Rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min. Free to use.
APGAR Score (APGAR Newborn Assessment) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min. The instrument contains 5 items.
Source / attribution: Apgar V. Curr Res Anesth Analg 1953
The instrument's primary construct — rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min — is operationalized through a fixed set of items, each with a defined response format. This standardisation is what allows APGAR Score scores to be compared meaningfully across clinicians, sites, and studies.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, APGAR Score is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 5 items below to see your APGAR Score score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 3-point scale (0–2). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
APGAR Score uses simple summation: each item's selected response is converted to a numeric value, and the values are added to produce a total score. Reverse-scored items are inverted before summation.
Scoring notes: Educational use only.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Severely depressed | Severe — resuscitate now. |
| 4–6 | Moderately depressed | Moderate — needs help. |
| 7–10 | Reassuring | Reassuring. |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appearance (skin color) | Pink body, blue extremities | 1 |
| 2 | Pulse | < 100 bpm | 1 |
| 3 | Grimace (reflex irritability) | Grimace | 1 |
| 4 | Activity (muscle tone) | Some flexion | 1 |
| 5 | Respiration | Slow / irregular | 1 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 5 falls between 4 and 6 → Moderately depressed
Moderately depressed. Some intervention may be needed.
A score is one input alongside history and examination. APGAR Score supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
If APGAR Score doesn't fit your context, related instruments in pediatrics include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASA Physical Status | Pre-operative health status | 1 | — |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| CURB-65 | 30-day mortality in community-acquired pneumonia | 5 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| HAS-BLED | 1-year risk of major bleeding on oral anticoagulation | 9 | — |
| HEART Score | 6-week MACE risk in ED patients with chest pain | 5 | — |
| Katz ADL | Functional independence in basic ADLs | 6 | — |
| mMRC Dyspnea Scale | Functional impact of breathlessness | 1 | — |
APGAR Score (APGAR Newborn Assessment) is a validated instrument that assesses rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. The 5 items are summed to produce a total score.
APGAR Score contains 5 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 0 to 10, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Severely depressed’ up to ‘Reassuring’.
On the APGAR Score (total score 0–10), scores of 7–10 fall in the ‘Reassuring’ band — interpreted as: Reassuring. The full ladder is: 0–3 — Severely depressed: Severe — resuscitate now.; 4–6 — Moderately depressed: Moderate — needs help.; 7–10 — Reassuring: Reassuring. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 0–3 fall in the ‘Severely depressed’ band: Severe — resuscitate now. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
Yes — APGAR Score is in the public domain and free for clinical, educational, and research use without permission. You can use this calculator and the scale itself freely; if you publish results or reproduce the scale, cite the original source paper.
Apgar V. Curr Res Anesth Analg. 1953;32(4):260-267. This is the original publication for the APGAR Score — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. APGAR Score is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
APGAR Score is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: