DASS-21 Depression, Anxiety & Stress Test: Get Separate Scores for Each Symptom Area
The DASS-21 test screens for depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms over the past week. The original questionnaire gives separate symptom scores and an instant result, with an optional PDF summary.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
DASS-21 Depression, Anxiety & Stress Test is a free, confidential 21-question self-assessment, based on the original DASS-21. It takes about 8 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. |
How the DASS-21 compares to the PHQ-9 and GAD-7
The DASS-21 test measures recent depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms separately. The Depression Test on this site is built on the PHQ-9 and the Anxiety Test is built on the GAD-7, two of the most widely used single-symptom screenings in primary care. Both give one validated severity score for one thing. The DASS-21 takes a different approach: it asks about depression, anxiety, and stress in the same sitting, using the same four-point response scale, and reports three separate raw scores rather than folding everything into one clinically banded number.
That design is useful when you are not sure which label fits what you are feeling, or when low mood, worry, and stress-related tension all seem tangled together, since the subscales let you see roughly how much each one is contributing on its own. These questionnaires address different questions, so accuracy depends on what is being assessed and the population using the scale. If you already know depression or anxiety is the main concern, the Depression Test or the Anxiety Test alone may be quicker and gives you an official severity band. If you want the wider three-part picture, or you are not yet sure which area is driving things, this page is built for that.
Who this screening is for
This screening suits adults who want a same-sitting read on three things that often show up together: low mood, anxious arousal, and stress-related tension or irritability. It works well when you cannot tell which one is driving the others, or when you want to track all three over time instead of picking a single scale in advance. Because it asks about the past week specifically, it is also useful before or after a stretch you know was hard, such as a deadline, a loss, or a health scare, when you want to see how much that particular week shows up across each area.
It is not a substitute for the specific instrument a clinician you are already working with may want to use, and it is not a safety assessment. If the Stress subscale is clearly the one driving your week, the Stress Level Test looks at that on its own in more depth, and a tool like Stress Diary can help you track what specifically sets it off from day to day.
Understanding a mixed result
It is common for one subscale to sit higher than the other two, and that pattern is informative on its own. A high Stress score paired with lower Depression and Anxiety often points to a demanding stretch of life, workload, or a specific stressor, and may ease once that pressure lifts. A high Depression score with lower Stress and Anxiety looks more like a mood pattern worth naming on its own. High scores across all three are common too, since depression, anxiety, and stress frequently reinforce each other: low mood saps the energy to manage stress, and chronic stress can deepen low mood and anxious arousal in turn.
Whatever the pattern, multiply each subscale by 2 before comparing it with the conventional severity ranges in the methodology above, and remember those ranges describe symptom levels, not diagnoses. A clinician, reachable through the Psychology.com therapist directory, can help you sort out which pattern fits your history and what, if anything, is worth addressing first.
A mixed result cannot identify the cause of distress. Use the pattern to describe what has been difficult, then consider it alongside your history and daily functioning. If you are unsure which screening to use next, the tests hub can help you compare the available topics without treating several test results as confirmation of a diagnosis.
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
- University of New South Wales. DASS FAQ: interpretation, severity labels, and scoring. dass.psy.unsw.edu.au/DASSFAQ.htm
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). DASS-21 Depression, Anxiety & Stress Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/dass-21
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. Read the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress results alongside the total so a concern in a specific area is not overlooked.
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. Keep the raw and doubled versions clearly labeled if you share them with a clinician, so the reference ranges are applied correctly.
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. Bring examples of what has changed in your daily life, even if the result seems reassuring.
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. You can also return when you feel ready, although the answers should still describe the same past-week timeframe.
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. A reassuring screening result should never delay support for an immediate safety concern.
How many questions does the DASS-21 have, and how long does it take?
The DASS-21 has 21 statements in total, 7 each for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress, presented in their original interleaved order. You can take the time you need to read each statement carefully; this page does not set a completion deadline. Every statement asks how much it applied to you over the past week, using the same four-point response scale throughout.
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