Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator
Score eye, verbal and motor responses to get a total GCS (3-15), severity band and GCS-Pupils score, for training and revision.
About this tool
Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator
Score eye, verbal and motor responses to get a total GCS (3-15), severity band and GCS-Pupils score, for training and revision.
The Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator adds the three Glasgow Coma Scale components — eye opening (1-4), verbal response (1-5) and best motor response (1-6) — into a total between 3 and 15, and reports it in the standard E/V/M notation. It also applies the conventional severity bands (3-8 severe, 9-12 moderate, 13-15 mild) and the GCS-Pupils score, which subtracts the number of unreactive pupils from the total. Wording follows the Glasgow Structured Approach to Assessment, with a separate option set for pre-verbal children.
How to use Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator
- 1
Open Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Under Scale wording choose 'Adult / verbal child' or 'Pre-verbal child', then pick Eye opening (E), Verbal response (V) and Best motor response (M) from the numbered menus.
- 3
Set Pupil reactivity for the GCS-Pupils score, or tick 'Not testable (intubated)' so the verbal component is reported as a T suffix instead of a number.
- 4
Total GCS updates immediately with the E/V/M notation and rows for Severity band, Unreactive pupils and GCS-Pupils (GCS-P), above a Severity bands table; Copy result copies the score and Reset restores the defaults.
Why use Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator
Standardised wording
Component descriptors follow the 2014 Glasgow Structured Approach, including 'to sound' and 'to pressure'.
Handles intubated cases
Marking the verbal response not testable reports the sum with a T suffix instead of inventing a score.
GCS-Pupils included
Subtracts the pupil reactivity score from the total, giving the 1-15 GCS-P used in head-injury prognosis.
Common use cases
- Nursing and paramedic students drilling the E/V/M components before an exam or OSCE station.
- Checking how a documented score such as E3 V4 M5 breaks down and which severity band it falls into.
- Learning the GCS-Pupils extension, where a patient with GCS 4 and two unreactive pupils scores GCS-P 2.
- Comparing the adult verbal descriptors with the pre-verbal paediatric adaptation side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal Glasgow Coma Scale score?
A fully alert person scores 15 — the maximum, made up of E4 (eyes open spontaneously), V5 (orientated) and M6 (obeys commands). The lowest possible score is 3, since each of the three components has a minimum of 1; there is no score of 0.
What GCS score means coma or severe brain injury?
A total of 8 or below is conventionally classed as severe and is the usual threshold at which airway protection becomes the priority, because patients at or below 8 often cannot maintain their own airway. Scores of 9-12 are moderate and 13-15 mild.
How do you score GCS when a patient is intubated?
The verbal component cannot be tested, so it is recorded as VNT or VT rather than scored. The eye and motor components are summed and reported with a T suffix — for example E4 VNT M6 is written as 10T. Severity bands are not applied to an incomplete scale.
What is the difference between GCS and GCS-P?
GCS-Pupils (GCS-P) subtracts a pupil reactivity score from the GCS total: 0 if both pupils react to light, 1 if one is unreactive and 2 if neither reacts. It extends the bottom of the scale from 3 down to 1, separating patients who all score 3 on the standard scale. This page is informational only — interpretation of any score belongs with the treating clinician.
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