What the PCL-5 measures
The PCL-5 is the global clinical standard for assessing PTSD. In 2013, the DSM-5 drastically altered the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, removing it from "Anxiety Disorders" and creating a new category: "Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders." The PCL-5 reflects this shift by expanding the symptom clusters from three to four, recognizing that trauma deeply alters negative cognitions and mood (e.g., self-blame, emotional numbing) just as much as it causes hyperarousal and flashbacks.
The dimensions it assesses
- Cluster B (Intrusion): Intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, and psychological/physiological distress to reminders (Items 1-5).
- Cluster C (Avoidance): Active avoidance of trauma-related thoughts, feelings, or external reminders like people and places (Items 6-7).
- Cluster D (Negative Alterations in Cognition & Mood): Dissociative amnesia, negative beliefs about oneself/the world, distorted blame, negative trauma-related emotions (fear, horror, anger, guilt), anhedonia, detachment (Items 8-14).
- Cluster E (Alterations in Arousal & Reactivity): Irritability/aggression, reckless behavior, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, concentration issues, sleep disturbance (Items 15-20).
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What your score means
There are two ways to score the PCL-5: Total Severity and DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria Rule. Method 1: Total Severity Score Sum all 20 items. (A cut-off score of 31-33 is widely accepted as indicating a provisional diagnosis of PTSD). Method 2: DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria Rule An item is considered "Endorsed" if it is rated as a 2 (Moderately) or higher. To meet the provisional diagnosis, the user must endorse:
| Score | Interpretation | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 15 | Minimal / Normal | Standard stress response. No clinical intervention required. |
| 16 – 32 | Sub-Clinical Trauma / Acute Stress | High distress. Monitor for symptom progression. Psychotherapy recommended to process the event. |
| 33 – 80 | Positive Screen for PTSD | Provisional PTSD diagnosis. High likelihood of severe occupational and interpersonal disruption. Immediate referral for trauma-focused therapy (EMDR, CPT, PE) is required. |
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
- Treatment Routing: PTSD cannot be treated with standard "talk therapy" or psychoanalysis; recounting the trauma without somatic processing often re-traumatizes the patient. The system must explicitly recommend Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
- The Anger/Recklessness Factor: Cluster E (Arousal) specifically screens for aggression and reckless behavior. High scores here indicate a risk of the user harming themselves or others, requiring a higher tier of clinical safety protocols.
- Tracking Progress: A 5-point decrease in the total score represents a statistically reliable change, and a 10-20 point decrease represents clinically significant treatment success.
Common questions about the PCL-5
- What does the PCL-5 measure?
- Measurement of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity according to the updated DSM-5 criteria.
- Can the PCL-5 diagnose me?
- No. PTSD & Trauma Screening (PCL-5) 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 PCL-5?
- Scores of 33 – 80 fall in the range described as "Positive Screen for PTSD", while 0 – 15 is described as "Minimal / Normal". 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 PCL-5 take?
- 20 questions, which most people finish in 5 – 10 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 PCL-5 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 PCL-5?
- 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 PCL-5, and is this the real version?
- It was published by US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. US federal government work; free to use, though the VA asks that users be aware of intended context. 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 PCL-5?
- 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 US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Developed and validated by the researchers cited below.
- Blevins, C. A., Weathers, F. W., Davis, M. T., Witte, T. K., & Domino, J. L. (2015). The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Development and initial psychometric evaluation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28(6), 489-498.
- Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Keane, T. M., Palmieri, P. A., Marx, B. P., & Schnurr, P. P. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Scale available from the National Center for PTSD.
Licensing
Public domain. US federal government work; free to use, though the VA asks that users be aware of intended context.