Anxiety Test

Anxiety can show up in lots of ways—racing thoughts, constant worry, tension in your body, trouble sleeping, or feeling on edge for no obvious reason. This short anxiety test is designed to help you understand not only whether anxiety may be affecting you, but also what’s driving it.

Your results explore the patterns commonly involved in anxiety:

• Thought patterns (overthinking, “what if” thinking, catastrophising)
• Physical symptoms (tight chest, stomach knots, restlessness, fatigue)
• Behavioural patterns (avoidance, reassurance-seeking, checking, procrastination)

You’ll get personalised feedback on the patterns suggested by your answers, links to relevant guidance and a practical next step. You can also explore Retrain Your Brain as an optional learning resource; the result does not determine whether you need a course.

This is an educational self-check, not a diagnosis. If your anxiety feels overwhelming or you’re struggling to cope, it may help to speak with a qualified professional.

A clearer picture, one question at a time

Understand what keeps anxiety going

Think about the past month and choose what best fits your experience. Your feedback explains the pattern your answers suggest, what may keep it going, and where to start.

9 questionsAbout 3 minutesNo email needed

This self-check is for adults. The questionnaire itself does not send or save your answers. They are cleared when you reload or leave this page.

You can read the questions below. Enable JavaScript for the step-by-step questionnaire and personalised feedback.

Do worries keep going even when you try to put them aside?

Include repeated “what if?” thinking about different parts of life.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do you feel tense, restless or on edge, or notice bodily sensations that make you anxious?

Examples include muscle tension, stomach discomfort or a racing heart.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do waves of alarm or fear seem to begin with a sensation before you have a clear worry?

This asks about your experience of the sequence, not which part of the brain is responsible.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do you put off or avoid ordinary situations because you expect to feel anxious?

Include cancellations or procrastination mainly driven by fear.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do you check, ask for reassurance or make extra preparations repeatedly to feel safe?

Distinguish necessary preparation from repetition aimed at settling anxiety.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do you repeatedly replay situations or analyse what could go wrong without reaching a useful decision?

Include reviewing past events as well as future scenarios.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do you feel unable to move on until you know how something will turn out?

Think about ordinary uncertainty that is difficult to tolerate.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

Do you criticise yourself for feeling anxious or tell yourself you should cope better?

This is the reaction to anxiety, as well as anxiety itself.

NeverRarelySometimesOftenAlmost always

How much has this affected your work, study, relationships or ordinary activities?

Choose the answer that best reflects your own experience.

Not at allA littleQuite a bitA lotNot sure

How to understand this self-check

Anxiety can involve thoughts, sensations and behaviour in different orders. This self-check maps what you report; it cannot measure brain pathways or identify a single biological cause. CBT looks at the links between the situation, interpretation, feeling and response.

The questions are an original educational self-check, rather than a validated diagnostic instrument. Results reflect the combinations, frequency and impact you report; they do not provide a probability of diagnosis or a clinical severity score.

Read the anxiety guide for more information.