This free OCD test takes about three minutes and scores your responses across the six symptom themes most often seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder. You get results instantly.
No email address, no sign-up, and nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
About this OCD test. These 20 questions cover the six symptom themes most commonly seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Answer based on the past month, and choose the response closest to your experience rather than trying to be precise.
It takes about three minutes. Nothing you enter is saved, sent, or stored, and no email address is required. This is a screening tool, not a diagnosis — only a licensed clinician can diagnose OCD.
Your results
Your symptom themes
OCD is theme-agnostic in treatment — the same approach works across presentations — but knowing which theme is loudest helps a clinician target the work.
Talk to someone about these results
Cedar Hill Behavioral Health treats OCD in Southborough, MA with ERP — the frontline evidence-based treatment — across PHP, IOP and outpatient care.
This self-screen is informed by the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder and by the established OCD symptom dimensions described in the clinical literature. It is not a validated diagnostic instrument and does not replace assessment by a qualified clinician. If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency department.
What this OCD test measures
Most online OCD tests give you one number. That number is not very useful on its own, because OCD does not present the same way twice — two people with the same total score can have completely different presentations needing the same treatment aimed at different targets.
This screening asks 20 questions. Eighteen measure symptoms across six themes; two measure how much the symptoms are actually costing you in time and daily function. That second part matters more than people expect — functional impairment is one of the criteria clinicians weigh most heavily, and it is often the reason a person with a modest score still clearly needs help.
You get a total score, a score for each of the six themes, and an indication of which theme is loudest.
The six types of OCD this test scores
Contamination OCD. Fear of germs, illness, or spreading harm to others, with washing, cleaning and avoidance as the compulsions.
Checking and harm OCD. An inflated sense of responsibility for preventing disaster — repeatedly checking locks, appliances or driving routes. Harm OCD sits here: intrusive fears of causing damage you’d never want to cause.
Symmetry, order and counting OCD. Driven by a “not just right” feeling rather than fear of a specific catastrophe. Things must be aligned, balanced, or repeated until they feel complete.
Pure O (unwanted intrusive thoughts). Violent, sexual or blasphemous thoughts that clash violently with your values. The name is misleading — the compulsions are still there, they are just happening in your head. Mental reviewing, neutralising and thought-replacing are all compulsions.
Scrupulosity (moral and religious OCD). Obsessive worry about having sinned or done something morally wrong, with confessing, apologising and self-review as the rituals. It is regularly mistaken for a strong conscience.
Relationship OCD. Compulsive doubt about a partner or about your own feelings, maintained by reassurance-seeking, searching online, and mentally replaying events. Rumination is the engine here.
These are descriptive categories, not separate diagnoses. In the DSM-5-TR there is one diagnosis — obsessive-compulsive disorder — and the theme describes what your OCD has attached itself to. That distinction matters clinically, because ERP therapy works the same way across all six.
More detail: the four types of OCD.
What your score means
The 18 symptom items are scored 0 to 4, for a total out of 72.
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–17 | Minimal | Few symptoms at a level that would typically concern a clinician |
| 18–31 | Mild | Some symptoms present; easier to treat now than later |
| 32–45 | Moderate | Formal assessment is genuinely worthwhile |
| 46–72 | Marked | Speak with a clinician soon; may need more than weekly therapy |
One caveat worth understanding. Because the total averages across six themes, a person whose OCD is concentrated in a single theme can score low overall and still be significantly affected. Someone maxed out on contamination alone scores 12 out of 72 — nominally “minimal.” The test flags this explicitly when it happens, but if your theme scores are lopsided, read the theme breakdown as the more informative of the two numbers.
This test is not a diagnosis
No online questionnaire can diagnose OCD, including this one. A diagnosis requires a clinical interview, because several of the things this test asks about overlap with generalised anxiety, OCPD, autism, PTSD and ordinary conscientiousness. Distinguishing them is exactly what a clinician is for.
You may have seen the Y-BOCS referenced as the standard OCD measure. It is — but it’s designed to be administered by a clinician in interview, not filled in alone, and it measures severity in someone already diagnosed rather than screening from scratch. If you go on to treatment, expect something like it at intake.
What this test is good for: turning a vague sense that something is wrong into specific information you can bring to an appointment. That is a genuinely useful thing to walk in with.
What OCD treatment actually involves
The frontline treatment is exposure and response prevention. You practise facing what triggers an obsession while deliberately not performing the ritual that usually follows. Anxiety rises, then falls on its own, and repeated enough times the trigger stops functioning as an alarm.
It is not talk therapy about your fears, and it is not willpower. Exposures are graded and built with a clinician, starting where you can succeed.
Cedar Hill Behavioral Health delivers ERP in Southborough, MA across partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient care, with psychiatry alongside where medication is indicated. Read more about OCD treatment at Cedar Hill.
Verify your insurance · (508) 310-4580
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this OCD test free?
Yes — free, with no email address or sign-up. Nothing you enter is saved, sent or stored.
How accurate is an online OCD test?
A well-built screening tool is good at flagging whether a clinical conversation is warranted, and poor at establishing whether you have a disorder. Treat the result as information to bring to a clinician, not as an answer.
Can this test tell me which type of OCD I have?
It scores six symptom themes and shows which is most prominent. Those are descriptive themes rather than separate diagnoses — the DSM-5-TR lists one OCD diagnosis, and ERP treats all themes the same way.
Does having intrusive thoughts mean I might act on them?
No. Unwanted violent or disturbing thoughts are among the most common features of OCD, and they are distressing precisely because they conflict with your values — the opposite of intent. The research is consistent that people with harm obsessions are not at elevated risk of acting on them. What sustains the fear is the checking and mental reviewing done to disprove it. Thoughts of harming yourself are different and deserve immediate support: call or text 988.
Is there an OCD test for teens?
This screening is written for adults. The same six themes appear in adolescents, but thresholds and presentation differ, and a teenager should be assessed by a clinician experienced with paediatric OCD rather than screened online.
What is the difference between this and the Y-BOCS?
The Y-BOCS is clinician-administered and measures severity in someone already diagnosed. This is a self-screen designed to help you decide whether to seek an assessment.
What should I do with my results?
Bring them to a clinician — the theme breakdown in particular. If symptoms are consuming significant time or interfering with work and relationships, that’s worth acting on regardless of the total score.
