Anxiety Test: Score Your Symptoms with the Validated GAD-7 Screening
This Anxiety Test screens for recent anxiety symptoms using questions adapted from the GAD-7. Get an instant severity score and context for discussing your result with a clinician.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Anxiety Test is a free, confidential 7-question self-assessment, based on the validated GAD-7. It takes about 7 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
What the GAD-7 actually captures
The GAD-7 looks at the core features of generalized anxiety over the past two weeks. It was designed to be brief, but it measures more than just worry.
Frequency of symptoms
Seven items ask how often, over the last two weeks, you have felt nervous, unable to stop worrying, restless, or on edge. Each is rated from not at all to nearly every day.
A severity score
Your answers sum to a single 0 to 21 score that maps onto minimal, mild, moderate, or severe ranges, using the same cutoffs clinicians rely on.
A recent time window
The GAD-7 asks specifically about the past two weeks, so your result reflects how you have been feeling lately rather than your whole life.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated GAD-7 questions | Sometimes | Yes, faithful wording |
| Research-based severity bands | Vague labels | Real clinical cutoffs |
| Plain-language interpretation | Rarely | Yes, for every band |
| Clinician-reviewed | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–21 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | Minimal anxiety | Your answers point to minimal anxiety over the past two weeks. That is a reassuring result on this measure. |
| 5–9 | Mild anxiety | Your answers point to mild anxiety. Many people live here, and there is a lot you can do. |
| 10–14 | Moderate anxiety | Your answers point to moderate anxiety. This is the range where a conversation with a professional is genuinely worth it. |
| 15–21 | Severe anxiety | Your answers point to severe anxiety. Please be gentle with yourself, and consider reaching out for support soon. |
How common is this?
The Anxiety Test measures recent anxiety symptom frequency, giving you a starting point for deciding whether to seek support. Screening questions land differently when you know how many other people are answering them the same way. Our anxiety statistics page collects the current numbers on anxiety in the United States, each one with its source and the year it was measured next to it.
None of those figures say anything about your own result. They are context for it, and a reminder that whatever the score, this is common ground rather than rare territory.
Generalized anxiety versus other anxiety patterns
The GAD-7 measures generalized worry: a diffuse, hard-to-control anxiety about several areas of life at once, which is why it asks about worrying too much about different things rather than any one specific fear. Anxiety shows up in several other patterns too, and the treatment approach can differ depending on which one fits. Panic disorder centers on sudden, intense panic attacks and the fear of having another one. Social anxiety centers on fear of judgment in specific social or performance situations. Health anxiety centers on fear about having or developing a serious illness. For a plain-language primer on how anxiety works together in the body and mind, see our What Is Anxiety guide.
If your worry felt broad and spread across many parts of life, the GAD-7 result above is likely capturing the right pattern. If it felt more tied to a specific trigger, our Panic Disorder Test, Social Anxiety Test, or Health Anxiety Test may describe your experience more precisely. And because chronic anxiety and chronic stress often travel together and can be hard to tell apart day to day, our Stress Level Test looks at that overlapping territory from a different angle.
Signs It Might Be Time to Talk to a Professional About Anxiety
A GAD-7 score is one data point, not the whole picture. It is generally worth talking with a doctor or therapist when worry is hard to switch off, when it shows up most days rather than only around a known stressor, or when it is starting to affect sleep, concentration, appetite, or how you show up at work or with people you care about. Physical signs count too: a racing heart, muscle tension, or stomach trouble that flares with worry can accompany anxiety, but a clinician should assess new or concerning physical symptoms rather than assume anxiety explains them.
You do not need to wait for a crisis, or to already have a diagnosis in mind, before reaching out. Many people start with a primary care doctor, who can rule out physical contributors and refer onward, or go straight to a therapist who specializes in anxiety. The Psychology.com therapist directory lists licensed therapists you can filter by specialty, including anxiety, and browsing the Psychology.com tests hub can help you narrow down which pattern of anxiety fits before that first conversation.
Before an appointment, write down what worry interrupts, what you avoid, and when symptoms began. Bring the result together with information about sleep, medications, caffeine, and physical symptoms. These details help a clinician interpret the screening in context. You can use Worry Journal to organize examples without needing to reach a particular score first.
Methodology & sources
This test reproduces the seven items of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), developed and validated by Spitzer and colleagues (2006). Each item is rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) for symptoms over the past two weeks, giving a total score from 0 to 21. We use the original validated severity cutoffs: 0 to 4 minimal, 5 to 9 mild, 10 to 14 moderate, and 15 to 21 severe. A score of 10 or higher is the commonly cited threshold at which further clinical evaluation is recommended. Item wording has been lightly adapted for readability while preserving the meaning of the validated instrument.
This test is provided for education and self-reflection. It is not a diagnosis. The GAD-7 was built as a screening and severity tool, not a diagnostic test, and a high score does not by itself confirm an anxiety disorder. Only a licensed clinician can make that assessment, ideally by talking with you about your history and context. If your result concerns you, treat it as a prompt to reach out, not as a label.
The validation evidence applies to the original GAD-7. Readability changes on this page have not been separately validated, so published accuracy figures are background evidence rather than a measured accuracy rate for this website. Screening results should be considered alongside daily functioning and a clinical assessment.
References
- Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092-1097.
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW, Monahan PO, Löwe B. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146(5):317-325.
- National Institute of Mental Health. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: What You Need to Know. nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). Anxiety Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/anxiety
Anxiety Test FAQ
What is a GAD-7 anxiety test?
The GAD-7 is a short, validated questionnaire that measures how often you have experienced common anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks. It is one of the most widely used anxiety screenings in primary care and research. It produces a severity score, not a diagnosis.
What is considered a high anxiety score?
On the GAD-7, scores of 0 to 4 suggest minimal anxiety, 5 to 9 mild, 10 to 14 moderate, and 15 to 21 severe. A score of 10 or higher is the usual point at which clinicians recommend a fuller evaluation. A high score signals it is worth talking to a professional.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose an anxiety disorder, usually by talking with you about your symptoms, history, and life context. If your results concern you, consider reaching out to a therapist or doctor.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your individual answers are scored in your browser and are never sent to us or linked to you. They stay in this tab so you can return to your result, and closing or clearing the tab clears them. If you ask us to email the PDF, we receive your summary scores with your email address, never your individual answers. No account is needed.
Can anxiety get better?
Anxiety symptoms can improve with appropriate care. Cognitive behavioral therapy and medications are established treatment options for generalized anxiety, and a clinician can help you weigh their benefits and risks. Treatment choices depend on your symptoms, health, and preferences. Improvement varies, so discuss ongoing difficulties or side effects rather than treating a screening score as a prediction.
How accurate is the GAD-7?
In the original validation study, a GAD-7 score of 10 or higher identified generalized anxiety disorder with a sensitivity of about 89 percent and a specificity of about 82 percent, meaning it correctly flagged most people who had the condition while keeping false positives relatively low. That makes it one of the better-performing brief anxiety screens available, though it remains a screening tool, and only a full clinical interview can confirm a diagnosis.
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