OCD Test (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder): Get Your OCI-R Score in Minutes
This OCD test screens for distress from obsessions and compulsions using questions adapted from the 18-item OCI-R. Get an instant total, a symptom breakdown, and an optional report to discuss with a clinician.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
OCD Test (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is a free, confidential 18-question self-assessment, based on the validated OCI-R. 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.
How this OCD test works
OCD shows up in very different ways from person to person. This assessment uses the OCI-R to measure how much distress your symptoms cause and where they cluster, because the pattern matters as much as the total.
Total distress score
The full OCI-R score from 0 to 72, reflecting how much distress obsessions and compulsions have caused you in the past month. The number the research validates against, with published internal-consistency reliability between .88 and .92.
Symptom subscales
Washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, and neutralizing. Each is scored on its own so you can see which patterns are loudest for you, not just an overall figure.
The clinical cutoff
Research places the screening threshold for likely OCD around a total of 21. We show you exactly where you land relative to that line, with honest interpretation.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated OCI-R questions | Sometimes | Yes, all 18 items |
| Six-area symptom breakdown | No | Yes (washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, neutralizing) |
| Real research cutoff (21) | Rarely | Yes, clearly explained |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | 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 0–72 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20 | Below the clinical cutoff | Your total falls below the screening threshold of 21. Symptoms in this range are common and often do not point to OCD, though only you know how much they affect you. |
| 21–40 | Elevated symptoms | Your total is at or above the screening cutoff of 21. That suggests obsessive-compulsive symptoms are causing you meaningful distress and a professional assessment could be valuable. |
| 41–72 | High symptom burden | Your total is well above the screening cutoff. Symptoms at this level are usually distressing and time-consuming, and they respond well to the right treatment. |
About the OCI-R
This OCD test is an educational OCI-R assessment of obsessive-compulsive symptom distress. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) is a self-report questionnaire developed by Edna Foa and colleagues in 2002. It measures distress associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms over the past month. Its 18 items cover washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, and neutralizing, such as counting or repeating numbers to reduce discomfort. Each area contributes three items to the total.
Responses run from 0, not at all, to 4, extremely, giving a total from 0 to 72. The validation research identified 21 as a useful screening cutoff. A score at or above 21 suggests that a professional assessment may be worthwhile. It does not establish OCD, and a score below 21 does not rule it out. Cutoffs are screening aids, not diagnostic boundaries.
The pattern matters alongside the total. Someone may report distress in one area and little in others. The original questionnaire also includes hoarding symptoms, although hoarding disorder is now a separate diagnosis. A clinician considers the nature of unwanted thoughts, rituals, avoidance, time spent, and effects on daily life.
Use this result to explain what has been troubling you and prepare questions for an appointment. Repeatedly taking a screening for certainty cannot resolve whether you have OCD; an assessment provides fuller context.
For OCI-R scoring, a higher total means you reported greater distress across the included experiences. It is not a percentage chance of OCD. The result bands on this page are educational summaries; crossing between bands does not establish a change in diagnosis. Because the wording is adapted, published findings for the original instrument cannot establish the accuracy of this particular online version.
When answering this OCI-R test, follow the stated time frame and rate how distressing the experience has been. A behavior you perform often may feel different from an intrusive thought that causes intense distress. If an answer does not capture your experience, make a note for an appointment rather than changing responses to reach an expected score. Include concerns outside the questionnaire when discussing the result.
How common is this?
Screening questions land differently when you know how many other people are answering them the same way. Our OCD statistics page collects the current numbers on OCD 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.
Is the OCI-R accurate?
For a self-report questionnaire, the OCI-R holds up well. Published studies report internal-consistency reliability for the total score between .88 and .92, meaning the 18 items consistently measure the same underlying construct. The six subscales have shown more variable but generally acceptable reliability across different samples, which is part of why this page reports both the total and the subscale breakdown rather than the total alone.
An OCI-R assessment is still a screening questionnaire, not a structured clinical interview, so it can flag a pattern worth discussing without being able to confirm or rule out OCD on its own. If your subscale breakdown surprises you, that is useful information to bring to a clinician even if your total sits below the cutoff. The Harm OCD Test and Pure O OCD Test look more closely at specific presentations of OCD that the OCI-R's general items can sometimes underrepresent.
Internal consistency describes how related questionnaire responses are within a study sample. It does not mean the test correctly diagnoses that proportion of readers. An assessment also needs information that a total cannot supply, including whether repetitive actions are driven by feared consequences, how much they interfere with ordinary activities, and what else might explain them.
What to bring to an OCD assessment
Write down an example of an unwanted thought, what you do afterward, and what happens if you resist the usual response. Include mental actions such as silently repeating words, along with visible rituals or avoidance. You can tell a clinician that a topic feels embarrassing before giving details. The aim is to describe the pattern and its impact on your daily life.
The Intrusive Thoughts tool offers language for describing these experiences. If you want professional support, use the Psychology.com therapist directory and ask about experience with exposure and response prevention. You can return to the Psychology.com tests hub for other concerns; additional quizzes should have a clear purpose rather than become a repeated search for certainty.
The National Institute of Mental Health notes that OCD can be hard to recognize when anxiety or low mood is the concern someone first reports. Mention when the difficulties began, whether they fluctuate with stress, and any medication or other health concerns. If mental rituals interrupt conversations or tasks, describe that disruption even when people around you cannot see it. You can ask the clinician how they distinguish OCD from other explanations and what further assessment they recommend.
Methodology & sources
This page adapts OCI-R item wording for plain reading while retaining the original response range and six subscale groupings. The instrument and its published screening threshold are explained above. Because wording is adapted, this educational self-check should not be treated as an independently validated version of the OCI-R.
Your answers are scored in your browser. Results provide a total and a subscale breakdown for reflection or discussion with a qualified clinician. This screening does not replace an interview, clinical history, or professional assessment.
The OCI-R has been studied across clinical and community samples since Foa and colleagues published it in 2002. Reported internal-consistency reliability for the total score has ranged from .88 to .92, and later replication work, including Huppert et al.'s 2007 subscale validation, has supported the six-subscale structure used on this page.
References
- Foa EB, Huppert JD, Leiberg S, et al. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: development and validation of a short version. Psychol Assess. 2002;14(4):485-496. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12501574/
- Abramowitz JS, Deacon BJ. Psychometric properties and construct validity of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised: replication and extension with a clinical sample. J Anxiety Disord. 2006;20(8):1016-1035.
- Huppert JD, Walther MR, Hajcak G, et al. The OCI-R: validation of the subscales in a clinical sample. J Anxiety Disord. 2007;21(3):394-406.
- National Institute of Mental Health. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: When Unwanted Thoughts or Repetitive Behaviors Take Over. nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-when-unwanted-thoughts-or-repetitive-behaviors-take-over
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). OCD Test (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/ocd
OCD Test (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) FAQ
What is an OCD test based on the OCI-R?
It is a short, research-based screening that measures how much distress obsessions and compulsions have caused you over the past month, across six common symptom areas. The OCI-R is one of the most widely validated self-report measures of OCD symptoms, but a questionnaire is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. This online version adapts the wording, so the original instrument's validation does not establish this page's diagnostic accuracy.
What OCI-R score suggests OCD?
In the original validation, a total score of about 21 or higher best identified people likely to have OCD. A score above that line suggests it is worth a professional assessment, while a score below it does not rule OCD out, especially if symptoms still disrupt your life.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. Only a licensed clinician can diagnose OCD, usually through a structured interview. If your results concern you, consider talking with a therapist who treats OCD. Bring examples of rituals, avoidance, and unwanted thoughts, including experiences this OCD questionnaire did not ask about. Their effect on your life matters even when the total is low.
What do the six subscales mean?
The OCI-R groups symptoms into washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, and neutralizing (mental rituals or undoing). Seeing which areas score highest can help you describe your experience and find the right kind of treatment. These are symptom groupings, not separate diagnoses. A high score in an area is a prompt to discuss its meaning in your own circumstances.
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 OCD be treated?
Yes. OCD responds well to evidence-based treatment, especially exposure and response prevention (ERP), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, sometimes combined with medication. Many people see a real reduction in symptoms. A clinician can explain benefits, possible difficulties, and alternatives, then plan care around your symptoms and preferences. A screening score alone does not determine which treatment to use or predict an individual outcome.
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