What the GAD-7 measures
Developed as a brief clinical measure, the GAD-7 is the global standard for assessing anxiety in primary care settings. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by excessive, difficult-to-control worry about various events or activities, accompanied by physical symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension). The GAD-7 maps directly onto the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for the disorder, functioning both as a screener and as a metric to track treatment efficacy over time.
The dimensions it assesses
- Cognitive/Emotional Symptoms: Excessive worry, feeling on edge, inability to stop worrying, fear of disaster.
- Somatic/Physical Symptoms: Restlessness, muscle tension, irritability.
Already have a GAD-7 score from somewhere else? Look it up without retaking the questionnaire.
What your score means
(Theoretical Range: 0 to 21)
| Score | Interpretation | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 4 | Minimal Anxiety | Symptoms are below the clinical threshold. No specific action required. |
| 5 – 9 | Mild Anxiety | Sub-clinical anxiety. The user may benefit from stress-reduction techniques, mindfulness, and lifestyle adjustments. |
| 10 – 14 | Moderate Anxiety | Clinically significant anxiety. A score of 10 or greater warrants a further clinical evaluation by a physician or therapist. |
| 15 – 21 | Severe Anxiety | High probability of a formal anxiety disorder diagnosis. Pharmacotherapy and/or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are strongly indicated. |
These ranges describe groups of people, not individuals. A score near a boundary is not meaningfully different from one just across it, and no range on this table is a diagnosis.
What to do with your result
- Clinical Referral Threshold: The cut-off score of 10 maximizes both sensitivity (89%) and specificity (82%) for diagnosing GAD. Users scoring ≥ 10 must be advised to speak with a mental health professional.
- Somatic vs Cognitive Tracking: If questions 4, 5, and 6 (the physical tension symptoms) are scoring highest, the user should be directed toward somatic interventions (e.g., progressive muscle relaxation, exercise, breathwork). If 1, 2, 3, and 7 (the cognitive worry loops) are highest, cognitive interventions (e.g., CBT, journaling, thought-stopping) are prioritized.
- Caffeine & Sleep: Regardless of score, an immediate reduction in central nervous system stimulants (caffeine, nicotine) and an audit of sleep architecture should be recommended as a baseline intervention.
Common questions about the GAD-7
- What does the GAD-7 measure?
- Screening for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and assessing symptom severity. Also sensitive to Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, and PTSD.
- Can the GAD-7 diagnose me?
- No. Anxiety Screening (GAD-7) is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic tool. It can flag that something may need a closer look. It cannot tell you what is causing it. Grief, burnout, a thyroid problem, medication side effects, chronic pain and months of bad sleep are not among its questions, and any of them can move a score. Telling those apart is what a professional assessment is for.
- What is considered a high score on the GAD-7?
- Scores of 15 – 21 fall in the range described as "Severe Anxiety", while 0 – 4 is described as "Minimal Anxiety". Those labels describe bands of scores rather than people, and a score sitting one point either side of a boundary is not meaningfully different from one just across it.
- How long does the GAD-7 take?
- 7 questions, which most people finish in 2 – 3 minutes. There is no time limit, and answering honestly matters more than answering quickly. The results page checks for patterns suggesting the questions were rushed.
- Is this GAD-7 test really free?
- Yes. No account, no email address, no payment. Psychometrics Today is funded by donations rather than advertising, which is also what allows us to publish instruments whose authors permit free but non-commercial use.
- Are my answers stored or shared?
- No. Your answers are scored inside your browser and never sent to us. There is no database of responses, because we never receive any. Closing the tab erases them, which is why results cannot be recovered afterwards.
- How often should I retake the GAD-7?
- Most of these questionnaires ask about the past one to two weeks, so retaking sooner than that mostly measures the same period twice. Every two to four weeks is a reasonable rhythm if you are tracking change. A direction of travel over several weeks tells a doctor far more than any single score.
- Who created the GAD-7, and is this the real version?
- It was published by Pfizer Inc. (developed via an educational grant). Carries the same unconditional notice as the PHQ-9: "No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute." The grant has no commercial carve-out. The items here are the published ones rather than a paraphrase, and the scoring follows the original rules. Both are documented on this page so they can be checked.
- How accurate is the GAD-7?
- Screening questionnaires are good at flagging that something merits attention and poor at establishing what it is. This one is sensitive to how you feel on the day you take it, and many instruments were validated on narrow populations whose cut-offs may not transfer cleanly to everyone. The references at the foot of this page are the primary sources.
Sources
Rights held by Pfizer Inc. (developed via an educational grant). Developed and validated by the researchers cited below.
- Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092-1097.
- Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B., Monahan, P. O., & Löwe, B. (2007). Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Annals of Internal Medicine, 146(5), 317-325.
Licensing
Public domain. Carries the same unconditional notice as the PHQ-9: "No permission required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute." The grant has no commercial carve-out.