medtests.de · Obsessive-compulsive symptoms

OCD Test

This self-test uses the OCI-R, the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised: 18 questions about how much obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors have distressed you over the past month. It's a screening, not a diagnosis.

Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R)

How much have the following experiences distressed or bothered you during the past month?

18 questions~3 minanonymous, scored in your browsernot a diagnosis

What does the OCI-R measure?

The OCI-R covers six symptom areas, three questions each: washing, checking, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, and mental neutralizing (repeating numbers or phrases to cancel out bad thoughts). Each item is rated 0 to 4 by how much it distresses you, so totals run from 0 to 72. The validated clinical cutoff is 21; scores at or above it resemble those of people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

What does the result mean?

Intrusive thoughts and small rituals are part of normal life; nearly everyone double-checks a door now and then. OCD is different: the thoughts feel intrusive and distressing, the rituals eat real time, and resisting them triggers intense anxiety. If your score is 21 or above, or your rituals cost you more than an hour a day, a professional assessment is a sensible step. OCD is well understood and treatable, most effectively with exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy.

Source

Foa EB, Huppert JD, Leiberg S, et al. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: Development and Validation of a Short Version (OCI-R). Psychological Assessment, 2002. German validation: Gönner, Leonhart & Ecker 2008.

Frequently asked questions

At what OCI-R score is an assessment sensible?

The clinical cutoff is 21 out of 72. At or above it, answers resemble those of people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Everyone checks the door sometimes, is that OCD?

No. Intrusive thoughts and small rituals are part of normal life. They become a disorder when the thoughts distress you, the rituals eat real time, and resisting them causes strong anxiety.

Scoring: what your points mean

ScoreLevelWhat it means
0-13 below the cutoff below the clinical cutoff (21).
14-20 near the cutoff near the clinical cutoff.
21-72 at or above the cutoff at or above the clinical cutoff (21). Not proof, professional evaluation advised.

The screening cutoff comes from the questionnaire; the finer gradation is editorial orientation. Not a diagnosis.

i
Reviewed by our editorial team

Instrument, scientific basis, and limitations checked. Last updated July 2026. Independent, anonymous, not a diagnosis.

After the test

A obsessive-compulsive symptoms result is a signal, not a verdict. Note what stood out and use it as a starting point for a conversation with a medical or mental-health professional.

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