Paranoia Test (R-GPTS)
A confidential self-assessment based on the Revised Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale (R-GPTS), the validated measure researchers use to assess paranoid thinking across the whole population, from everyday mistrust to clinical levels. Get an instant, plain-language result with published severity benchmarks and a professional PDF you can keep or bring to a clinician. It is a screening for reflection, never a diagnosis.
Paranoia Test (R-GPTS) is a free, confidential 18-question self-assessment, based on the validated R-GPTS. It takes about 5 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus a downloadable PDF report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Paranoia is a spectrum, and most of it is ordinary
Paranoid thoughts are far more common than most people realize: large population studies find that many people sometimes feel watched, talked about, or deliberately slighted. This test uses the same two-part structure researchers use, so your result sits on a real spectrum instead of a scary label.
Ideas of reference
The first part of the R-GPTS: feeling watched, discussed, laughed about, or singled out. These are the milder, more common end of the spectrum, and almost everyone recognizes some of them from stressful stretches of life.
Ideas of persecution
The second part: thoughts that people intend you harm, from being deliberately annoyed to conspiracies and threats. This is the subscale with published clinical severity benchmarks, and the one clinicians weigh most.
Where you sit on the spectrum
Your result places both subscales against the ranges published in the validation research, from average through elevated to severe. Occasional paranoid thoughts are common and are not, by themselves, a sign of psychosis.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Based on a validated scale (R-GPTS) | Rarely | Yes, faithful to the items |
| Real two-part structure (reference / persecution) | No | Yes, both subscales |
| Published severity benchmarks explained | No | Yes, from the validation study |
| Normalizing, spectrum-based framing | Rarely | Yes, throughout |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, reviewed |
| Downloadable PDF report | No | Yes, branded & shareable |
| 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 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–18 | Within the common range | Your overall level of paranoid thinking over the past month falls where most of the general population sits. Some suspicious thoughts are a normal part of a mind that watches out for you. |
| 19–34 | Elevated paranoid thinking | You reported more paranoid thoughts than average over the past month. Many people pass through this range during stressful chapters, and it is worth paying attention to what is feeding it. |
| 35–54 | Moderately high paranoid thinking | You reported a substantial level of paranoid thinking over the past month. This is worth taking seriously and gently, because thinking like this is exhausting to live with and it responds to treatment. |
| 55–72 | High paranoid thinking | You reported a very high level of paranoid thinking over the past month. However heavy this feels right now, this pattern is understood, treatable, and worth bringing to a professional soon. |
Methodology & sources
The eighteen questions reproduce the Revised Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale (R-GPTS), developed by Freeman and colleagues and published open access in Psychological Medicine in 2021. Part A measures ideas of reference (eight items, scored 0 to 32) and Part B measures ideas of persecution (ten items, scored 0 to 40), each rated for the past month from 0 (not at all) to 4 (totally). The validation research published severity benchmarks for the persecution subscale: 0 to 9 is average, 10 to 17 elevated, 18 to 27 moderately severe, and 28 or above severe. Your report shows both subscale scores against these published ranges.
The overall bands on this page combine the two subscales for readability; they are descriptive groupings, not validated cutoffs, since the R-GPTS benchmarks apply to the subscales themselves. Two framing points matter. First, paranoia exists on a spectrum in the general population, and epidemiological research finds that occasional paranoid thoughts are common, especially under stress, sleep loss, or social threat; they do not by themselves indicate psychosis. Second, a high score is a signal worth taking seriously, gently: persecutory thinking that is frequent, distressing, or hard to shake responds well to modern talking therapies, and only a qualified clinician can assess what is behind it.
References
- Freeman D, Loe BS, Kingdon D, et al. The revised Green et al., Paranoid Thoughts Scale (R-GPTS): psychometric properties, severity ranges, and clinical cut-offs. Psychol Med. 2021;51(2):244–253.
- Green CE, Freeman D, Kuipers E, et al. Measuring ideas of persecution and social reference: the Green et al. Paranoid Thought Scales (GPTS). Psychol Med. 2008;38(1):101–111.
- Freeman D. Suspicious minds: the psychology of persecutory delusions. Clin Psychol Rev. 2007;27(4):425–457.
- Bebbington PE, McBride O, Steel C, et al. The structure of paranoia in the general population. Br J Psychiatry. 2013;202(6):419–427.
Paranoia Test (R-GPTS) FAQ
What is a paranoia test?
It is a short, research-based questionnaire that measures paranoid thinking over the past month across two areas: ideas of reference, like feeling watched or talked about, and ideas of persecution, like believing people intend you harm. This one uses the R-GPTS, the validated scale researchers use across the whole population. It is a screening for reflection, not a diagnosis.
Do paranoid thoughts mean I am psychotic?
No. Paranoid thoughts sit on a spectrum, and population studies find that occasional suspiciousness, feeling watched, or sensing hostility are common experiences, especially under stress, poor sleep, isolation, or after being genuinely mistreated. Psychosis involves much more than a suspicious thought, and it is assessed by a clinician, never by a questionnaire. If you are also noticing experiences like hearing things others do not, our psychosis risk screening covers that separate ground.
What is the R-GPTS?
The Revised Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale is a validated measure of paranoid thinking published by Freeman and colleagues in 2021. It refined the original 2008 GPTS into two parts, ideas of reference and ideas of persecution, and published severity ranges from average to severe, so the same instrument works for the general population and clinical settings. It is one of the most widely used paranoia measures in modern research.
What counts as a high score?
The published benchmarks apply to the persecution subscale: 0 to 9 is average, 10 to 17 elevated, 18 to 27 moderately severe, and 28 or above severe. Elevated does not mean ill; plenty of people score there during stressful periods. Scores in the moderately severe range and above are where the research suggests talking with a professional is most clearly worthwhile.
Can paranoid thinking be treated?
Yes, and outcomes have improved a lot. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps people test threat beliefs safely, and newer targeted treatments developed by the same research group behind this scale show strong results for persecutory thinking. Improving sleep and reducing isolation also measurably reduce paranoia. Frequent or distressing suspicious thoughts are a treatable pattern, not a fixed trait.
Is this test really confidential?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server, never stored, and never linked to you. No account is needed, and the optional PDF is generated on your own device.
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