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Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Calculator

Enter the eye, verbal and motor response scores to get the GCS total and severity.

Result

12/15
Moderate

How it is calculated

The total is a simple sum: GCS = eye + verbal + motor. The eye score runs from 1 to 4, verbal from 1 to 5 and motor from 1 to 6, where 1 is no response and the top value is the normal response. The total therefore falls between 3 and 15. The tool then labels it: 8 or below is Severe, 9 to 12 is Moderate and 13 to 15 is Mild. A score outside its range gives no result. Decimals are cut to whole numbers, so 3.9 is read as 3. The score has to come from a trained observer examining the patient; the tool only adds the numbers and applies the cut-offs.

Worked example

An observer records eye 3, verbal 4 and motor 5. The sum is 3 + 4 + 5 = 12, and the tool displays 12/15. Because 12 lies in the 9 to 12 band, the severity label is Moderate. If a later reading gave eye 2, verbal 2 and motor 4, the total would fall to 8/15 and the label would change to Severe.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering a total in one field. Each field takes only one component, with a different maximum: 4 for eye, 5 for verbal and 6 for motor.
  • Swapping the fields. A motor score of 6 is valid, but the same value in the eye field is rejected.
  • Typing 0 for no response. The lowest valid score in every field is 1, so a field left at 0 returns no result.
  • Entering decimals such as 3.5. The tool truncates them, so 3.5 becomes 3 and quietly lowers the total.
  • Using the label alone to decide on care. The label only reflects the sum, and the three components are normally recorded and reported separately as well.

Sources

About this calculator

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the standard clinical tool for objectively assessing a patient's level of consciousness after a head injury or other neurological event. It scores three independent responses — Eye opening (1-4), Verbal response (1-5), and Motor response (1-6) — and sums them into a total ranging from 3 (deep coma or death) to 15 (fully alert).

Emergency responders, ER physicians, and ICU staff use the total score to classify injury severity: 13-15 is generally mild, 9-12 moderate, and 8 or below severe, often triggering airway management protocols. Because it's fast, standardized, and reproducible between different clinicians, GCS remains the universal baseline for tracking whether a patient's neurological status is improving or deteriorating over time.

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