Clinician or parent? Hand your device over with the score hidden, or send the test to their phone.
20 questions · about 5–10 minutes
For each one, pick the answer that fits you best over the past month. There are no right or wrong answers.
Think of the most stressful experience that still bothers you. The questions call it "the stressful experience".
Your answers stay on this device. Nothing is saved or sent unless you choose to email the results. This screening tool is for educational and self-awareness purposes only. It does not diagnose PTSD, which needs a clinical interview. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- Questions
- 20
- Time
- 5–10 min
- Looks back over
- The past month
- Score range
- 0–80
- Cost
- Free
What the PCL-5 measures
- Intrusions: unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks and strong reactions to reminders (questions 1 to 5)
- Avoidance of memories, feelings and outside reminders (questions 6 and 7)
- Negative changes in thinking and mood: blame, guilt, shame, detachment, loss of interest (questions 8 to 14)
- Changes in arousal and reactivity: irritability, risk-taking, being on guard, startle, concentration and sleep (questions 15 to 20)
About the PCL-5
The PCL-5 was developed by Frank Weathers, Brett Litz, Terence Keane and colleagues at the National Center for PTSD and released in 2013, alongside the DSM-5. It replaced the earlier PTSD Checklist, which came in separate military, civilian and specific-event versions, with a single checklist matched to the new diagnostic criteria.
Each of the 20 questions corresponds to one DSM-5 symptom of PTSD, grouped into the four clusters the DSM-5 uses: intrusions, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and changes in arousal and reactivity. Every question is answered from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely), for a total from 0 to 80.
The National Center for PTSD reports that a total between 31 and 33 is where PTSD becomes probable, and that a change of 10 to 20 points between two administrations is a clinically meaningful change, which makes it useful for tracking progress in therapy. The PCL-5 is in the public domain and free to use.
How the PCL-5 is scored
- Every question is answered on the same scale, from "Not at all" (0 points) to "Extremely" (4 points).
- The answers are added together for a total from 0 to 80.
- For example, answering "A little bit" to all 20 questions gives 1 × 20 = 20, which falls in the Below the PTSD cutoff range.
PCL-5 score ranges
The ranges this quiz uses to label a score. They describe where a score falls, not a diagnosis.
| Result | Score |
|---|---|
| Below the PTSD cutoff | 0–30 |
| In the probable PTSD range | 31–80 |
How to read the results
- It is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. The score describes the past month, and a label only says where that falls compared with the people the questionnaire was tested on. A word like "mild" does not mean a mild disorder.
- Look at the answers, not only the total. Which questions scored highest often says more about what to work on than the number does.
- Compare with yourself over time. Taking it again in a few weeks, or after starting therapy, shows whether things are moving. Compare each score with your own earlier one, not with someone else's.
- Talk it through. A clinician will ask what no questionnaire can: how long it has been like this, what else is going on, and how much it gets in the way.
The PCL-5 compared with similar tests
| Test | Screens for | Questions | Looks back over |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCL-5 (this page) | PTSD symptoms, by DSM-5 cluster | 20 | The past month |
| Trauma Impact | Distress after a specific event | 22 | The past seven days |
| DID Screening | Dissociation | 28 | No set period |
Using the PCL-5 with clients
- Baseline, then repeat. Give it at intake, then at regular intervals, and compare each score with the client's own earlier ones to see whether treatment is working.
- Hand to client. Give it on your own device in session. The questions fill the screen with nothing else on it, and the scores stay hidden until you take the device back and press Show results.
- Send to someone. Send a link before the session by text or email. Tick "Ask for a copy of their results" and their results page offers to email you their score. They decide whether to send it. Your address travels in the link itself and never reaches our servers.
- Copy summary and Print. The results screen copies a one-line summary for the session note, or prints the results on their own.
- Nothing is stored. Answers stay in the browser. Results leave it only when someone chooses to email them, and that email is not kept.
- Billing. Giving and scoring a standardized instrument like the PCL-5 is commonly billed as CPT 96127, one unit per instrument. Payers set their own limits, so check before relying on it.
Diagnosis codes often documented for this concern
For reference only. A screening score is not a diagnosis, and none of these follows from a score on its own.
- F43.10 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- F43.11 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute
- F43.12 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic
- F43.0 Acute Stress Disorder
- F43.20 Adjustment Disorder, Unspecified
- F43.23 Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Anxiety and Depressed Mood
- F43.25 Adjustment Disorder with Mixed Disturbance of Emotions and Conduct
Where to go from here
- Trauma Therapy at Crown Counseling · in Brooklyn and online across New York
- Free EMDR bilateral stimulation tools · for calming between sessions, or for therapists to run remotely
- Free resources for therapists
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PCL-5?+
The PCL-5 is the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, a 20-question self-report measure of post-traumatic stress symptoms from the US National Center for PTSD. Each question matches one of the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD, rated from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) for the past month.
What PCL-5 score indicates PTSD?+
The National Center for PTSD reports that a total between 31 and 33 is where PTSD becomes probable. This page uses 31. A score in that range is a reason for a full assessment, not a diagnosis on its own.
Can the PCL-5 diagnose PTSD?+
No. It is a screening and tracking tool. A PTSD diagnosis is made by a clinician, usually with a structured interview such as the CAPS-5, which also checks how long symptoms have lasted and how much they affect daily life.
What counts as a "stressful experience"?+
In the DSM-5, PTSD follows exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence: happening to you, witnessing it, learning it happened to someone close, or repeated exposure to the details at work. Other painful experiences, like a divorce or a job loss, can cause real distress that therapy helps with, but they are not what PTSD is defined around.
Are my responses stored?+
No. All responses remain completely private and local to your browser. No data is collected, stored, or transmitted to any server.
References
- Weathers FW, Litz BT, Keane TM, Palmieri PA, Marx BP, Schnurr PP. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). National Center for PTSD; 2013.
- Blevins CA, Weathers FW, Davis MT, Witte TK, Domino JL. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): development and initial psychometric evaluation. J Trauma Stress. 2015;28(6):489-498.
- Bovin MJ, Marx BP, Weathers FW, et al. Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (PCL-5) in veterans. Psychol Assess. 2016;28(11):1379-1391.
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). 2013.