Anxiety test (GAD-7): free, two minutes, nothing stored

Free anxiety test. Seven questions. Two minutes. Nothing stored.

Is this anxiety, or is this just how you are?

The replay, at 2am, of a conversation that ended at 4pm. The Sunday that starts going wrong on Saturday afternoon. "I'm fine", said three times before lunch, every time to someone you like.

This is the GAD-7: the seven question anxiety screen clinicians use, free to reproduce, and reproduced here word for word. It takes two minutes. It gives you a number between 0 and 21, tells you what that number does and doesn't mean, and offers one thing you can do tonight. It is a screen, not a diagnosis. Nothing you answer is stored.

GAD-7. Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams and Löwe, 2006. Free to use.

If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, this isn't the page for tonight. Call Tele-MANAS on 14416, free and open all night, or talk to a human at TTC.

Written and reviewed by a psychologist at The Thought Co.

About this anxiety test

What is the GAD-7 anxiety test?

The GAD-7 is a seven question screening questionnaire for generalised anxiety, published by Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams and Löwe in 2006. It asks how often, over the last two weeks, you have been bothered by seven problems, from feeling nervous or on edge to feeling afraid that something awful might happen. It is free to use and is the screen most clinicians, including ours, use in a first session.

How is the GAD-7 scored?

Each of the seven items is scored 0 (not at all), 1 (several days), 2 (more than half the days) or 3 (nearly every day). The total runs from 0 to 21. Scores of 0 to 4 are read as minimal anxiety, 5 to 9 as mild, 10 to 14 as moderate and 15 to 21 as severe. A score of 10 or above is the standard point at which further assessment by a clinician is recommended.

GAD-7 score bands
Score Band What it usually means
0 to 4 Minimal Not much anxiety on this list in the last two weeks
5 to 9 Mild Anxiety on several days; worth a tool, not yet a diagnosis
10 to 14 Moderate The point at which a clinician would want to talk to you
15 to 21 Severe A clinician this week, and helplines if tonight is hard

Is the GAD-7 accurate?

As a screen, yes. In the original 2006 study of 2,740 adults, a score of 10 or above identified generalised anxiety disorder with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 82%. It also picks up panic, social anxiety and separation anxiety reasonably well, which is why a high score means worth looking at properly rather than one specific diagnosis.

Can this anxiety test diagnose me?

No. It is a screening tool. Only a clinician can diagnose, and a diagnosis needs a conversation, not a score. A high score does not mean you have a disorder. A low score does not mean you are fine.

Is my score stored?

No. The test is scored in your browser. Nothing you answer is sent to us, tagged, or used for marketing. If you choose to email the result to yourself, it goes from your own mail app.

What should I do if my score is 10 or more?

Ten is the score at which a clinician would want to talk to you. The Thought Co. offers a free 15 minute intro call with a psychologist, online across India or at the Lower Parel studio in Mumbai. If you are in crisis tonight, call Tele-MANAS on 14416, which is free and open 24 hours.

One thing before the first question.

Answer for the last two weeks.

Not today. Not the worst week this year. The last fourteen days as they actually were, including the ordinary ones. If a question doesn't fit, pick the option that's closest and keep going.

Question 1 of 72 min
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge
Question 2 of 72 min
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Not being able to stop or control worrying
Question 3 of 71 min
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Worrying too much about different things
Question 4 of 71 min
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Trouble relaxing
Question 5 of 71 min
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Being so restless that it is hard to sit still
Question 6 of 7under a minute
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Becoming easily annoyed or irritable
Question 7 of 7last one
Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?Feeling afraid, as if something awful might happen

Before the number, one slow breath.

Four in. Hold for four. Out for six. The circle keeps time.

ready
Tap the button when you are.

Your GAD-7 score, from the last two weeks

That's the minimal band.

If tonight is bad: Tele-MANAS 14416, free, all night. Or talk to a human at TTC.

What this means

What it doesn't mean

One thing for tonight

Where next

One more. Not scored.If you checked any problems, how difficult have they made it for you to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?

Email this result to yourself. It opens your own mail app with the score written in. Nothing here is stored. The score exists on your phone and nowhere else, and it is never used for marketing.

The small print, where you can see it.

  • This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Only a clinician can diagnose.
  • A high score does not mean you have a disorder. A low score does not mean you are fine.
  • Not a substitute for care. Not for use in crisis. Helplines are in the button at the top.
  • Designed for adults.
  • Scored on your device. Not stored unless you choose to email it to yourself. Never used for marketing.
  • Instrument: GAD-7. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B (2006). Free to use.

Written and reviewed by a psychologist at The Thought Co.