What is the range of the Glasgow Coma Scale?

The total runs from 3 to 15. It is the sum of three components: eye opening scored 1 to 4, verbal response 1 to 5, and motor response 1 to 6. A fully alert person scores 15, and the lowest possible score is 3, not 0.

How is GCS severity classified?

By convention, a total of 13 to 15 indicates mild brain injury, 9 to 12 indicates moderate, and 3 to 8 indicates severe injury. A score of 8 or below usually prompts consideration of airway protection. The tool labels the band for you.

Why report E, V, and M separately?

Two patients with the same total can be clinically very different, so guidelines recommend recording the component scores, for example E3 V4 M5, alongside the total. The tool always shows the E-V-M breakdown, not just the sum.

What if the patient is intubated?

An intubated patient cannot give a verbal response, so the verbal score is recorded as 1T, with T meaning tube. The total is then a non-verbal estimate. The tool reminds you to note this when the verbal score is set to its lowest value.

Does it store patient information?

No. The scoring runs entirely in your browser. Your selections are never transmitted to or saved on any server.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Calculator

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the standard way to describe a patient’s level of consciousness after head injury or acute illness. This calculator sums the three component scores and bands the result by injury severity.

How it works

The GCS adds three best responses:

Total = Eye (1-4) + Verbal (1-5) + Motor (1-6)   -> range 3 to 15

Eye opening ranges from spontaneous (4) to none (1); verbal from oriented (5) to none (1); motor from obeying commands (6) to none (1). The total maps to a severity band: 13 to 15 mild, 9 to 12 moderate, and 3 to 8 severe brain injury.

Example

A patient opens eyes to speech (E3), is confused (V4), and localises to pain (M5). The total is 3 + 4 + 5 = 12, reported as E3 V4 M5, GCS 12, a moderate brain injury.

Notes

Always record the component scores, not just the total, because the breakdown carries clinical meaning the sum hides. For intubated patients, record the verbal score as 1T. Reassess frequently, since a falling GCS is more important than any single reading. This tool is an educational aid that runs locally in your browser.