Somatic Symptom Test (PHQ-15): See Your Physical Symptom Burden Score
This somatic symptom test reproduces the validated PHQ-15 word for word, the same 15-item checklist clinicians use to gauge how much physical symptoms are bothering someone. Get an instant score and an optional PDF report to bring to a doctor.
Reviewed byMichael Callans, MSWSomatic Symptom Test (PHQ-15) is a free, confidential 15-question self-assessment, the 15 PHQ-15 items, verbatim. It takes about 6 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
One number for how much your body has been bothering you
The PHQ-15 does not ask whether your symptoms are real or explainable. It asks a simpler, more useful question: over the past four weeks, how much has each symptom bothered you. This test reproduces those 15 items exactly as written by the researchers who built them.
The full PHQ-15 checklist
All 15 items from the validated Patient Health Questionnaire-15, covering pain, gut symptoms, heart and breathing sensations, and low energy, worded exactly as published.
How much it bothered you, not just yes or no
Each symptom is rated not bothered at all, bothered a little, or bothered a lot, the same three-point scale used in the original research, so mild and severe symptom days score differently.
A severity score with published cutoffs
Your total lands in the same minimal, low, medium, or high bands the PHQ-15 literature uses, so you can see where your symptom burden sits without guessing at what the number means.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Verbatim PHQ-15 items | Rarely | Yes, word for word |
| Published severity bands | Sometimes | Yes, the standard cutoffs |
| Explains symptoms are still real | No | Yes, throughout |
| Tells you to see a doctor first | Rarely | Yes, clearly |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Answers stay on your device | Often tracked | Scored in your browser; we only receive anonymous completion counts unless you ask for a PDF or report |
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How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–30 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | Minimal somatic symptom severity | Your score falls in the minimal range on the PHQ-15. Physical symptoms have not been bothering you much over the past four weeks. |
| 5–9 | Low somatic symptom severity | Your score falls in the low range on the PHQ-15. Some physical symptoms have been bothering you, though not to a heavy degree. |
| 10–14 | Medium somatic symptom severity | Your score falls in the medium range on the PHQ-15, the point research commonly uses as a threshold for further evaluation. |
| 15–30 | High somatic symptom severity | Your score falls in the high range on the PHQ-15. Physical symptoms appear to be taking a real toll right now. |
Symptom burden, not symptom cause
The PHQ-15 was built to measure how much physical symptoms are bothering someone, not to decide whether those symptoms have a clear medical explanation, a stress-related component, or both at once. A high score does not mean your pain is imaginary, and a low score does not mean nothing is wrong. It means the total weight of what your body has been doing to you over the past month, whatever the cause turns out to be.
This distinction matters because physical symptoms almost always deserve a medical evaluation before anything else. Chest pain, fainting spells, shortness of breath, and persistent pain all have medical causes that a clinician needs to rule out first. Once physical causes are checked, understanding how much distress the symptoms cause day to day, which is exactly what this score captures, becomes a useful part of the fuller picture.
Physical symptoms and anxiety, depression, and stress
Physical symptoms and mood are closely linked in both directions. Anxiety can produce a racing heart, dizziness, and stomach upset. Depression often shows up as fatigue and vague aches before it shows up as sadness. Chronic stress can worsen headaches, gut symptoms, and sleep. None of this means the symptoms are not physically real; the body and the nervous system are not separate systems, and distress in one shows up in the other.
If your score here is elevated, it can be worth taking Anxiety Test, Depression Test, or Stress Level Test alongside this one, since treating anxiety, depression, or chronic stress often eases physical symptoms too, even when a clear medical cause is also present. Fatigue Test looks specifically at low energy, which is one of the 15 items here but deserves its own closer look if it is your main concern.
About the menstrual item
One of the 15 items, menstrual cramps or other problems with periods, is worded in the original PHQ-15 as applying to women only, and this page reproduces that wording faithfully rather than editing the published instrument. If this does not apply to you, select not bothered at all so the item does not add to your score.
The other 14 items apply to everyone regardless of sex or gender, and cover the full range of physical complaints the PHQ-15 was validated on. If you are unsure how to answer any item, answer based on how much it has bothered you over the past four weeks, not on whether you think it counts as a medical symptom.
Methodology & sources
The 15 items on this page reproduce the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (Kroenke, Spitzer, and Williams, 2002) exactly as published, including the not bothered at all, bothered a little, bothered a lot response scale scored 0 to 2 and the four-week timeframe. The PHQ family of screeners, including the PHQ-15, PHQ-9, and GAD-7, is offered free of charge by Pfizer with no permission required to reproduce, translate, display, or distribute the instruments, which is why this page can use the verbatim wording rather than an adaptation.
This page displays the published severity bands from the PHQ-15 literature: 0 to 4 minimal, 5 to 9 low, 10 to 14 medium, and 15 to 30 high somatic symptom severity, with 10 and above commonly used as a threshold for further evaluation in clinical research. This is a screening tool for education and self-reflection, not a diagnostic instrument, and it does not determine whether any symptom has a medical or psychological explanation. Persistent or severe physical symptoms should always be evaluated by a medical professional first.
References
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-15: validity of a new measure for evaluating the severity of somatic symptoms. Psychosom Med. 2002;64(2):258-266.
- Kocalevent RD, Hinz A, Brahler E. Standardization of a screening instrument (PHQ-15) for somatization syndromes in the general population. BMC Psychiatry. 2013;13:91.
- Pfizer. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Screeners, free public access. phqscreeners.com
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 23). Somatic Symptom Test (PHQ-15). Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/somatic-symptom
Somatic Symptom Test (PHQ-15) FAQ
What is the PHQ-15?
The PHQ-15 is a validated 15-item checklist of common physical symptoms, developed by Kroenke, Spitzer, and Williams and published in 2002. It asks how much each symptom has bothered you over the past four weeks and produces a score from 0 to 30. This page reproduces the 15 items exactly as published.
Does a high score mean my symptoms are not real, or are 'in my head'?
No. The PHQ-15 measures how much physical symptoms are bothering you, not whether they have a clear medical cause. Physical symptoms are always real experiences, whatever the underlying cause turns out to be, and they always deserve a proper medical evaluation.
What does a high PHQ-15 score mean?
A score of 15 or higher falls in the high somatic symptom severity range used in the research literature, and 10 or higher is commonly used as a threshold worth discussing with a doctor. A high score reflects a heavy symptom burden and is worth bringing to a medical appointment; it is not a diagnosis on its own.
Should I see a doctor before or after taking this test?
Persistent, severe, or new physical symptoms, especially chest pain, fainting, or shortness of breath, should always be evaluated by a medical professional regardless of what this test shows. This screening can help organize what to mention at that appointment, but it is not a substitute for it.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is an educational screening for self-reflection only. It cannot diagnose somatic symptom disorder, anxiety, depression, or any medical condition. Only a qualified clinician can evaluate physical symptoms and make a diagnosis.
Is the test really confidential?
Yes. The test runs and is scored in your browser, and your individual answers are never sent to us. We count completions anonymously, and if you request the free PDF or a report we receive your summary scores with the email you give us, never your answers. No account is needed.