Functional outcome after stroke. Free to use.
mRS (Modified Rankin Scale) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess functional outcome after stroke. The instrument contains 1 item.
Source / attribution: van Swieten JC et al., Stroke 1988
The instrument's primary construct — functional outcome after stroke — is operationalized through a fixed set of items, each with a defined response format. This standardisation is what allows mRS scores to be compared meaningfully across clinicians, sites, and studies.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, mRS 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 1 item below to see your mRS score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 7-point scale (0–6). 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.
mRS 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | Good outcome | Good outcome — independent. |
| 3–5 | Poor outcome | Poor outcome — disability. |
| 6–6 | Dead | Dead. |
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 | Functional grade | 4 — Moderately severe; unable to walk or attend to bodily needs without assistance | 4 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
4 = 4
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 4 falls between 3 and 5 → Poor outcome
Poor outcome. Poor outcome — disability.
A score is one input alongside history and examination. mRS supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
If mRS doesn't fit your context, related instruments in neurology include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| MoCA | Cognitive screening | — | ≈ 10 minutes |
| ABCD2 | 2-day stroke risk after TIA | 5 | — |
| NIHSS (Lite) | Stroke severity | 13 | — |
| APGAR Score | Rapid assessment of newborn at 1 and 5 min | 5 | — |
| 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 | — |
mRS (Modified Rankin Scale) is a validated instrument that assesses functional outcome after stroke. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. The 1 items are summed to produce a total score.
mRS contains 1 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 0 to 6, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Good outcome’ up to ‘Dead’.
On the mRS (total score 0–6), scores of 6 fall in the ‘Dead’ band — interpreted as: Dead. The full ladder is: 0–2 — Good outcome: Good outcome — independent.; 3–5 — Poor outcome: Poor outcome — disability.; 6 — Dead: Dead. 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 0–2 fall in the ‘Good outcome’ band: Good outcome — independent. 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 — mRS 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.
van Swieten JC et al. Stroke. 1988;19(5):604-607. This is the original publication for the mRS — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. mRS is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of functional outcome after stroke — 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.
mRS is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: