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Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R)3

Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R) Test

After five minutes and 22 questions, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) Test helps you reflect on how a stressful event may still affect you through intrusive memories, avoidance, and heightened alertness. Your result offers a concise profile of current reactions to support personal understanding.

Questions: 225 minutes

Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R): sample question card

October 2, 2025October 2, 2025Material has been updatedOctober 2, 2025Material has been published

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2,099 completions

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Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

1,701 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

HyperarousalH

Measures trauma-related hyperarousal symptoms such as irritability, heightened alertness, and concentration difficulties.

example score12/35

12/35Moderateexample score

0 – 11Low

12 – 23Moderate

24 – 35High

A score of 12 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme level of post-traumatic irritability and heightened alertness.

AvoidanceA

Measures how strongly a person avoids trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and situations.

example score31/40

31/40Highexample score

0 – 13Low

14 – 26Moderate

27 – 40High

A score of 31 falls in the High range, suggesting frequent avoidance of reminders and internal experiences linked to the traumatic event.

IntrusionI

Measures how often intrusive thoughts, images, dreams, or other involuntary reminders of the traumatic event occur.

example score5/35

5/35Lowexample score

0 – 11Low

12 – 23Moderate

24 – 35High

A score of 5 falls in the Low range, suggesting intrusive re-experiencing reminders have been reported infrequently.

Impact of Event ScaleIoES

Measures the overall severity of post-traumatic stress reactions and the psychological impact of a traumatic event.

example score68/110

68/110Moderate impactexample score

0 – 36Low impact

37 – 73Moderate impact

74 – 110High impact

A score of 68 falls in the Moderate impact range, suggesting a notable level of post-traumatic stress symptoms that may be affecting daily functioning.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Recent trauma survivors

41%OF USERS

People who have been through an accident, assault, disaster, or sudden loss and want to understand whether their reactions match common PTSD symptoms.

People with lingering distress

34%OF USERS

Those who feel stuck with intrusive memories, avoidance, sleep problems, or hypervigilance weeks or months after an upsetting event and want a quick self-check.

Clients tracking therapy progress

25%OF USERS

People already in counseling or treatment who use the questionnaire to monitor how their symptoms change over time and share results with a clinician.

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.

Shaded area — where most people score

Dot — the average

You — your score lands on each curve after the test— your score, after the test

ExcitabilityE

You?

Average14.7

Typical rangeTypical8.4 – 21

Possible0 – 35

AvoidanceA

You?

Average28.6

Typical rangeTypical23 – 34.1

Possible0 – 40

InvasionI

You?

Average16.4

Typical rangeTypical9.8 – 22.9

Possible0 – 35

Traumatic Event Impact Assessment ScaleTEIAS

You?

Average46.2

Typical rangeTypical29.6 – 62.8

Possible0 – 110

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below are descriptions of experiences reported by people who have been through severe stressful events. Please indicate the extent to which you have experienced these feelings in relation to a similar event you experienced in the past. Select the response option that best reflects how often you have had this experience during the past 7 days, including today.

- Not at all
- A little bit
- Sometimes
- Often
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often

These are 3 of the 22 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R) Test - Description and methodology of the test

psychopathology

ptsd

For anyone trying to understand lingering reactions after a distressing or traumatic event, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) Test offers a structured review of post-event experiences. As a post-traumatic stress questionnaire, it focuses attention on memories, sleep, emotions, and alertness that may still feel disruptive. The result organizes these reactions into a readable profile for personal reflection.

What This Assessment Measures

This IES-R assessment examines current reactions to reminders of a distressing event. It covers re-experiencing, avoidance, numbing, sleep disruption, irritability, concentration, startle, vigilance, and physical distress. The profile shows which response patterns are most prominent. The result is organized into three symptom dimensions and one overall impact score:

Hyperarousal (0-35) measures irritability, vigilance, and concentration difficulty; its band is Low 0-11, Moderate 12-23, or High 24-35.
Avoidance (0-40) measures distancing from event-related thoughts, feelings, and situations; its band is Low 0-13, Moderate 14-26, or High 27-40.
Intrusion (0-35) measures involuntary memories, dreams, images, and reminders; its band is Low 0-11, Moderate 12-23, or High 24-35.
Impact of Event Scale (0-110) measures overall posttraumatic stress reactions and psychological impact; its band is Low impact 0-36, Moderate impact 37-73, or High impact 74-110.

Methodology and Evidence Base

The questionnaire presents statements about reactions to an event and uses graded frequency or intensity options, including not at all, rarely, sometimes, and often. The questionnaire produces four displayed scores: three component scale scores and one overall score; higher totals indicate more pronounced reported reactions, while displayed bands describe the ranges for this version.

The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with the published IES-R described by Weiss and Marmar (1997), while the cited instrument and research do not themselves validate this online presentation. The published IES-R separates intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal, allowing the trauma response scale to show whether distress centers on re-experiencing, withdrawal, or heightened activation.

Research by Creamer, Bell, and Failla (2003) examined psychometric properties of the published IES-R. That evidence supports the relevance of its construct and subscales, but does not establish separate norms or validation for this online presentation. This version is best read as a structured self-report profile: current mood, memory, self-awareness, and willingness to disclose can affect answers, so interpretation should consider the person’s circumstances and broader assessment.

Author: Mardi J. Horowitz, Nancy Wilner, William Alvarez

Literature:

Weiss, D. S., & Marmar, C. R. (1997). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised. In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD: A Practitioner’s Handbook (pp. 399-411). New York: Guilford Press.
Creamer, M., Bell, R., & Failla, S. (2003). Psychometric properties of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 41(12), 1489-1496. 10.1016/j.brat.2003.07.010
Horowitz, M. J., Wilner, N., & Alvarez, W. (1979). Impact of Event Scale: A measure of subjective stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 41(3), 209-218. 10.1097/00006842-197905000-00004

Updated: 2025-10-02