Stress Test (PSS-10)

The Perceived Stress Scale asks a subtler question than “how much happened to you?” — it asks how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded the last month felt. Ten questions, one score from 0 to 40.

The questions ask about your feelings and thoughts during the last month. For each one, pick how often you felt or thought that way.

1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?
2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?
3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and stressed?
4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?
5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way?
6. In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do?
7. In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?
8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things?
9. In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control?
10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?

Your answers never leave this browser — scoring happens on your device.

How the PSS-10 works

Developed by psychologist Sheldon Cohen in 1983, the PSS-10 is the most widely used stress measure in health research. Four of its ten questions are positively worded — about feeling confident and on top of things — and are reverse-scored, so the total reflects the balance between feeling overloaded and feeling capable. Scores of 0–13 are usually read as low perceived stress, 14–26 as moderate, and 27–40 as high. Population averages sit around 13–14, so “moderate” is statistically normal — it still deserves attention if it persists.

If your score is high, the fastest honest levers are unglamorous: sleep (try the sleep diary), scheduled recovery (the behavioral activation planner), and one hard conversation about what comes off your plate.

The PSS-10 is a self-assessment of perceived stress, not a diagnosis of any condition. High perceived stress is a risk factor worth managing, not an illness label. If stress comes with persistent low mood or anxiety, the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 self-checks on this site and an in-person conversation are better next steps.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal PSS-10 score?

In large US samples the average is around 13–14 (women average slightly higher than men). Scores of 0–13 are considered low, 14–26 moderate, and 27–40 high perceived stress. 'Normal' and 'fine' are not the same thing — a moderate score that persists for months is worth acting on.

Why are some questions reverse-scored?

Four items ask about feeling confident, in control, and on top of things. Agreeing with them means less stress, so they are flipped (0 becomes 4, 4 becomes 0) before adding up. This also keeps the scale honest — it measures coping appraisal, not just complaints.

How often should I take the stress test?

The PSS-10 asks about the last month, so monthly is the natural rhythm. Your scores are saved on the My Results page in this browser, which makes the month-to-month trend easy to see.

Are my answers private?

Yes. The score is calculated on your device, history lives only in your browser's local storage, and nothing is uploaded to a server.

Keep going

Burnout TestA 15-question self-check for work exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy.Attachment Style TestSee whether you lean secure, anxious, avoidant — or a mix — in close relationships.PHQ-9 CalculatorThe standard 9-question depression screening scale, scored instantly.

Your results from every tool are saved only in this browser — see them together on My Results.