GCS Calculator (Glasgow Coma Scale)

Score the Glasgow Coma Scale from eye-opening, verbal, and motor responses to get the standard 3-15 total and its severity band.

Quick Facts

Score range
3 to 15 points
Sum of Eye (1-4) + Verbal (1-5) + Motor (1-6) best responses.
Severity bands
13-15 mild, 9-12 moderate, 3-8 severe
Standard Teasdale & Jennett bands used in trauma and neurological assessment.
Intubated patients
Reported with a T suffix
Verbal cannot be tested when intubated; convention scores it 1 and flags the total, e.g. 9T.

Your Results

Calculated
Total GCS score
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Sum of E + V + M (3-15)
Eye opening (E)
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Selected response
Verbal response (V)
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Selected response
Motor response (M)
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Selected response

Ready

Select the best eye, verbal, and motor response, then calculate the GCS total.

About the Glasgow Coma Scale

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was introduced by Teasdale and Jennett in 1974 as a simple, reproducible way to describe a person's level of consciousness after a head injury. It remains the most widely used consciousness scale in emergency medicine, trauma care, and neurology. The scale scores three separate behaviors - eye opening, verbal response, and motor response - and sums them into a single total from 3 to 15.

How the score is built

Each component is scored on the best response observed, using an appropriate stimulus:

  • Eye opening (E, 1-4): 4 for spontaneous opening, 3 for opening to speech, 2 for opening to pain, 1 for no opening.
  • Verbal response (V, 1-5): 5 for oriented speech, 4 for confused conversation, 3 for inappropriate words, 2 for incomprehensible sounds, 1 for no sound. When a patient is intubated or has a tracheostomy, verbal cannot be tested directly; convention scores it as 1 and flags the total with a "T" (for example, 9T).
  • Motor response (M, 1-6): 6 for obeying commands, 5 for localizing pain, 4 for normal withdrawal from pain, 3 for abnormal (decorticate) flexion, 2 for extension (decerebrate) posturing, 1 for no movement.

Adding the three components (E + V + M) gives the total GCS, ranging from 3 (deep coma) to 15 (fully alert and oriented).

Interpreting the result

Under the classification originally proposed by Teasdale and Jennett, a total of 13-15 is generally described as mild impairment, 9-12 as moderate, and 3-8 as severe. A GCS of 8 or below is commonly used in clinical teaching as a threshold associated with loss of protective airway reflexes. These bands are a widely used shorthand, not a diagnosis - the individual E, V, and M components matter as much as the total, since the same total can be reached by different combinations.

When to consult a professional

This tool performs the standard GCS arithmetic for education and documentation. It does not replace a hands-on neurological assessment, does not account for sedation, intoxication, or paralysis, and is not a substitute for evaluation by a qualified healthcare provider. Any change in a person's level of consciousness should be assessed by trained medical personnel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Glasgow Coma Scale and what does it measure?
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a 15-point neurological scale used to describe a person's level of consciousness after a brain injury, sedation, or acute illness. It sums three components - eye opening (1 to 4), verbal response (1 to 5), and motor response (1 to 6) - for a total between 3 and 15. Lower totals indicate greater impairment of consciousness.
How is the GCS total score calculated?
Add the points from each component. Eye opening scores 4 for spontaneous down to 1 for none. Verbal response scores 5 for oriented speech down to 1 for no sound. Motor response scores 6 for obeying commands down to 1 for no movement. The three scores are summed for a total from 3, indicating a deep coma, to 15, indicating full alertness.
How does GCS scoring work for an intubated patient?
A patient who is intubated or has a tracheostomy cannot produce speech, so the verbal component cannot be tested directly. Convention assigns 1 point for verbal in this situation and flags the total with a T, for example 9T, so anyone reading the score knows the verbal component was assumed rather than observed.
What do the GCS severity bands mean?
Under the original Teasdale and Jennett classification, a GCS of 13 to 15 is generally described as mild, 9 to 12 as moderate, and 3 to 8 as severe impairment of consciousness. These bands are widely used in trauma and neurological assessment, but the total score is only one part of a full clinical evaluation.

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