π GAD-7 Anxiety Test
Seven questions that quantify anxiety.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
The GAD-7 scores seven anxiety symptoms from 0 to 21: 0-4 is minimal, 5-9 mild, 10-14 moderate, and 15-21 severe. It asks about the last two weeks. Answer each question above for your score and band.
How to Take This Test
Spitzer, Kroenke, and colleagues published the GAD-7 in 2006 as the anxiety companion to the PHQ-9 depression scale. It is the most widely used anxiety screener in primary care worldwide.
Think about the last two weeks. For each symptom, pick how often it bothered you: not at all (0), several days (1), more than half the days (2), or nearly every day (3).
Your total appears automatically out of 21, with the severity band.
Use the band to decide: minimal and mild often respond to self-help; moderate and severe deserve professional support, which works well.
How GAD-7 Scoring Works
The seven items map the DSM criteria for generalized anxiety disorder: nervousness, uncontrollable worry, excessive worry, trouble relaxing, restlessness, irritability, and dread. The 10-point cutoff was validated against structured clinical interviews, catching nearly 9 in 10 true cases while mislabeling fewer than 1 in 5 non-cases. The scale also tracks change: a 4-point drop is the commonly used marker of meaningful improvement in treatment studies. Like all screeners it is sensitive to state: a terrible fortnight scores high without constituting a disorder, which is why persistence matters.
Worked Example
Answers: nervous several days (1), cannot control worry more than half the days (2), worrying too much nearly every day (3), trouble relaxing several days (1), restless not at all (0), irritable several days (1), dread more than half the days (2). Total: 1+2+3+1+0+1+2 = 10, the threshold of moderate anxiety. The profile (worry items highest, restlessness absent) is the classic GAD pattern: cognitive worry dominating over physical restlessness. I verified the calculator sums identically. Retaking after six weeks of CBT or medication and seeing 10 become 5 would be reported as a clinically meaningful response.
What Each Band Suggests
| Score | Band | Sensible next step |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 4 | Minimal | Normal range; maintain sleep, exercise, stress habits |
| 5 - 9 | Mild | Self-help: CBT apps, exercise, sleep, caffeine review; recheck monthly |
| 10 - 14 | Moderate | Counseling or primary-care visit; therapy and/or medication help here |
| 15 - 21 | Severe | Clinical evaluation recommended; effective treatments exist |
Anxiety is among the most treatable conditions in medicine: CBT, SSRIs/SNRIs, and structured self-help all have strong evidence, and most people improve substantially. The tragedy is the treatment gap, with most anxious people never seeking help because they assume worry is personality rather than a treatable condition. A score of 12 is not a character trait; it is a number that predicts response to treatment. If anxiety comes with panic attacks, trauma, or obsessions, mention that specifically: GAD-7 screens generalized anxiety, and related conditions need their own assessment. For companion screening, our EPDS covers the perinatal period, our Epworth scale separates the sleep disruption anxiety causes, and our fatigue scale tracks the exhaustion it leaves behind.
What Lowers the Score Without Medication
Regular aerobic exercise rivals medication for mild-to-moderate anxiety in trials. CBT techniques (worry scheduling, cognitive restructuring, exposure) work with or without a therapist via structured programs. Sleep extension: anxiety and short sleep amplify each other, and fixing sleep often drops the score several points. Caffeine and alcohol are the two substances to audit first; both reliably worsen anxiety scores within days of cutting back. None of this replaces treatment for severe scores, but for mild-to-moderate bands these moves are first-line, not consolation prizes.
Limits of the Screen
GAD-7 does not distinguish GAD from panic disorder, social anxiety, PTSD, or OCD; high scores with panic attacks or trauma history need disorder-specific assessment. Medical mimics (hyperthyroidism, arrhythmia, asthma, medication effects) can inflate scores, so new-onset anxiety with physical symptoms deserves a medical check. Cultural factors shape how worry is reported. And the two-week window means it captures episodes, not traits: score during a calm month and a crisis month to see your real range.
Using GAD-7 to Track Treatment
The GAD-7 doubles as a progress monitor through measurement-based care: score at baseline, rescore every 2-4 weeks during treatment, and let the numbers guide decisions. A drop of 4 or more points signals meaningful improvement; reaching under 5 defines remission for most purposes. When the score stalls after 6-8 weeks of an adequate treatment trial, that plateau is data: intensify, switch, or augment rather than waiting hopefully. Item-level changes add texture a total can hide: worry items falling while sleep stays bad suggests the anxiety is lifting but sleep needs direct treatment, while restlessness persisting on an SSRI sometimes reflects activation rather than residual anxiety. Patients who see their own scores plotted over time stay engaged longer, and clinicians who track numbers adjust treatment faster. Keep the conditions consistent when retesting: same time of day, same recall window, same honesty about the bad weeks. The scale works best as a shared dashboard between you and your clinician, not a private verdict.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal GAD-7 score?
0-4 is minimal anxiety, the normal range. Most people without an anxiety disorder score here. Scores of 5+ suggest mild or greater anxiety worth attention.
What GAD-7 score indicates anxiety disorder?
10 or more is the validated cutoff for generalized anxiety disorder (89% sensitive, 82% specific). It indicates likely disorder, not a diagnosis; a clinician confirms it.
Is the GAD-7 a diagnosis?
No. It is a screening tool that identifies who needs clinical assessment. Diagnosis requires a clinician interview covering criteria, duration, impairment, and medical causes.
How accurate is the GAD-7?
At the 10-point cutoff, about 89% sensitive and 82% specific for GAD in validation studies. It is one of the best-validated brief mental health screens available.
What is the difference between GAD-7 and PHQ-9?
GAD-7 screens anxiety (7 items, 0-21); PHQ-9 screens depression (9 items, 0-27). They are companion instruments, often given together since anxiety and depression frequently co-occur.
Can anxiety cause physical symptoms?
Yes: muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, GI upset, and palpitations are all common. New physical symptoms with anxiety still deserve medical evaluation to rule out mimics.
How much change in GAD-7 is meaningful?
About 4 points in treatment studies. Smaller shifts are noise; sustained 4+ point drops indicate real improvement worth noting.
Does caffeine affect GAD-7 scores?
Yes, reliably upward. Caffeine provokes the exact symptoms the scale measures (nervousness, restlessness, trouble relaxing). Cutting back often drops scores within days.
What should I do with a severe GAD-7 score?
Arrange a clinical evaluation: primary care, counselor, or psychiatrist. Effective treatments (therapy, medication) exist and most people improve substantially. Call or text 988 in the US if you are in crisis.
Can I take the GAD-7 for my teenager?
The GAD-7 is validated in adolescents as well as adults, though youth-specific screens also exist. For teens, involve a pediatrician or counselor in interpreting results.