Your PC-PTSD-5 result is a 0-to-5 count from five past-month symptoms, but only after a lifetime trauma gate. A No at the gate ends the screen at 0. A Yes opens all five questions, so 0 can also mean exposure with no symptoms endorsed. No score diagnoses or rules out PTSD.
The quick answer
| Gate and symptom path | Total | What the number preserves |
|---|---|---|
| Gate answered No | 0 | No qualifying exposure was reported |
| Gate answered Yes, no symptoms | 0 | Exposure was reported; no symptom was marked |
| Gate answered Yes, 1-5 symptoms | 1-5 | The number of symptoms marked Yes |
The total alone does not preserve which score-0 path occurred. No total confirms or rules out PTSD.
The gate changes the path.
How the current branch works
The VA's current PC-PTSD-5 page defines the gate, stop rule, five yes-or-no symptoms, and 0-to-5 total.
Survey Doctor now enforces the same branch on the page and server. A No gate rejects hidden symptom answers. A Yes gate requires all five symptoms, and the gate itself adds no point.
Those branches matter.
Current manual score-only entry is disabled because a total cannot preserve the branch. That keeps the two meanings of 0 from being collapsed into an unexplained number.
Zero needs context.
What each question measures
The five questions sample unwanted memories or nightmares, avoidance, being on guard, detachment, and guilt or blame. A Yes counts presence during the past month, not frequency or intensity.
Presence is not severity.
The short screen does not cover every DSM-5 PTSD criterion, daily impairment, or other reasons for similar symptoms. It is a first step, not a severity tracker.
Using the result
Review current distress, daily functioning, safety, and the reason for screening. A qualified professional can decide whether a broader assessment is useful. You do not need to cross a cutoff to ask for help.
Why cutoff 4 is not universal
The VA says a cutoff of 4 balanced missed and incorrect positive screens in its overall primary-care sample and among men. It missed more cases among women. The development study also found that performance changed between cutoffs.
A clinic may choose a different threshold for its population, purpose, and follow-up capacity. No cutoff confirms PTSD, and a result below one does not rule it out.
Cutoffs trade errors.
Survey Doctor's definition retains older labels at 0-2, 3, and 4-5. Current result, report, and export views withhold those labels because they can overstate one person's result.
Check older Survey Doctor records before comparing
Survey Doctor repaired the trauma gate on August 28, 2026. Earlier records can reflect different gate behavior, totals from 1 to 6, or an ambiguous stored gate value.
Scoring versions matter.
Do not place an older total on a current 0-to-5 trend without checking the completion date, gate answer, item responses, and scoring version. A score-only record cannot recover that missing branch.
Old records need review.
PC-PTSD-5, PCL-5, and PCL-C differ
| Questionnaire | Structure | Main use |
|---|---|---|
| PC-PTSD-5 | Gate plus 5 yes/no symptoms | Brief first-stage screen |
| PCL-5 | 20 ratings, total 0-80 | Broader DSM-5 symptom questionnaire |
| PCL-C | 17 ratings, total 17-85 | Legacy DSM-IV questionnaire |
Their totals are not interchangeable. The PCL-5 gives more detail, but it is still not a diagnostic interview.
Keep the forms separate.
Read what your PCL-C score means if your record names the older form.
When to seek help regardless of score
The PC-PTSD-5 does not assess current suicide risk. If you are thinking about harming yourself or cannot stay safe, seek help now.
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.
Talk with a qualified mental health professional when trauma-related symptoms affect sleep, work, relationships, daily activities, or safety. You do not need a positive screen to ask.
The bottom line
Read the trauma gate and five symptom answers with the total. Score 0 has two paths, and every cutoff needs a defined screening context.
For a clinical sequence, read the PTSD screening workflow. For patient-facing context, read do I have PTSD?.