K10 questions: ten items, response options, and timeframe
What are the K10 response choices?
Every item uses the same five-point frequency scale. The table shows the values used by the 10-to-50 convention, which is the one used in these explainers and by the LuriaLab assessment.
| Value | Response |
|---|---|
| 1 | None of the time |
| 2 | A little of the time |
| 3 | Some of the time |
| 4 | Most of the time |
| 5 | All of the time |
The K10 asks about frequency, not intensity
This distinguishes it from the BAI, which asks how much a symptom bothered you. On the K10 a feeling that occurred constantly but mildly can score higher than one that occurred once and was overwhelming.
Answer the question as written. If intensity is the thing you want to convey, note it separately rather than adjusting your frequency answers to compensate.
Two of the items are conditional in wording — asking whether you felt so nervous, or so restless, that a further description applied. Read those carefully rather than treating them as duplicates of the item before.
Which period should I answer about?
The standard K10 asks about the last four weeks, sometimes worded as the past 30 days. Some administrations use a shorter window when tracking change, so check the heading on your form.
Answer for the period as a whole, including the calmer weeks. A single very difficult day does not turn a four-week questionnaire into a measure of today.
Record the window with your result. A total covering four weeks of exams is not directly comparable in context with one covering a vacation, even though both are valid.
What are the K6 and the K10+?
The K6 is a six-item subset of the K10, developed in the same 2002 work. It is shorter and performs comparably for detecting common mood and anxiety disorders, but its totals run on a different range and cannot be read against K10 bands.
The K10+ adds questions about the impact of distress: days unable to work or study, and how often you consulted a health professional. Those additional items are not part of the K10 total.
If a form has more or fewer than ten scored questions, it is not the K10 and its result should not be compared with the tables in these explainers.
Are any K10 items reverse-scored?
No. Every item is worded so that a higher frequency means more distress, and the total is a straight sum. Do not carry the reverse-scoring rule from the PSS-10 across to this questionnaire.
There are also no subscales in standard scoring. Some research has explored anxiety and depression components within the ten items, but a routine K10 result is a single total.
Can I skip a question?
A 10-to-50 total requires all ten responses. On this version there is no zero: the lowest available value is 1, so a blank item cannot be treated as “none of the time” without changing the result.
If you cannot answer an item, follow the form’s instructions or ask the professional using it how to proceed. Do not compare an incomplete sum with the published bands.
What should I record with my result?
Because two scoring conventions exist, a bare K10 number is unusually easy to misread later. Keep the context with it.
- The date you completed it.
- Whether the form scored items 1–5 or 0–4.
- The recall period the form specified.
- The total, and which items you answered highest.
- What was happening during that period.
This page is educational. A questionnaire score cannot establish a diagnosis or explain the cause of your symptoms. If you are struggling, speak with a counselor or healthcare professional, whatever your score.
Read how to ask for support or find a helpline in your country.