DASS-21 Depression, Anxiety & Stress Test
Reflect on depression, anxiety, and tension over the past week using the 21 original DASS statements. Your summary keeps the three symptom scores separate and explains their limits; a PDF summary is available through the platform. This is educational screening, not a diagnosis.
DASS-21 Depression, Anxiety & Stress Test is a free, confidential 21-question self-assessment, based on the original DASS-21. It takes about 6 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language summary of your scores plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Three kinds of distress, one recent week
Difficult feelings can overlap without being interchangeable. These seven-item subscales describe different parts of recent distress, not three diagnoses.
Depression symptoms
These statements ask about low mood, difficulty feeling pleasure, lost initiative, and feelings of worthlessness or meaninglessness. A score cannot explain why these experiences are happening or determine whether you have a depressive disorder.
Anxiety symptoms
These statements focus on fear, panic, trembling, and other signs of physical arousal. The scale is narrower than everyday anxiety and is not a complete assessment of persistent worry or all anxiety disorders.
Tension and stress
These statements ask about difficulty winding down, agitation, irritability, and impatience. They measure your response over the past week, rather than counting stressful events or deciding how much stress you should be able to handle.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Item wording | Often paraphrased | Faithful wording of all 21 official items |
| Question order | Often changed | Original interleaved order |
| Subscale breakdown | Rarely | Official Depression, Anxiety, and Stress item groups |
| Overall score | Vague labels | Our raw distress summary, without official total severity labels |
| Subscale interpretation | Rarely | Raw scores plus doubling instructions and separate reference ranges |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–63 in total. The summary band below explains how to read it:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–63 | Unbanded distress summary | This total is our raw summary convention, not an official DASS severity band. Read each subscale separately and seek support whenever symptoms concern you. |
Methodology & sources
The DASS-21 was developed by S. H. Lovibond and P. F. Lovibond. We reproduce all 21 item texts verbatim from the official English response form, with its four response labels and past-week timeframe. Only PDF line wrapping is removed. Depression uses items 3, 5, 10, 13, 16, 17, and 21; Anxiety uses 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 19, and 20; Stress uses 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14, and 18. Each response contributes 0 to 3 points. There are no reversed items. Each subscale raw sum is 0 to 21.
The main 0 to 63 number is our overall distress summary convention: the sum of all answers. It is not an official DASS severity classification. Our single display band covers the entire 0 to 63 range without classifying it as normal, mild, moderate, or severe. The breakdown shows the official subscale raw sums. Its bar colors are generic display styling, not DASS severity bands or population percentiles. The original instrument has validation evidence; this automated presentation and its total-score display have not been separately validated.
For comparison with full-DASS severity tables, multiply EACH subscale raw sum by 2, giving 0 to 42. Do not compare the undoubled score or the overall total with those tables. The conventional ranges, in order normal, mild, moderate, severe, extremely severe, are: Depression 0 to 9, 10 to 13, 14 to 20, 21 to 27, 28 or more; Anxiety 0 to 7, 8 to 9, 10 to 14, 15 to 19, 20 or more; Stress 0 to 14, 15 to 18, 19 to 25, 26 to 33, 34 or more. For example, an Anxiety raw sum of 5 doubles to 10, within the conventional moderate Anxiety range. This page does not automatically assign those subscale labels. The numeric tables were verified in an official NSW Health report, Table 3, rather than directly in the commercially supplied manual. These conventional labels describe symptom scores, not diagnosed disorders.
This is educational screening for adult self-reflection, not a diagnosis, suicide-risk assessment, or substitute for professional care. UNSW identifies the questionnaire as public domain but its current FAQ also advises against public website administration and automated feedback. We publish this implementation with that difference disclosed here; it is not endorsed by UNSW or the instrument authors. A low score cannot establish safety. Discuss persistent symptoms or changes in daily functioning with a qualified professional.
References
- Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Sydney: Psychology Foundation.
- Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44(2), 227–239. doi.org/10.1348/014466505X29657
- University of New South Wales. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales: official forms, scoring template, and FAQ. psy.unsw.edu.au/dass/ (accessed September 8, 2026).
- Stanford, P. (2010, June). The effect of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy on clients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in a rural setting of NSW, Australia. Report for the NSW Institute of Rural Clinical Services and Teaching and Management of the Greater West Mental Health Service. Table 3, printed p. 26. heti.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/442214/pamela-stanford-final-report.pdf
DASS-21 Depression, Anxiety & Stress Test FAQ
What does my overall DASS-21 number mean?
It is the sum of your 21 responses, from 0 to 63. We use it only as a distress summary. There is no official total-score severity label on this page, and the same total can come from very different subscale patterns.
Why are my three scores out of 21?
They are raw sums of seven responses each. To use full-DASS reference ranges, multiply each one by 2. The methodology lists separate ranges for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. Do not double an already doubled score.
Does a high score mean I have a disorder?
No. Even the official severity labels describe symptom levels rather than diagnoses. A clinician can explore duration, impairment, physical health, medication effects, and your circumstances. A low score also does not rule out a problem.
Can I stop if the questions feel difficult?
Yes. You can stop at any time. All 21 answers are needed for a result; unanswered items are not treated as zero. If you are struggling, contact a therapist or someone you trust without waiting to finish.
Should I wait for a score before seeking help?
No. If you feel unsafe, are thinking about harming yourself, or cannot manage daily activities, seek help now. In the US, call or text 988 for crisis support. For immediate danger, contact your local emergency service.
Related tests
16 Personalities Test
Find your four-letter type across four axes. Inspired by Jungian typology and the Big Five.
Borderline Personality (BPD) Test
Informed by the validated MSI-BPD, covering the nine DSM borderline criteria.
Autism Test (Adult)
The complete 50-question Autism-Spectrum Quotient with five domain scores and an affirming, non-pathologizing…