PCL-5 PTSD Assessment | Trauma Symptoms, Scoring & Clinical Summary

​This comprehensive PCL-5 Trauma Assessment is designed to help identify and track symptoms commonly associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The assessment includes the official 20-item PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), automatic total and symptom-cluster scoring, trauma-related functional impact, duration, safety considerations, and treatment-planning questions. Results can help organize symptoms such as intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in mood and thinking, hypervigilance, irritability, and sleep disturbance, while supporting discussion with a qualified mental health professional. The PCL-5 is a screening and symptom-monitoring tool and should not be used by itself to establish a PTSD diagnosis.
PCL-5 Trauma Assessment | PTSD Checklist, Scoring & Clinical Summary
PTSD • Trauma Assessment & Progress Tracking

PCL-5 Trauma Assessment

This comprehensive PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) assessment measures the severity of 20 PTSD symptoms over the past month. It includes automatic scoring, DSM-5 symptom-cluster totals, a provisional symptom-pattern check, functional-impact questions, safety screening, and an AI-style clinical summary for treatment planning and progress monitoring.

Mark Zauss, BC-TMC, LMHC, LPC, CCMHC, NCC, ASDCS, CCTP, CCTP II, NATC, ADHD-CCSP, C-DBT, C-PD
Double Board Certified Counseling Services, Inc.
Important

About the PCL-5

The PCL-5 is a 20-item public-domain self-report measure developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. It assesses the 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptoms and can be used to monitor symptom change, screen for PTSD, and support a provisional PTSD determination. A structured clinical interview such as the CAPS-5 remains the diagnostic gold standard.
A PCL-5 score should never be interpreted in isolation. Trauma exposure, symptom duration, functional impairment, differential diagnoses, substance use, medical factors, and clinical context all matter.
1

Assessment Information & Trauma Context

2

PCL-5: Past-Month PTSD Symptoms

For each item, select how much you have been bothered by that problem in the past month.

1Repeated, disturbing, and unwanted memories of the stressful experience.
2Repeated, disturbing dreams of the stressful experience.
3Suddenly feeling or acting as if the stressful experience were actually happening again (as if you were actually back there reliving it).
4Feeling very upset when something reminded you of the stressful experience.
5Having strong physical reactions when something reminded you of the stressful experience (for example, heart pounding, trouble breathing, sweating).
6Avoiding memories, thoughts, or feelings related to the stressful experience.
7Avoiding external reminders of the stressful experience (for example, people, places, conversations, activities, objects, or situations).
8Trouble remembering important parts of the stressful experience.
9Having strong negative beliefs about yourself, other people, or the world (for example, having thoughts such as: I am bad, there is something seriously wrong with me, no one can be trusted, the world is completely dangerous).
10Blaming yourself or someone else for the stressful experience or what happened after it.
11Having strong negative feelings such as fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame.
12Loss of interest in activities that you used to enjoy.
13Feeling distant or cut off from other people.
14Trouble experiencing positive feelings (for example, being unable to feel happiness or have loving feelings for people close to you).
15Irritable behavior, angry outbursts, or acting aggressively.
16Taking too many risks or doing things that could cause you harm.
17Being “superalert” or watchful or on guard.
18Feeling jumpy or easily startled.
19Having difficulty concentrating.
20Trouble falling or staying asleep.
Supplemental

Legacy Page Supplemental Item

The prior version of this website included the question below as its final item. It is retained here for continuity but is not part of the official PCL-5 score. The official PCL-5 item 20 is the sleep item above.
3

Functional Impact, Duration & Differential Considerations

4

Safety & Stabilization

Immediate safety: active suicidal intent, inability to remain safe, acute violence risk, or an immediate threat from another person requires urgent clinical or emergency evaluation rather than relying on this worksheet.
5

Treatment Planning & Grounding

Results

Automated PCL-5 Scoring

Total PCL-50 / 80Not yet scored
Cluster B: Intrusion0 / 20Items 1–5
Cluster C: Avoidance0 / 8Items 6–7
Cluster D: Cognition/Mood0 / 28Items 8–14
Cluster E: Arousal/Reactivity0 / 24Items 15–20
DSM symptom-pattern ruleNot yet scoredProvisional pattern only
The VA notes that initial research often finds total scores around 31–33 useful as a probable-PTSD screening range, but the optimal cutoff varies by population and purpose. Symptom-cluster endorsement can also be estimated by counting items rated 2 (Moderately) or higher: at least 1 B, 1 C, 2 D, and 2 E symptoms. Neither approach replaces clinical diagnosis.
AI-Style Summary

Automated Clinical Summary

Generated locally in the browser from the responses. No information is sent to an external AI service. Review and edit before placing it in a clinical record.
Complete the assessment and select “Score + AI-Style Summary.”
Clinical Sources

Sources & References

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): description, administration, scoring, provisional diagnostic rule, and public-domain availability.
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/assessment/adult-sr/ptsd-checklist.asp

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/professional/assessment/documents/using-PCL5.pdf

Bovin, M. J., et al. Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in veterans. Psychological Assessment.

Wortmann, J. H., et al. Psychometric analysis of the PTSD Checklist-5 among treatment-seeking military service members. Psychological Assessment.

The PCL-5 is public domain. This webpage adds clinician-created functional, safety, differential, and treatment-planning sections; those additions are not part of the validated PCL-5 instrument and should be interpreted separately.