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State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)3

State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Test

With 40 questions and an estimated completion time of 8 minutes, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Test distinguishes current anxiety from a longer-term tendency toward anxious reactions. Your result can clarify how you respond to stress now and support focused self-reflection about recurring emotional patterns.

Questions: 408 minutes

State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI): situation and reply bubbles

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

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3,224 completions

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Daniel Hall Psychologist · Test reviewer

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Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

Trait Anxiety (Sten)TA

This scale measures the level of trait (personal) anxiety as a stable tendency toward anxious reactions using standardized sten norms.

example score3/10

3/10Lowexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 6Average

7 – 10High

A score of 3 falls in the Low range, suggesting a relatively low predisposition to anxious reactions compared with normative groups.

State Anxiety (STEN)SA

This scale measures the intensity of anxiety a person is experiencing in the current moment relative to normative data (STEN).

example score2/10

2/10Lowexample score

0 – 3Low

4 – 6Moderate

7 – 10High

A score of 2 falls in the Low range, suggesting relatively low situational anxiety at the time of assessment.

Trait AnxietyTA

Measures trait (personality) anxiety as a stable tendency to perceive situations as threatening and respond with anxiety.

example score35/80

35/80Moderateexample score

20 – 30Low

31 – 45Moderate

46 – 80High

A score of 35 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting an average, stable tendency toward anxious responses to perceived stressors.

State AnxietySA

Measures the intensity of anxiety a person is experiencing right now in response to current circumstances.

example score58/80

58/80Highexample score

20 – 30Low

31 – 45Moderate

46 – 80High

A score of 58 falls in the High range, indicating a currently elevated level of situational tension and worry that may be noticeably influenced by present stressors.

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Stressed students and teens

41%OF USERS

They take it to understand how anxious they feel right now and how much anxiety is a stable pattern during school pressure, exams, or social stress.

People with ongoing worry

34%OF USERS

They use it to separate temporary stress from a more persistent tendency to anxiety and track changes over time.

Clients in counseling or care

25%OF USERS

They complete it as part of psychological or clinical work to get a clear baseline and compare results with norms.

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

Personal Anxiety Scale (sten)

You?

Average7.2

Typical rangeTypical5.9 – 8.6

Possible0 – 10

Situational Anxiety Scale (sten)

You?

Average5.7

Typical rangeTypical4 – 7.3

Possible0 – 10

Personality Anxiety ScalePAS

You?

Average45.4

Typical rangeTypical34.8 – 55.9

Possible20 – 80

Situational Anxiety ScaleSAS

You?

Average50.6

Typical rangeTypical42.4 – 58.7

Possible20 – 80

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below is a series of statements that people commonly use to describe how they are feeling. Please read each statement carefully and select the response option that most accurately describes your current state at this time. Do not spend too much time thinking about each item, as there are no right or wrong answers. Choose the responses that you feel best describe how you are feeling right now.

- Not at all
- Somewhat
- True
- Very much so
- Not at all
- Moderately so
- Somewhat
- Very much so
- Moderately so
- Somewhat
- Not at all
- Very much so

These are 3 of the 40 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Test - Description and methodology of the test

uneasiness

People who want to distinguish a passing surge of tension from a more enduring tendency toward anxious reactions may find this assessment useful. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Test separates anxiety linked to the present situation from a general disposition to perceive situations as threatening. Together, the state and trait dimensions of this anxiety assessment offer a structured starting point for self-reflection about stress, worry, and emotional steadiness.

What This Assessment Explores

The questionnaire separates two related dimensions. State anxiety reflects tension, worry, nervousness, and uneasiness linked to circumstances, while trait anxiety reflects a steadier tendency to view situations as threatening. The wording touches calmness, security, satisfaction, restlessness, self-confidence, and everyday worry. The trait dimension helps show whether the anxiety profile is mainly situational or more recurring.

The result presents four related views:

Trait Anxiety (Sten), 0-10, compares trait anxiety with normative groups: Low 0-3, Average 4-6, High 7-10.
State Anxiety (STEN), 0-10, compares current anxiety with normative data: Low 0-3, Moderate 4-6, High 7-10.
Trait Anxiety, 20-80, reflects a stable anxious tendency: Low 20-30, Moderate 31-45, High 46-80.
State Anxiety, 20-80, reflects current stress-related anxiety: Low 20-30, Moderate 31-45, High 46-80.

Methodology and Scientific Basis

The items separate feelings in the present moment from usual emotional tendencies. Present-state prompts use graded choices such as not at all to very much so, while trait prompts use frequency choices from almost never to almost always. This contrast distinguishes a temporary reaction from a broader pattern.

In this inventory, answers produce state and trait results in raw-score and STEN formats. Higher values indicate more anxiety within the relevant dimension. This anxiety questionnaire does not publish an item-by-item weighting rule, so point values should not be inferred from ranges or labels.

The source instrument is the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger et al., 1983), with the earlier manual by Spielberger, Gorsuch, and Lushene (1970) providing foundational guidance. Vagg, Spielberger, and O’Hearn (1980) examined its dimensional structure, supporting the distinction between state and trait anxiety. The cited manuals and study describe the published STAI and do not establish separate standardization or revalidation of this online implementation. Self-report results can shift with current stress and self-awareness, so consider them alongside personal circumstances.

Author: Charles D. Spielberger

Literature:

Spielberger, Charles D., Richard L. Gorsuch, Robert E. Lushene, Peter R. Vagg, and Gerard A. Jacobs. Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1983.
Spielberger, Charles D., Richard L. Gorsuch, and Robert E. Lushene. STAI Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Self-Evaluation Questionnaire). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1970.
Vagg, Peter R., Charles D. Spielberger, and Thomas P. O'Hearn Jr. Is the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory multidimensional? Personality and Individual Differences, 1(3), 207-214, 1980. 10.1016/0191-8869(80)90052-5

Updated: 2025-10-02