Searching for a trauma test can carry a question that is difficult to say out loud: does what happened to me count?
A score cannot answer that question for you. It cannot measure how painful, frightening, confusing, or life-changing an experience was. What it can do is help you notice whether symptoms often associated with post-traumatic stress have been present in the past month, and whether a conversation with a professional would be a sensible next step.
This page uses the PC-PTSD-5, a five-question primary care screen developed by the US Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. The VA states that the measure is in the public domain and not copyrighted. It is a screening tool, not a diagnosis.
Key Takeaways
- This trauma test is free and based on the PC-PTSD-5, a validated five-item PTSD screen.
- The questions may feel activating, so the safety guidance comes before the self-check.
- A positive screen means further assessment or a conversation is worth having. It does not mean you have PTSD.
- A low score does not mean your experience was not serious.
- Cutoffs differ across research populations, including VA/veteran primary care and civilian primary care samples.
On this page
- Before taking this trauma test
- Trauma self-check questions
- What the result can and cannot tell you
- Getting support after trauma
- Is this trauma test free?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- About the Author
Before taking this trauma test
Please read this part before answering the questions. The PC-PTSD-5 asks about reactions to unusually frightening, horrible, or traumatic experiences. For some people, even brief questions can bring up memories, body sensations, shame, numbness, anger, or a wish to shut the page immediately.
Stopping is a legitimate choice. Skipping the test is not avoidance in any moral sense; it may simply be good judgement about what you can manage today. You do not need to describe what happened, write it down, or prove that it was “bad enough” before seeking support.
If you feel at risk of harming yourself, feel unable to stay safe, or feel overwhelmed in a way that needs immediate support:
- Call 999 now if there is an immediate danger.
- Call Samaritans on 116 123 for free, 24 hours a day, if you need to speak to someone.
- Text SHOUT to 85258 to contact Shout’s free UK text support service.
- If you are in Jersey and need urgent mental health help, call the Jersey Adult Mental Health crisis line on +44 (0)1534 445290.
For non-emergency support, UK readers can usually start with a GP or their local mental health route. In England, that may include NHS Talking Therapies. Jersey is not part of the NHS, so Jersey readers should use local routes such as a GP, Jersey Talking Therapies, or Government of Jersey mental health services.
This self-check cannot tell you whether what happened to you “counts” as trauma. It also cannot tell you whether you have PTSD, complex PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, a dissociative response, or another trauma-related difficulty. It can only show whether five common PTSD screening items are present enough to make further assessment worth considering.
Trauma self-check questions
The PC-PTSD-5 begins with an exposure question. In the original VA wording, examples include experiences such as a serious accident, assault or abuse, war, disaster, witnessing death or serious injury, or losing someone through homicide or suicide.
Start here:
Have you ever experienced an event that was unusually frightening, horrible, or traumatic?
- If your answer is No, the PC-PTSD-5 screen stops here and the score is 0.
- If your answer is Yes, answer the five questions below about the past month.
- If you are unsure, you can still read the questions without scoring yourself. Uncertainty is common, and it does not make your experience unimportant.
For each question, answer Yes or No.
| In the past month, have you… | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Had unwanted memories, thoughts, or nightmares connected with what happened? | ||
| Tried hard not to think about it, or avoided places, people, feelings, or situations that reminded you of it? | ||
| Felt unusually watchful, on edge, guarded, or easily startled? | ||
| Felt numb, cut off, or detached from people, activities, or your surroundings? | ||
| Felt guilt, blame, or a sense that you or someone else caused what happened or its consequences? |
Count one point for each Yes answer. The total score is between 0 and 5.
This wording is a plain-language self-check based on the validated PC-PTSD-5 domains, not a replacement for the exact clinical form. For clinical use, use the exact VA PC-PTSD-5 scale and follow the measure instructions.
What the result can and cannot tell you
Your score is a count of how many of the five PTSD screening areas you endorsed for the past month. It is not a measure of how severe the original experience was.
In the original Prins et al. 2016 development and evaluation study, the PC-PTSD-5 was tested within a veteran primary care sample. In that VA/veteran primary care sample, a cut score of 3 was described as optimised for sensitivity, meaning it was better at reducing missed possible PTSD cases. In the VA’s later scoring guidance for a large VA primary care sample, a cut score of 4 is described as balancing false negatives and false positives for the overall sample and for men.
That does not mean UK readers should treat 3 or 4 as a personal diagnosis line. These figures come from VA/veteran primary care research, not a UK general population sample.
Civilian research differs too. A later civilian primary care validation study reported that a cut score of 4 maximised sensitivity at 100% while maintaining specificity of 85.2%, with diagnostic accuracy around AUC 0.93. That is useful evidence, but it is still not a UK-specific rule for an individual reader.
A practical way to read your score is:
| Score | What it may suggest |
|---|---|
| 0 | The PC-PTSD-5 is negative on these items. This does not prove that nothing serious happened, and it does not rule out other forms of distress. |
| 1-2 | Some trauma-related symptoms may be present. If they bother you, affect sleep, relationships, work, study, or daily life, a conversation with a GP, therapist, counsellor, or local service may still be worthwhile. |
| 3 | In the original VA/veteran primary care sample, this cut score was optimised for sensitivity. It is a sign to consider further assessment, especially if symptoms are affecting life. |
| 4 | In VA/veteran primary care guidance, this cut score balanced false negatives and false positives for the overall sample and for men. In a civilian primary care validation study, 4 also performed strongly. It is still a positive screen, not a diagnosis. |
| 5 | In the original VA/veteran primary care development work, this cut score maximised specificity, meaning fewer false positives at the cost of missing more possible cases. It makes a professional conversation particularly sensible, but diagnosis still requires a fuller clinical assessment. |
The main point is not the number by itself. The question is whether these reactions are affecting your sleep, concentration, relationships, mood, sense of safety, body, or ability to live the way you need to live.
If you score low but still feel affected, take that seriously. A screen can miss things. It can also fail to capture grief, ongoing stress, shame, dissociation, physical symptoms, or the meaning of what happened to you.
There is a separate existing article on FND and PTSD that explains how trauma and post-traumatic stress can sometimes sit alongside functional neurological symptoms. In short: the link can be real, but it is not automatic, and physical symptoms still deserve careful medical assessment.
If you are looking for a different kind of self-check, the OCD test looks at obsessive-compulsive symptoms rather than trauma reactions.
Getting support after trauma
If this self-check felt manageable and your score is low, you may not need formal help right now. It can still be useful to notice what supports you: sleep, routine, safe people, movement, quiet time, or reducing avoidable stress for a while.
If your score is 1-2 and the symptoms bother you, consider speaking with a GP, therapist, or counsellor. You do not need to wait until things are severe. Early support can help you understand what is happening and whether a fuller PTSD assessment, another mental health assessment, or practical support is appropriate.
If your score is 3 or above, the result is best treated as a prompt for further assessment. In the UK, the NHS PTSD page describes routes that can include speaking with a GP and accessing psychological therapies. NICE PTSD recommendations describe trauma-focused psychological treatments as part of evidence-based care, with the right option depending on symptoms, timing, preference, and clinical assessment.
If you are in Jersey, use Jersey routes rather than assuming NHS access. You can contact your GP, Jersey Talking Therapies, or the Government of Jersey Adult Mental Health Services. For urgent mental health help in Jersey, the Government of Jersey lists the Adult Mental Health crisis line as +44 (0)1534 445290.
If answering the questions has left you shaken, pause before moving on. Look around the room, name where you are, notice your feet on the floor, and choose one simple next action: drink water, message someone safe, step outside, or call a support line. You do not have to turn this moment into a full explanation of your past.
Is this trauma test free?
Yes. This trauma test is free to read and use as an educational self-check.
The PC-PTSD-5 itself is also free to use: the VA National Center for PTSD says the measure is in the public domain and not copyrighted. Many validated screens are free because their purpose is to support clinical assessment, research, and appropriate referral.
Paying for an online trauma test does not automatically make it more valid. Often, payment buys presentation, instant scoring, or a report format rather than a better instrument. What matters is whether the tool is transparent about its source, scoring, limitations, and next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does what happened to me count as trauma?
There is no online checklist that can decide the meaning of your experience for you. Some people know immediately that something was traumatic. Others minimise it, feel unsure, or compare themselves with people who “had it worse”.
If an experience still affects your body, sleep, mood, relationships, sense of safety, or ability to live normally, it is reasonable to seek support. You do not have to win an argument about whether it counts before you are allowed to ask for help.
Can a test diagnose PTSD?
No. A trauma test can screen for symptoms associated with PTSD, but diagnosis requires a fuller clinical assessment. A clinician considers the nature of the event, symptom clusters, duration, impairment, other possible explanations, risk, medical factors, and your wider context.
The PC-PTSD-5 was designed to identify people who may need further assessment. A positive screen means the next step is a conversation, not a label.
What if I score positive but feel fine?
That can happen. A screen may pick up symptoms that are present but not currently distressing, or symptoms that you manage well. It may also reflect a short-term reaction that changes over time.
If your score is positive, it is worth noticing whether the symptoms affect sleep, relationships, concentration, work, study, avoidance, or your sense of safety. If they do, consider a GP, therapist, counsellor, or local mental health route. If they do not, you may simply keep an eye on things and seek support if that changes.
What if I score low but still feel affected?
Take your experience seriously. A low PC-PTSD-5 score only means you did not endorse many of these five PTSD screening items for the past month. It does not mean the experience was minor, your reaction is invalid, or there is nothing to talk about.
Other difficulties can follow frightening or overwhelming experiences, including grief, shame, anxiety, low mood, sleep problems, physical symptoms, relationship strain, and feeling unlike yourself. Support can still be appropriate.
About the Author
Fabio Morus is a therapist whose educational writing focuses on anxiety, trauma-related difficulties, functional symptoms, habits, and practical mental health education. His writing aims to make evidence-informed ideas clear without turning an online article into a diagnosis.
Disclaimer
This article is for education only and does not replace professional medical or psychological assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are worried about PTSD, trauma symptoms, your safety, or someone else’s safety, contact an appropriate professional or urgent service.
If there is immediate danger, call 999. If you need to talk now, call Samaritans on 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258. If you are in Jersey and need urgent mental health help, call +44 (0)1534 445290.
Sources: VA National Center for PTSD: PC-PTSD-5, Prins et al. 2016, Williamson, M. L. C., Stickley, M. M., Armstrong, T. W., Jackson, K., & Console, K. (2022). Diagnostic accuracy of the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) within a civilian primary care sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(11), 2299-2308. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23405, NHS PTSD, NICE PTSD recommendations, Government of Jersey Adult Mental Health Services, Jersey Talking Therapies, Samaritans, Shout.
