The PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5) screens for PTSD symptom severity over the past month: 20 items, each scored 0–4, for a total of 0–80. This page is a quick-reference tool for licensed clinicians and trainees — enter the responses from your administered copy to get the total and its position relative to the probable-PTSD cutoff.
Administer the instrument from your own licensed/official copy, then select the client's response for each item below.
Progress Note Studio would have auto-scored this PCL-5 inside a complete note — offline. Free demo.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
| Total score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 0–30 | below the probable-PTSD cutoff (31–33) |
| 31–80 | at or above the probable-PTSD cutoff (31–33) |
Screening scores are not a diagnosis. Interpretation requires clinical judgment by a licensed professional. Results shown here are score ranges and severity categories only. This page is a quick-reference tool for licensed clinicians and trainees — it is not intended for self-diagnosis or for use by the general public, and it is not medical or clinical advice.
PCL-5: developed by Weathers, Litz, Keane, Palmieri, Marx & Schnurr (2013) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. U.S. Government work; freely available (ptsd.va.gov).
This calculator does not reproduce the questionnaire itself; use your licensed/official copy of the instrument to administer it. Items are identified by number only.
Progress Note Studio builds complete, audit-ready SOAP notes from point-and-click clinical findings — with PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, C-SSRS and four more screeners that score themselves. 100% offline. One-time license. No subscription, ever.