Anxiety and stress
GAD-7 Anxiety Test: A Private 2-Minute Self-Check
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from a therapist or doctor. EmoAtlas does not diagnose any condition.
Contents
People usually look for an anxiety test when worry has stopped being background noise: it's hard to relax, thoughts loop, small things irritate. Below is the GAD-7, a seven-question scale used by clinicians and researchers around the world. It shows how pronounced anxiety symptoms have been over the last two weeks.
In short: 7 questions, about two minutes, a total from 0 to 21 and an explanation right on the page. Wording and cut points follow the original source. Your answers are not saved or sent anywhere. The result is not a diagnosis; it's a reason to keep an eye on yourself or to talk to a professional.
What the GAD-7 is
The GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) was developed by Robert Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet Williams and Bernd Löwe; the validation paper came out in 2006. It was designed as a brief way to identify probable generalized anxiety disorder and gauge its severity, and was tested in 2,740 adult patients at 15 primary care clinics in the United States. The same group later showed that the scale also does a reasonable job of picking up panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The scale is in the public domain: no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it. The questions below are the original wording, word for word.
Take the self-check
Answer for the last two weeks, not for "life in general." Don't overthink each item: your first answer is usually the closest to the truth.
GAD-7 self-check: 7 questions
Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?
Your answers stay in your browser: this page doesn't save them or send them anywhere. Close the tab and they're gone.
0 of 7 answered. Your result appears once every question is answered.
GAD-7 developed by Drs. Robert L. Spitzer, Janet B.W. Williams, Kurt Kroenke and colleagues, with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc. No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute.
How to read your result
Each answer scores 0 to 3: "Not at all" is 0, "Several days" is 1, "More than half the days" is 2, "Nearly every day" is 3. The total runs from 0 to 21. The cut points come from the authors' instruction manual:
| Total | What it means on the scale |
|---|---|
| 0–4 | below the cut point for mild anxiety |
| 5–9 | mild anxiety |
| 10–14 | moderate anxiety |
| 15–21 | severe anxiety |
A score of 10 or more is the cut point at which the authors recommend further evaluation by a professional. In the original study, that cut point picked up 89% of people with generalized anxiety disorder (sensitivity) and correctly cleared 82% of people without it (specificity). A later meta-analysis of twelve samples found that cut points from 7 to 10 all perform acceptably, so the line is not sharp, and a 9 does not mean "all clear."
For comparison: in a representative survey of about five thousand people in Germany, roughly 5% scored 10 or more and about 1% scored 15 or more.
Why this is not a diagnosis
The GAD-7 is a screener, not a diagnostic tool. In practice that means:
- It errs in both directions. From the numbers above, roughly one in ten people with the disorder scores under 10, and some people without it score above.
- It can't see the cause. Seven questions can't tell an anxiety disorder from a brutal week, the effects of short sleep, caffeine or medication, or a physical illness. Sorting that out takes a clinician, a conversation and sometimes tests.
- It's a two-week snapshot. A deadline, a sick relative or a move will push the total above your usual. One number says less than two numbers a couple of weeks apart.
What to do with your result
- Write down the total and the date. This page doesn't keep them. Take the scale again in two weeks and compare.
- Log how you feel for two weeks. Mood, anxiety, sleep, caffeine, workload: briefly, once or twice a day. In EmoAtlas that takes a few seconds, and "What moves your mood" shows what your hard days have in common. For a format that sticks, see how to start a mood journal.
- If your total is 5 to 9, start with the basics: sleep, movement, less caffeine, and two-minute tools like box breathing and 5-4-3-2-1 grounding. If a particular worry keeps looping, a CBT thought record helps you check it against the facts.
- If it's 10 or more, book a visit with a professional and bring the result. Two weeks of entries alongside it show when the anxiety is worse. You can print a four-week report from the app.
- If anxiety is getting in the way of your life right now, don't wait two weeks or for the "right" score.
Where to get help
To put more precise words to what you feel between check-ins, try the one-minute emotional check-in.
Frequently asked questions
Can I diagnose myself with the GAD-7?
No. It is a screening scale: it shows how pronounced symptoms are and whether further evaluation makes sense. A diagnosis comes from a clinician, based on a conversation, your history and sometimes tests.
What is a normal GAD-7 score?
The scale has no "normal" in the everyday sense. The authors give cut points of 5, 10 and 15 for mild, moderate and severe anxiety, and treat 10 or more as the point for further evaluation. A total under 5 means the symptoms rarely bothered you over the two weeks.
How often should I take an anxiety test?
Every two weeks is enough: the questions cover the last 14 days. More often makes little sense, because your answers would describe almost the same period.
Are my answers saved?
No. Scoring happens in your browser; answers are not written to your device or sent to a server or to analytics. Once you close the tab they can't be recovered, so write the result down if you need it.
Is the GAD-7 free to use?
Yes. The authors state that the measure is in the public domain and that no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute it. It was developed with an educational grant from Pfizer Inc.
My score is high but I feel fine. What does that mean?
That happens after a rough couple of weeks. Take the scale again later. If the total stays at 10 or more, show it to a professional even if you feel you've "gotten used to it."
Sources
- Spitzer R. L., Kroenke K., Williams J. B. W., Löwe B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine.
- Spitzer R. L., Williams J. B. W., Kroenke K. et al.. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Screeners: GAD-7, translations and Instruction Manual. phqscreeners.com: forms, translations, cut points and terms of use.
- Kroenke K., Spitzer R. L., Williams J. B. W., Monahan P. O., Löwe B. (2007). Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Annals of Internal Medicine.
- Löwe B., Decker O., Müller S., Brähler E. et al. (2008). Validation and standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the general population. Medical Care.
- Plummer F., Manea L., Trepel D., McMillan D. (2016). Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: a systematic review and diagnostic metaanalysis. General Hospital Psychiatry.