Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) Test
How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- never
- once or twice
- once or twice a week
- several times a week
- daily or almost every day
- never
- once or twice
- once or twice a week
- several times a week
- daily or almost every day
- never
- once or twice
- once or twice a week
- several times a week
- daily or almost every day
Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) Test - Description and methodology of the test
People who want a structured way to review posttraumatic reactions may use this assessment to organize experiences such as intrusive memories, avoidance, emotional detachment, sleep disruption, and heightened alertness. The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) Test presents those experiences through a self-report format rather than a live clinical interview. As a PTSD symptom test, it can show which aspects of current distress merit closer reflection.
What This Assessment Explores
The questions cover intrusive memories, upsetting reminders, distressing dreams, avoidance, difficulty recalling important aspects of the event, reduced interest, detachment, emotional numbing, sleep problems, irritability, concentration difficulty, vigilance, startle, and physical reactions. They are intended for people reflecting on whether posttraumatic patterns affect their current life, while recognizing that similar experiences can have different causes.
The two result dimensions are:
- Intensity (0-68) measures the severity of PTSD symptoms. Low intensity (0-22), Moderate intensity (23-45), and High intensity (46-68) are the displayed bands.
- Frequency (0-68) assesses how often PTSD symptoms occur. Low frequency (0-22), Moderate frequency (23-45), and High frequency (46-68) show the corresponding result bands.
The displayed profile helps a posttraumatic stress assessment distinguish occasional or milder experiences from patterns that are more persistent or disruptive.
Methodology and Scientific Basis
The response format uses 0-4 anchors that separate how often a symptom occurs from how strongly it is experienced. Several symptom areas use paired questions: one asks about frequency, while another asks about the worst or most intense episode. This structure captures recurrence and impact without requiring the respondent to calculate a score manually.
The item structure is conceptually consistent with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). That published instrument is a standardized, structured clinician interview; later scoring research examined alternative rules, and a research review assessed its evidence base. The online form is a self-report questionnaire, not the clinician-administered interview itself, so evidence for the original instrument should not be read as validation of this digital format.
Interpretation should consider trauma history, symptom duration, functional impact, and current context. Self-report results can also be shaped by memory, self-awareness, distress, and willingness to disclose. A CAPS questionnaire is most informative when these factors are considered alongside the reported symptom pattern.
- Blake, D. D., Weathers, F. W., Nagy, L. M., Kaloupek, D. G., Gusman, F. D., Charney, D. S., & Keane, T. M. (1995). The development of a clinician-administered PTSD scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8(1), 75-90. 10.1002/jts.2490080106
- Weathers, F. W., Ruscio, A. M., & Keane, T. M. (1999). Psychometric properties of nine scoring rules for the Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale. Psychological Assessment, 11(2), 124-133. 10.1037/1040-3590.11.2.124
- Weathers, F. W., Keane, T. M., & Davidson, J. R. T. (2001). Clinician-administered PTSD scale: A review of the first ten years of research. Depression and Anxiety, 13(3), 132-156. 10.1002/da.1029
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