Home1
Psychological tests2
Psychological Crisis Experience Scale3

Psychological Crisis Experience Scale Test

In 8 minutes, see how you are responding to a psychological crisis and how resilient you feel. 42 questions give a clear snapshot to guide support and track change over time.

Start Online Test

Questions: 428 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

27,677 views

2,649 completions

2,233 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

87/100

Psychological Resilience (PR)

Measures the availability of personal resources and confidence for coping with difficult life situations and stress.

Low

Moderate

High

20 – 40: Low | 41 – 59: Moderate | 60 – 100: High

A score of 87 falls in the High range, indicating strong perceived coping resources, self-confidence, and stress tolerance in the current situation.

example score

52/100

Disorganization Response (DR)

Measures anxiety, fatigue, and difficulty engaging in active behavior under stress.

Low disorganization

Moderate disorganization

High disorganization

20 – 40: Low disorganization | 41 – 59: Moderate disorganization | 60 – 100: High disorganization

A score of 52 indicates a moderate disorganization reaction, suggesting noticeable but manageable anxiety and fatigue with some reduction in active coping under stress.

example score

78/100

Oppositional Reaction (OR)

Measures the intensity of oppositional protest reactions, irritability/aggressiveness, and negative attitudes toward others during a crisis situation.

Cooperative

Mixed

Oppositional

20 – 40: Cooperative | 41 – 59: Mixed | 60 – 100: Oppositional

A score of 78 falls in the Oppositional range, suggesting pronounced protest reactions and a higher likelihood of conflict-oriented, pessimistic interpretations of interactions under stress.

example score

80/100

Demobilization Response (Dm) (DR)

Measures the extent of reduced activity and energy alongside limiting social contacts in response to a crisis.

Low

Moderate

High

20 – 40: Low | 41 – 59: Moderate | 60 – 100: High

A score of 80 falls in the High range, suggesting marked withdrawal from social contact with noticeably lowered activity, motivation, and mood during the crisis.

example score

85/100

Negative Balance Response (NBR)

Measures the tendency to appraise crisis-related experiences negatively, reflecting internal conflict and passive coping versus optimistic flexibility.

Low

Moderate

High

20 – 40: Low | 41 – 59: Moderate | 60 – 100: High

A score of 85 falls in the High range, suggesting a strong negative appraisal style with more pessimistic attitudes and emotionally impulsive reactions in the current crisis context.

example score

88/100

Pessimistic Response (PR)

Assesses the tendency to interpret crisis-related situations negatively, with reduced optimism, self-esteem, and activity pace.

Optimistic

Mixed outlook

Pessimistic

20 – 40: Optimistic | 41 – 59: Mixed outlook | 60 – 100: Pessimistic

A score of 88 falls in the Pessimistic range, suggesting a strong tendency toward negative interpretation of the situation with lower emotional resilience and slowed activity.

example score

61/100

Emotional Imbalance Response (EIR)

Measures the extent to which negative emotions outweigh positive ones, indicating stress sensitivity and emotional instability during a crisis.

Low imbalance

Moderate imbalance

High imbalance

20 – 40: Low imbalance | 41 – 59: Moderate imbalance | 60 – 100: High imbalance

A score of 61 falls in the High imbalance range, suggesting elevated negative emotional tone and increased emotional reactivity in the current crisis context.

example score

74/100

Situational Response Index (SRI)

Measures the intensity of situational crisis load and stress reactions in a challenging life context.

Low

Moderate

High

20 – 40: Low | 41 – 59: Moderate | 60 – 100: High

A score of 74 falls in the High range, indicating a pronounced crisis experience with elevated situational stress load.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

People in major transition

41%OF USERS

Individuals facing a breakup, job loss, relocation, grief, or other big life change use it to gauge how intensely they’re reacting and how stable they feel inside.

Clients in therapy or coaching

34%OF USERS

People already working with a therapist or coach take it to quickly map current crisis feelings and identify personal resilience points to focus on.

HR and support professionals

25%OF USERS

Recruiters, managers, and workplace counselors use it to screen stress reactions and resilience when selecting, onboarding, or supporting staff in demanding roles.

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.

Psychological Resilience (PR)

Average

51.7

Normal range

38.7 — 64.8

min.

max.

100

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.

Disorganization Reaction (DR) (DR()

Average

40.9

Normal range

27.3 — 54.6

min.

max.

100

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.

Opposition Reaction (Op) (OR()

Average

Normal range

62 — 91.9

min.

max.

100

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.

Demobilization Reaction (Dr) (DR()

Average

Normal range

35.3 — 56.6

min.

max.

100

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.

Reaction to Negative Balance (Ob) (RtNB()

Average

78.8

Normal range

65.8 — 91.8

min.

max.

100

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.

Pessimistic Reaction (PR) (PR()

Average

48.9

Normal range

36.2 — 61.7

min.

max.

100

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.

Emotional Imbalance (EI) Reaction (EI(R)

Average

46.8

Normal range

34.8 — 58.7

min.

max.

100

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.

Situational Response Index (SRI)

Average

Normal range

34.2 — 53.8

min.

max.

100

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.

Start Online Test

Featured On

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Please read the statements below carefully. Rate the extent to which the characteristics listed below are typical of you, considering not only today but also a longer period of time. Please note that there are no “bad” or “good” answers in this questionnaire, as it concerns individual characteristics of personality and relationships. Each statement should be rated using a 7-point scale.

- Completely disagree
- Agree to a small extent
- Agree almost halfway
- Agree halfway
- Agree more than halfway
- Agree almost completely
- Completely agree
- Completely disagree
- Agree to a small extent
- Agree almost halfway
- Agree halfway
- Agree more than halfway
- Agree almost completely
- Completely agree
- Completely disagree
- Agree to a small extent
- Agree almost halfway
- Agree halfway
- Agree more than halfway
- Agree almost completely
- Completely agree

These are 3 of the 42 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

Start Online Test

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Experiencing a psychological crisis by an individual, PPC Test

Psychological Crisis Experience Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

life crisis

This instrument is designed to characterize an individual’s current reactions in the context of an acute or recent stressor. The Psychological Crisis Experience Scale provides a structured self-report approach to describing perceived distress and coping-related resources during a psychological crisis. It is attributed to George S. Everly Jr. and Jeffrey T. Mitchell.

The measure consists of 42 items and typically requires about 8 minutes to complete. The Psychological Crisis Experience Scale may be used as a brief screening aid to inform clinical interviewing and short-term planning, with results interpreted in context of presenting concerns and other assessment data.

Author: George S. Everly Jr., Jeffrey T. Mitchell

Literature: Horowitz, M. J., Wilner, N., & Alvarez, W. Impact of event scale: a measure of subjective stress. Psychosomatic Medicine. 1979.; Caplan, G. Principles of preventive psychiatry. Basic Books. 1964.