Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) Test

Understand your preschooler’s anxiety level and triggers in about 6 minutes. A 28 item screen pinpoints key areas of concern and supports next steps and progress tracking.

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Questions: 286 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

29,417 views

2,867 completions

2,396 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

11/20

Separation Anxiety (SA)

This scale measures how much distress a child shows when separated from close caregivers.

Low

Elevated

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 20: Elevated

A score of 11 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting more frequent or stronger distress during separations compared with lower scores.

example score

10/20

Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms (OCS)

This scale measures obsessive-compulsive symptoms such as intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors in a preschool child.

Low

Elevated

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 20: Elevated

A score of 10 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting more frequent or noticeable obsessive-compulsive symptoms relative to typical levels.

example score

12/24

Social Anxiety (SA)

This scale measures a preschool child’s discomfort and worry in social situations with peers or adults.

Low

Elevated

0 – 8: Low | 9 – 24: Elevated

A score of 12 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting more frequent or noticeable discomfort in social interactions compared with typical levels.

example score

16/20

Generalized Anxiety (GA)

Measures how often a preschool child shows persistent, broad worries across everyday situations.

Low

Elevated

0 – 4.8: Low | 4.9 – 20: Elevated

A score of 16 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting more frequent or intense generalized worries compared with typical levels on this scale.

example score

81/112

General Anxiety Level (GAL)

This scale measures the child’s overall level of anxiety symptoms across multiple situations and domains.

Low

Elevated

High

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 29: Elevated | 30 – 112: High

A score of 81 falls in the High range, indicating a higher overall intensity of anxiety symptoms relative to typical screening cutoffs.

example score

17/28

Fear of Physical Injury (FoPI)

Measures a preschool child’s degree of worry about potential physical injury or illness.

Low

Elevated

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 28: Elevated

A score of 17 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting more frequent or stronger concerns about bodily harm or illness compared with lower scores.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Concerned preschool parents

47%OF USERS

Parents of 3–5-year-olds who notice frequent worries, clinginess, fears, or tantrums use it to understand which situations trigger anxiety most.

Early childhood clinicians

32%OF USERS

Child psychologists, counselors, and pediatric providers use it as a quick screening tool to guide next steps and track changes over time.

Preschool educators and aides

21%OF USERS

Teachers and support staff use it to structure observations and communicate concerns to families when a child seems unusually fearful or withdrawn.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Separation Anxiety (SA)

Average

Normal range

7.3 — 14.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

OCD (O)

Average

Normal range

4.8 — 11.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Social Anxiety (SA)

Average

11.3

Normal range

7.6 — 14.9

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Generalized anxiety (Ga)

Average

6.9

Normal range

4.4 — 9.4

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Overall Anxiety Level (OAL)

Average

Normal range

53.9 — 92.2

min.

max.

112

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Fear of bodily harm (Fobh)

Average

7.8

Normal range

2.6 — 13

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below is a list of statements describing children’s behavior. For each statement, please select the response that best reflects your child’s behavior. Please try to answer all statements whenever possible, even if some do not seem applicable to your child.

- No, never
- Very rarely
- Sometimes
- Quite often
- Yes, almost always
- No, never
- Very rarely
- Sometimes
- Quite often
- Yes, almost always
- No, never
- Very rarely
- Sometimes
- Quite often
- Yes, almost always

These are 3 of the 28 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) Test - Symptoms and Signs

uneasiness

This measure is a brief parent-report questionnaire designed to screen anxiety-related behaviors in young children. The Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) is used to estimate the severity of anxiety symptoms and identify areas that may warrant further clinical evaluation.

It consists of 28 items and typically requires about 6 minutes to complete. Items assess a range of anxiety presentations commonly observed in early childhood (e.g., generalized worry, social fears, separation-related distress, and compulsive-like behaviors), supporting initial case formulation and communication between caregivers and clinicians.

The Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS) is not a stand-alone diagnostic tool; results should be interpreted in the context of developmental expectations, clinical interview, and other relevant assessment data.

Author: Mary K. Rothbart, Thomas M. Achenbach

Literature: Spence, S. H. Spence children’s anxiety scale. 1998.; Spence, S. H., Rapee, R. M., McDonald, C., & Ingram, M. The structure of anxiety symptoms among preschoolers. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2001.