Measures both temporary state anxiety and long-standing trait anxiety. ≈ 10 min to complete. Free with attribution.
STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess measures both temporary state anxiety and long-standing trait anxiety.. It is most often used for measures both temporary state anxiety and long-standing trait anxiety.. The instrument contains 20 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 10 min.
Source / attribution: Copyrighted; purchase from Mind Garden
Measures both temporary state anxiety and long-standing trait anxiety. STAI is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, STAI 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 20 items below to see your STAI score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 4-point scale (4–1). 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.
Two 20-item subscales (S-Anxiety and T-Anxiety) scored 1-4. Range 20-80 each. Higher scores = greater anxiety.
Scoring notes: Two 20-item subscales (S-Anxiety and T-Anxiety) scored 1-4. Range 20-80 each. Higher scores = greater anxiety.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 20–37 | Low anxiety | None |
| 38–44 | Moderate anxiety | Monitor |
| 45–80 | High anxiety | Consider treatment |
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 | I feel calm | Moderately so | 2 |
| 2 | I feel secure | Moderately so | 2 |
| 3 | I am tense | Somewhat | 2 |
| 4 | I feel strained | Somewhat | 2 |
| 5 | I feel at ease | Moderately so | 2 |
| 6 | I feel upset | Somewhat | 2 |
| 7 | I am presently worrying over possible misfortunes | Somewhat | 2 |
| 8 | I feel satisfied | Moderately so | 2 |
| 9 | I feel frightened | Somewhat | 2 |
| 10 | I feel comfortable | Moderately so | 2 |
| 11 | I feel self-confident | Moderately so | 2 |
| 12 | I feel nervous | Somewhat | 2 |
| 13 | I am jittery | Somewhat | 2 |
| 14 | I feel indecisive | Somewhat | 2 |
| 15 | I am relaxed | Moderately so | 2 |
| 16 | I feel content | Moderately so | 2 |
| 17 | I am worried | Somewhat | 2 |
| 18 | I feel confused | Somewhat | 2 |
| 19 | I feel steady | Somewhat | 3 |
| 20 | I feel pleasant | Moderately so | 2 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + … (items 9–20 sum to 25) = 41
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 41 falls between 38 and 44 → Moderate anxiety
Moderate anxiety. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. STAI supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If STAI doesn't fit your context, related instruments in anxiety include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| GAD-2 | Ultra-brief anxiety screening based on first two GAD-7 items. | 2 | ≈ 1 min |
| BAI | 21-item self-report inventory measuring severity of anxiety symptoms with focus on somatic symptoms. | 21 | ≈ 5 min |
| HADS-A | 7-item anxiety subscale for hospital and clinical settings. | 7 | ≈ 2 min |
| PSWQ | 16-item measure of worry tendency as a stable personality trait. | 16 | ≈ 5 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) is a validated instrument that assesses measures both temporary state anxiety and long-standing trait anxiety. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 10 min to complete, and the 20 items are summed to produce a total score.
STAI typically takes about 10 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
STAI contains 20 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 20 to 80, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Low anxiety’ up to ‘High anxiety’.
On the STAI (total score 20–80), scores of 45–80 fall in the ‘High anxiety’ band — interpreted as: Consider treatment. The full ladder is: 20–37 — Low anxiety: None.; 38–44 — Moderate anxiety: Monitor.; 45–80 — High anxiety: Consider treatment. 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 20–37 fall in the ‘Low anxiety’ band: None. 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.
STAI has reported Cronbach's α of 0.93 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.9. Distinguishes state vs trait anxiety; validated across cultures. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.93 indicates excellent internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.9 means scores are strongly stable when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
STAI is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., Lushene, R., Vagg, P. R., & Jacobs, G. A. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Consulting Psychologists Press. This is the original publication for the STAI — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. STAI is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of measures both temporary state anxiety and long-standing trait anxiety — 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.
STAI is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: