, Liveliness |
| Agreeableness (versus Anger) | Forgivingness, Gentleness, Flexibility, Patience |
| Conscientiousness | Organization, Diligence, Perfectionism, Prudence |
| Openness to Experience | Aesthetic Appreciation, Inquisitiveness, Creativity, Unconventionality |
HEXACO-60 vs HEXACO-100 vs HEXACO-200
| Version | Items | What the authors say |
|---|---|---|
| HEXACO-PI-R 100 | 100 | Recommended for most research. Self-report and observer-report forms. About 20 minutes for undergraduates. |
| HEXACO-PI-R 60 | 60 | For very short administration time. A subset of the 100 items (not the first 60, and item numbers differ). Self- and observer-report forms. About 12 minutes for undergraduates. |
| HEXACO-PI-R 200 | 200 | Available from the authors on request; gives better facet-level consistency. |
The inventory page also notes that for ages 10 to 14 a different inventory is recommended (Gnisci et al., 2023, as cited on hexaco.org).
How to score the HEXACO (60-item version)
Responses are on a 5-point scale. Items marked R in the official scoring keys are reverse-keyed: before averaging, recode 5 to 1, 4 to 2, 3 to 3, 2 to 4 and 1 to 5. Equivalently, recoded = 6 − response. Then:
- Facet score = mean of that facet’s items after recoding.
- Factor score = mean of all items belonging to that factor after recoding. Use the mean, not the sum, so scores stay on the 1 to 5 metric.
The 60-item key for Honesty-Humility (R = reverse-keyed): Sincerity items 6, 30R, 54; Fairness 12R, 36, 60R; Greed Avoidance 18, 42R; Modesty 24R, 48R. That is 10 items, so a factor score averages 10 recoded values.
Worked example
The responses below are made up for illustration (a hypothetical respondent), applied to the official Honesty-Humility key.
| Item | Facet | Key | Raw | Recoded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Sincerity | forward | 4 | 4 |
| 30 | Sincerity | R | 2 | 6 − 2 = 4 |
| 54 | Sincerity | forward | 5 | 5 |
| 12 | Fairness | R | 1 | 6 − 1 = 5 |
| 36 | Fairness | forward | 4 | 4 |
| 60 | Fairness | R | 2 | 6 − 2 = 4 |
| 18 | Greed Avoidance | forward | 3 | 3 |
| 42 | Greed Avoidance | R | 2 | 6 − 2 = 4 |
| 24 | Modesty | R | 4 | 6 − 4 = 2 |
| 48 | Modesty | R | 3 | 6 − 3 = 3 |
- Sincerity = (4 + 4 + 5) / 3 = 13 / 3 = 4.33
- Fairness = (5 + 4 + 4) / 3 = 13 / 3 = 4.33
- Greed Avoidance = (3 + 4) / 2 = 3.50
- Modesty = (2 + 3) / 2 = 2.50
- Honesty-Humility factor = (13 + 13 + 7 + 5) / 10 = 38 / 10 = 3.80
The 3.80 is the mean of all ten items. It differs from the mean of the four facet means (3.67) because the facets have unequal numbers of items; the authors define the factor score as the item mean.
Interpretation
| Question | Reading guidance (from the scoring keys) |
|---|---|
| What does a higher score mean? | After recoding, a higher mean means stronger endorsement of the factor or facet, since reverse-keyed items have been flipped. |
| Are facet scores reliable on their own? | In the 60- and 100-item forms facets are very short and are not meant for high internal consistency. Use them as predictors of related criteria and as indicators of the factors. |
| Do I need uncorrelated factor scores? | Optional orthogonal factor scores can be obtained from varimax-rotated principal components of the facet scales; a sample of roughly 250 may be needed. |
The scoring keys define scale scores only. They do not define diagnostic cutoffs or personality “types”, and HEXACO scores describe where respondents sit on a dimension within a research sample.
Assumptions and common mistakes
- Forgetting to reverse-key. Averaging raw responses for R items distorts a scale; always recode before averaging.
- Using the wrong form’s key. The 60-item items are not the first 60 of the 100-item form, so a key from one version cannot be applied to the other.
- Summing instead of averaging. Factors have different item counts across versions; report means.
- Treating short facets as precise. Report facet-level reliability from your own data, using a coefficient such as Cronbach’s alpha, and interpret facets cautiously in 60-item data.
- Ignoring construct evidence. If you use the scores as a measure of a construct, see the guides to construct validity and convergent and discriminant validity.
Access, permission and terms of use
According to hexaco.org (read 2026-11-08), the inventory forms are free for non-profit academic research. Public online surveys or apps are not allowed unless they are password-protected or not searchable. Non-academic use requires contacting the authors. The terms are on hexaco.org/hexaco-inventory, and the official keys are at hexaco.org/downloads/ScoringKeys_60.pdf.
How to report it (APA example)
State the version (60, 100 or 200 items), form (self- or observer-report), scoring method (item means after reverse-keying), and the reliability in your own sample. Cite the source for the version used. A model sentence:
Personality was measured with the 60-item HEXACO-PI-R self-report form (Ashton & Lee, 2009). Factor scores were computed as the mean of the recoded items for each factor, so higher scores indicate stronger endorsement (range 1 to 5). Cronbach’s alpha in the present sample was [value] for each factor.
Replace the bracket with your own computed values. For response-format issues see the Likert scale guide; for measurement fundamentals see the psychometrics overview.
How to calculate it in Excel, R or Python
Excel
Put raw responses for the ten Honesty-Humility items in A1:A10, ordered 6, 30, 54, 12, 36, 60, 18, 42, 24, 48. Reverse-keyed items are rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10. In B1:B10 enter =A1 for forward items and =6-A2 (and so on) for R items, then use =AVERAGE(B1:B10) for the factor score. For the Sincerity facet use =AVERAGE(B1:B3).
R
raw <- c("6"=4, "30"=2, "54"=5, "12"=1, "36"=4, "60"=2, "18"=3, "42"=2, "24"=4, "48"=3) rev_items <- c("30","12","60","42","24","48") rec <- raw rec[rev_items] <- 6 - raw[rev_items] mean(rec) # 3.8 mean(rec[c("6","30","54")]) # Sincerity 4.33Python
raw = {6:4, 30:2, 54:5, 12:1, 36:4, 60:2, 18:3, 42:2, 24:4, 48:3} reverse = {30, 12, 60, 42, 24, 48} rec = {i: (6 - v if i in reverse else v) for i, v in raw.items()} print(sum(rec.values()) / len(rec)) # 3.8 print(sum(rec[i] for i in (6, 30, 54)) / 3) # Sincerity 4.33FAQ
What is HEXACO personality?
A model of personality with six factors (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience), each with four facets, measured by the HEXACO-PI-R.
How to score the HEXACO?
Reverse-key the items marked R (recoded = 6 − response on the 5-point scale), then average the items for each facet and each factor. See the worked example above.
Is the HEXACO test free?
The authors state the forms are free for non-profit academic research; public online surveys are not allowed unless password-protected or not searchable, and other uses require contacting the authors.
Is HEXACO the same as the Big Five?
No. Both are trait models, but HEXACO has six factors, including Honesty-Humility, and defines Agreeableness and Emotionality differently from the five-factor model.
Which version should I use?
The authors recommend the 100-item version for most research and the 60-item version when time is very short; the 200-item version is available on request.
Sources
- hexaco.org, scale descriptions, inventory and scoring keys pages (read 2026-11-08): scale descriptions, inventory, 60-item scoring keys.
- Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2009). The HEXACO-60: A short measure of the major dimensions of personality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91, 340-345.
- Lee, K., & Ashton, M. C. (2018). Psychometric properties of the HEXACO-100. Assessment, 25, 543-556.
- Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2007). Empirical, theoretical, and practical advantages of the HEXACO model of personality structure. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11, 150-166.
- Ashton, M. C., Lee, K., & de Vries, R. E. (2014). The HEXACO Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness, and Emotionality factors: A review of research and theory. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 139-152.
- Lee, K., & Ashton, M. C. (2008). HEXACO factors in indigenous personality lexicons of English and 11 other languages. Journal of Personality, 76, 1001-1053.
