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Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA)3

Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) Test

Understand how strongly you fear real or imagined communication in just 5 minutes. Get clear, actionable insight to target the settings that trigger anxiety and build confidence faster.

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Questions: 245 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

32,428 views

3,151 completion

2,371 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

25/30

Public Speaking (PS)

Measures discomfort or anxiety when speaking in front of an audience.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 13: Low | 14 – 21: Moderate | 22 – 30: High

A score of 25 falls in the High range, suggesting substantial apprehension in public speaking situations.

example score

17/30

Interpersonal Communication (IC)

Measures anxiety experienced during one-on-one interpersonal communication situations.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 13: Low | 14 – 22: Moderate | 23 – 30: High

A score of 17 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme level of unease during one-on-one interactions.

example score

16/30

Meetings (M)

Measures the level of anxiety felt when speaking or expressing opinions during meetings.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 13: Low | 14 – 22: Moderate | 23 – 30: High

A score of 16 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting some discomfort in meetings that may occasionally affect participation.

example score

12/30

Group Discussion (GD)

Measures anxiety and discomfort when taking part in group discussions and exchanging opinions in a group.

Low apprehension

Moderate apprehension

High apprehension

6 – 14: Low apprehension | 15 – 22: Moderate apprehension | 23 – 30: High apprehension

A score of 12 falls in the Low apprehension range, suggesting you generally feel comfortable participating in group discussions with minimal anxiety.

example score

103/120

Total Score (TS)

Measures overall communication apprehension across interpersonal, group, and public speaking situations.

Low

Moderate

High

24 – 55: Low | 56 – 87: Moderate | 88 – 120: High

A score of 103 falls in the High range, indicating pronounced discomfort or anxiety across multiple communication settings.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Students in discussion-heavy classes

41%OF USERS

They take it to understand why speaking up in class, presentations, or group work feels stressful and where support is most needed.

Employees in client-facing roles

34%OF USERS

They use it to pinpoint communication situations that trigger anxiety, such as meetings, calls, or presentations, and target skill-building.

Counseling and coaching clients

25%OF USERS

They take it as a quick baseline to clarify how strong their communication fear is and which settings to practice first.

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.

Public Speaking (PS)

Average

21.9

Normal range

19 — 24.9

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.

Interpersonal Communication (IC)

Average

16.4

Normal range

12.7 — 20.2

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.

Meeting (M)

Average

Normal range

12.4 — 19.5

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.

Group Discussion (GD)

Average

15.8

Normal range

12 — 19.5

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 Score (OS)

Average

81.7

Normal range

68.8 — 94.5

min.

max.

120

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

This questionnaire consists of 24 statements about your feelings regarding interactions with other people. Please indicate the extent to which each statement applies to you.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Agree
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 24 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

Personal Report on Communication Apprehension, PRCA Test

Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) Test - Symptoms and Signs

social anxiety

This self-report measure is designed to assess an individual’s level of apprehension associated with communicating with others in common settings. The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA), developed by James C. McCroskey, is typically used to support screening and clinical formulation when communication anxiety is a presenting concern.

The instrument includes 24 items and can be completed in about 5 minutes. Respondents rate their comfort across different communication contexts (e.g., interpersonal conversation, small-group interaction, meetings, and public speaking), allowing clinicians to identify context-specific patterns of communication-related anxiety. The Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA) may be used in educational, organizational, and counseling settings to guide discussion of functional impact and to inform treatment planning or skills-focused intervention targets.

Author: James C. McCroskey

Literature: McCroskey, J. C. An introduction to rhetorical communication. Prentice Hall. 1982.