PTSD.com distinguishes published screening measures from its own educational explanations. Our five-measure collection is not a ranking of the “best” tests, and our three-measure experience is not a validated diagnostic battery.
Five perspectives
We selected adult self-report measures with published research and accessible source material. PC-PTSD-5 and PCL-5 cover DSM-5 symptoms; ITQ follows ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD patterns. GPS addresses a wider range of trauma-related concerns. SPTSS is a historical DSM-IV measure and is shown as descriptive context, not a current diagnostic checklist.
- PC-PTSD-5 — National Center for PTSD. Five yes/no symptom questions after the exposure prompt. Four is a commonly used threshold; three may warrant assessment in some settings. A no exposure response ends only this measure at zero; a brief explanation appears before the next selected questionnaire. An unsure or declined exposure response leaves PC-PTSD-5 unscored with an explanation before continuing. The PC-PTSD-5 event question does not gate the other measures.
- PCL-5 — National Center for PTSD. Twenty items scored 0–4, total 0–80. We show the commonly used 31–33 range and explain that thresholds vary. We do not report a DSM-5 diagnosis or establish Criterion A through this page.
- ITQ — Trauma Measures Global. Final 12-symptom version with six impairment items. An item is endorsed at 2 or higher. Each PTSD cluster needs an endorsed item, plus PTSD-related impairment. A complex PTSD pattern additionally needs each disturbance-in-self-organization cluster and related impairment. We use this algorithm, not a total-score cutoff, and report either the PTSD or complex PTSD screening pattern, never both diagnoses.
- GPS — Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress. Adult GPS 2.0, using the October 2025 user guide. The symptom count sums items 1–16 and 18 (0–17). The PTSD domain sums items 1–5, with a follow-up threshold of 3. The risk/protective score sums 17, 19, 20, 21, and reverse-coded 22 (0–5); functioning is item 23 (1–10), kept separate. We do not use the overall count as a PTSD severity score.
- SPTSS — Eve Carlson. Seventeen items scored 0–10, averaged over all items. The timeframe is two weeks. No diagnostic cutoff is applied on this site. SAMHSA TIP 57 lists the measure as public domain.
How the combined view works
We keep scores separate. We never average them, add them to create a new PTSD score, calculate a diagnostic probability, or use majority voting. A follow-up indication on any completed measure leads to an invitation to seek professional assessment; lower results do not cancel it. Incomplete measures receive no score. A low result is not proof that someone does not have PTSD.
The results summary describes each selected measure separately, using its own scoring rules and timeframe. Scores are not added together. Descriptive measures are not assigned diagnostic cutoffs, and incomplete measures are marked as unscored. A follow-up result on one measure is not cancelled out by lower results on others.
Why the suggested three?
PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5, and ITQ offer a short screen, fuller symptom detail, and an ICD-11 perspective. This is our editorial starting set, not a recommendation that everyone needs three tests. The National Center for PTSD describes PCL-5 as one follow-up option after PC-PTSD-5; it does not endorse this website’s three-measure combination. A clinical interview remains necessary for diagnosis.
Web presentation and privacy
Scored items, response scales, and scoring rules are retained. The forms are presented one question at a time. Selecting an answer advances automatically within a questionnaire after a brief selection cue. Between questionnaires, a short completion screen explains what happened and lets users start the next one. The Back control lets users review or change an answer. We omit identifying demographics and written event descriptions; users keep the relevant experience in mind. The ITQ and GPS descriptive event-timing fields are not collected. This presentation has not been independently validated. The web implementation has not undergone independent clinical review.
Skipping leaves an item unanswered, not scored zero. Users can review answers, stop early, and print a summary. Responses remain in the current page’s memory. Refreshing resets the screening, but browser restoration can sometimes recover a page. Use the clear control before leaving a shared device; see our Privacy policy for details. A reported self-harm response on GPS includes support guidance in the results or an early summary, without interrupting the questionnaire. Support resources remain available throughout. This site does not monitor responses or dispatch help.
Attribution
PC-PTSD-5: Prins et al. (2015). PCL-5: Weathers et al. (2013), standard past-month form dated August 2023. Both are public-domain National Center for PTSD measures.
ITQ: Cloitre, Shevlin, Brewin, Bisson, Roberts, Maercker, Karatzias & Hyland (2018), public domain. GPS: © 2016/2020 Olff & Bakker, Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress, freely available from the developers. SPTSS: Eve Carlson, version 1.0 © 1993; validation published in 2001, listed as public domain by SAMHSA. Attribution does not imply endorsement of PTSD.com.
Review and corrections
Original educational content and this web implementation have not undergone independent clinical review. Published research about an instrument does not validate every adaptation or guarantee the accuracy of an individual result. Consult the linked sources and a qualified clinician when interpreting responses.
To report a factual error, attribution concern, or screening problem, email [email protected] with the page address and a description of the issue. Please do not include personal screening answers or medical records. Sources checked October 22, 2026.