Grief Test: See Whether Your Grief Follows a Prolonged Pattern
This grief test explores longing, difficulty accepting a death, and disruption to daily life, informed by PG-13 research. Get an instant reflection and optional report to help describe your support needs.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Grief Test is a free, confidential 13-question self-assessment, informed by prolonged grief research (PG-13). It takes about 8 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Grief is not a problem to be measured, but support can help
Grief is a natural response to loss, not a disorder. This reflection does not score how much you loved someone or how 'well' you are coping. It gently looks at a few patterns that research links with grief that has become stuck, so you can decide whether to reach for extra support.
Yearning and longing
An intense, aching pull toward the person who died, a longing for their presence, and a sense of being preoccupied with them. This is the heart of grief, and it is entirely normal, especially early on.
Difficulty accepting the loss
Disbelief, feeling that it cannot be real, struggling to take in that the person is truly gone, or feeling that part of you died too. When this stays intense over a long time, it is one sign that support may help.
Life disruption over time
How much grief is making it hard to function, connect with others, or move through daily life, and how long it has been since the loss. Time alone does not heal everyone the same way, and that is okay.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Informed by prolonged grief research | Rarely | Yes, PG-13 dimensions |
| Distinguishes normal from prolonged grief | No | Yes, carefully |
| Respects that grief has no timeline | Often pathologizes | Yes, throughout |
| Accounts for time since the loss | No | Yes |
| Clinician-reviewed, compassionate tone | Rarely | Yes, 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 0–48 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–15 | Grief within the expected range | What you described looks like grief that, while painful, sits within the natural range of mourning. Be gentle with yourself. |
| 16–30 | Grief that is heavy but normal | You are carrying a heavy grief right now. That is understandable, especially if the loss is recent, and it does not mean anything is wrong with how you are grieving. |
| 31–48 | Signs of prolonged grief worth support | Your answers show several patterns that research links with grief that has become stuck. This is not a failing, and it does not mean you loved too much. It is a sign that some extra support could really help. |
Who This Reflection Is For
This grief test helps you describe how loss is affecting you; it cannot determine whether your grief is a disorder. People come to this reflection at very different points: someone in the first raw weeks after a death, someone whose grief flared back up around an anniversary years later, a parent grieving a miscarriage or stillbirth, or someone who lost a parent, sibling, or friend to a sudden or traumatic death and wonders why the grief feels different from what others describe. All of these are reasons to take a gentle look, and none of them require you to be struggling more than someone else before your grief counts.
If the loss was sudden, violent, or otherwise traumatic, grief and trauma symptoms can tangle together, and our Childhood Trauma Test or Complex PTSD Test (C-PTSD) may capture parts of your experience this reflection does not. Practices like Continuing Bonds and Grief Rituals give many people something concrete to do with love that no longer has anywhere to go. If what you read here concerns you, the Psychology.com therapist directory lists grief-informed therapists you can search for free.
If low mood or loss of interest also concerns you, the Depression Test offers a separate way to describe those symptoms. A clinician can consider grief and depression together without assuming that a score on either page explains everything. You can find other relevant self-assessments through the Psychology.com tests hub.
Grief After Different Kinds of Loss
Most prolonged grief research, including the PG-13 measure this reflection draws on, was built around the death of someone close, and that is the loss this test is written for. But the same yearning, disbelief, and disruption can show up after other losses too: a beloved pet, a pregnancy, a relationship that ended through estrangement rather than death, or a future you had counted on that will not happen now. If your loss does not fit neatly into 'someone died,' the patterns below can still be worth noticing, although this page's bands are educational categories and have not been validated for your specific situation.
Ambiguous loss, where the person is physically gone but the relationship is unresolved, or physically present but psychologically absent, such as with a parent's advancing dementia, deserves its own gentleness. It rarely gets the same recognition as a death, which can make it lonelier to carry. Whatever shape your loss takes, the invitation is the same: notice what you are carrying, and consider support without needing anyone's permission to call it grief.
How accurate is this grief test?
This page is an original reflection informed by prolonged grief research, rather than the validated PG-13 questionnaire. Its wording, grouping, and score bands should not be treated as interchangeable with the research instrument. The total summarizes the answers you give; it cannot distinguish ordinary mourning from a clinical condition on its own.
The time-since-loss response provides context and does not establish that symptoms have persisted throughout that period. A clinician also asks about everyday functioning, the circumstances of the death, cultural and religious practices, and other possible explanations for distress. A low result does not invalidate your grief, and a high result does not measure how deeply you loved the person.
What can I say when asking for grief support?
You can start with what daily life feels like: I am having trouble getting through meals and work, or I want somewhere I can talk about the person who died. Consider sharing which reminders are hardest, what support you already have, and what you would like help with. You can bring written notes if speaking feels difficult.
A trusted person may be able to help with practical tasks or finding a grief support group. A clinician can discuss support that fits your needs and preferences. If you feel unsafe or have thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States. If there is immediate danger, contact emergency services.
Methodology & sources
This reflection is informed by research on prolonged grief disorder, in particular the dimensions captured by the PG-13 measure developed by Prigerson and colleagues (2009), which identifies grief reactions that remain intense and impairing well beyond the period most people would expect. The items are written in the spirit of that research, reworded to be gentle and readable while keeping their meaning, and grouped into yearning, difficulty accepting the loss, and life disruption. Time since the loss is included because the research distinguishes prolonged grief partly by its persistence, typically at least six to twelve months after a death. We deliberately keep interpretation conservative and supportive rather than diagnostic.
This is provided for education and gentle self-reflection, not as a clinical or diagnostic instrument. Grief is a natural human response to loss, not a mental illness. Most grief, even when it is agonizing, never needs a clinical label. A small number of people experience grief that stays stuck in a way that responds well to specialized support, and this reflection only aims to help you notice whether that might be worth exploring. There is no right way to grieve and no timeline you are supposed to follow.
The PG-13 research citation documents the development of proposed diagnostic criteria; it does not validate this original questionnaire or its score bands. Under DSM-5-TR, the death must have occurred at least a year earlier for adults or at least 6 months earlier for children and adolescents before prolonged grief disorder can be diagnosed. Significant impairment and cultural context also matter. These diagnostic timing requirements are not instructions to delay support.
References
- Prigerson HG, Horowitz MJ, Jacobs SC, et al. Prolonged grief disorder: Psychometric validation of criteria proposed for DSM-V and ICD-11. PLoS Med. 2009;6(8):e1000121.
- Shear MK, Simon N, Wall M, et al. Complicated grief and related bereavement issues for DSM-5. Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(2):103-117.
- Maciejewski PK, Maercker A, Boelen PA, Prigerson HG. 'Prolonged grief disorder' and 'persistent complex bereavement disorder', but not 'complicated grief', are one and the same diagnostic entity. World Psychiatry. 2016;15(3):266-275.
- Stroebe M, Schut H. The dual process model of coping with bereavement: a decade on. Omega (Westport). 2010;61(4):273-289.
- Prigerson HG, et al. Original prolonged grief criteria validation study, full text. journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000121
- American Psychiatric Association. Prolonged Grief Disorder: diagnostic requirements and support. psychiatry.org/patients-families/prolonged-grief-disorder
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. What to Expect. 988lifeline.org/get-help/what-to-expect/
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). Grief Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/grief
Grief Test FAQ
Is there a 'normal' amount of time to grieve?
No. There is no set timeline for grief, and anyone who tells you otherwise is mistaken. Grief comes in waves that can return for years, especially around anniversaries and reminders, and that is a normal part of loving someone. This reflection looks at patterns, not deadlines, and it will never tell you that you are grieving for too long.
What is prolonged grief?
Prolonged grief disorder involves persistent longing or preoccupation after a death, along with distress and difficulty functioning that exceed cultural expectations. Under DSM-5-TR, the death must have occurred at least a year earlier for adults or at least 6 months earlier for children and adolescents. Time alone does not establish a diagnosis. A clinician assesses the full pattern, and you can seek support well before these diagnostic thresholds.
Does a high result mean something is wrong with me?
No. A higher result is not a diagnosis and does not mean you are grieving incorrectly. It simply means several of the patterns linked with prolonged grief are present right now, which can be entirely expected soon after a loss. It is an invitation to be gentle with yourself and to consider extra support, nothing more.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for gentle self-reflection only. Grief is a natural response to loss, not a disorder, and only a licensed clinician can assess prolonged grief or any related condition. If your results or your feelings concern you, a grief-informed therapist can help. This page is an original questionnaire informed by PG-13 research; its bands have not been validated as diagnostic cutoffs. Bring examples of what feels difficult alongside the score.
When should I reach out for support?
There is no wrong time to ask for support in grief, and you do not need a 'high enough' result to deserve help. It can be especially worth reaching out if grief is making it very hard to function months after the loss, if you feel unable to accept that the person is gone, if you are withdrawing from everyone, or if you have any thoughts of not wanting to be here. In that last case, please reach out right away.
Is grief the same as depression?
They overlap but are not the same. Grief tends to come in waves tied to the person you lost, alongside moments of comfort or even joy, while depression is usually more constant and flattens interest across the board. Grief researchers have worked to keep prolonged grief distinct from major depression in diagnostic manuals, since the two can occur together but call for somewhat different support. A grief-informed therapist can help sort out which patterns fit what you are experiencing.
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