The GAD-2 asks how often two anxiety symptoms bothered you over the past two weeks. Each answer scores 0 to 3, so your total runs from 0 to 6. A score of 3 or more is the usual cutoff for a fuller anxiety check, such as the GAD-7. The score can flag anxiety, but it cannot diagnose it.
The two GAD-2 questions
The GAD-2 is the first two questions of the longer GAD-7. Both start with the same prompt: over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by these problems?
- Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge
- Not being able to stop or control worrying
You can take the GAD-2 on Survey Doctor without an account. Your total and result appear at the end.
How to score the GAD-2
Each question has the same four answers:
| Answer | Points |
|---|---|
| Not at all | 0 |
| Several days | 1 |
| More than half the days | 2 |
| Nearly every day | 3 |
Add the two numbers for a total from 0 to 6. Neither question is reverse scored. For example, "several days" on one question and "more than half the days" on the other gives 3. If you took the GAD-2 on Survey Doctor, the total is already added up for you.
| Score | Result label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | Negative screen | Below the usual cutoff. Anxiety is not ruled out |
| 3-6 | Positive screen | At or above the cutoff. A fuller check is worth doing |
Survey Doctor shows these labels with your result. A positive screen means your answers reached the cutoff of 3.
Find your exact score
| Score | Result | Answers that add up to it |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Below the cutoff | "Not at all" to both questions |
| 1 | Below the cutoff | "Several days" to one question and "not at all" to the other |
| 2 | One point below the cutoff | "Several days" to both, or "more than half the days" to one and "not at all" to the other |
| 3 | At the cutoff | "More than half the days" to one and "several days" to the other, or "nearly every day" to one and "not at all" to the other |
| 4 | Above the cutoff | "More than half the days" to both, or "nearly every day" to one and "several days" to the other |
| 5 | Above the cutoff | "Nearly every day" to one and "more than half the days" to the other |
| 6 | The highest possible score | "Nearly every day" to both questions |
On the seven-question GAD-7, a 6 falls in the mild band (5 to 9), which the GAD-7 score guide explains.
A 2 and a 3 can differ by one step on one answer. The two weeks behind them may feel almost the same. The GAD-2 has no mild, moderate or severe bands. A 6 means both symptoms came nearly every day, but it does not grade how severe your anxiety is.
What a score of 3 or more means
A score of 3 or more is the cutoff the GAD-2's developers recommend for a closer look (Kroenke et al., 2010). The study that introduced the GAD-2 included 965 patients at 15 US primary care clinics. Mental health professionals then interviewed them by phone without seeing their questionnaire answers (Kroenke et al., 2007).
In that study, the two questions worked well as a first check for generalized anxiety disorder. They also worked for panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and PTSD. A high score can therefore point to more than one kind of anxiety problem.
A 2016 review pooled six groups of patients checked for generalized anxiety disorder (Plummer et al., 2016). At a cutoff of 3, the GAD-2 picked up 76% of the people who had it. It correctly cleared 81% of the people who did not.
So a score of 3 or more is a good reason for a fuller check. The GAD-2 measures how often two symptoms happened, not why. A medical problem, a medicine, alcohol or drugs, poor sleep or a hard stretch of life can cause similar feelings. A doctor or therapist can sort out which applies to you.
Why a low score does not rule anxiety out
A score of 0 to 2 means your answers stayed below the cutoff. It does not prove that anxiety is absent. In the 2016 review, about one in four people with generalized anxiety disorder scored below 3.
Two questions also leave a lot out. The GAD-7 adds five more symptoms: worrying too much about different things, trouble relaxing, restlessness, irritability and feeling afraid that something awful might happen. Neither questionnaire asks about panic attacks, specific fears or physical symptoms such as a racing heart.
The score covers only the past two weeks. A low score is not a reason to stop care you already have. It also does not mean your concerns are wrong.
The GAD-2 has no question about suicide or self-harm, so a low score says nothing about those thoughts. If you have them, get support now, whatever your score.
If you need help now. In the US, Call 988 or text 988. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. Outside the US, contact your local emergency number or find support in your country.
The next step: take the full GAD-7
If you scored 3 or more, the usual next step is the GAD-7. It repeats the two GAD-2 questions and adds five more, for a total from 0 to 21. It also sorts scores into minimal, mild, moderate and severe bands, which the GAD-2 cannot do.
You can take the GAD-7 on Survey Doctor without an account. What your GAD-7 score means explains the result. Do not convert a GAD-2 total into a GAD-7 band, because five answers are missing.
If you scored below 3 but anxiety still worries you, the GAD-7 is a sensible next step too. Taking the GAD-2 again later can show whether these two symptoms have changed.
When to talk to a professional
Talk with a doctor or therapist if you score 3 or more. At any score, do the same if anxiety lasts for weeks, keeps coming back or makes daily life harder. You do not need a high score to ask for help.
A primary care doctor is a good place to start. They can look for physical causes and refer you to a therapist if you want one. It helps to bring:
- your total and your answers to both questions, plus your GAD-7 result if you have one
- how long you have felt this way, and whether it comes and goes
- what anxiety makes harder, such as work, school, sleep or relationships
- the medicines you take, and any caffeine, alcohol or drugs you use
If you are still working out what you feel, read do I have anxiety? or am I stressed or anxious?.