Licensed instrument
SCL-90-R: what it measures, how scoring works & free alternatives
What it measures
The SCL-90-R (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised) is a 90-item self-report questionnaire developed by Leonard Derogatis that screens psychological distress across nine dimensions: somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism.
How scoring works
Each item is rated 0-4 for the past week, and results roll up into a Global Severity Index (GSI) plus nine subscale scores. A full administration takes 12-15 minutes.
Why there's no free SCL-90-R here
The instrument is copyrighted and distributed by Pearson under a paid per-use licence. That means there is no legitimate free online version - any site offering one is reproducing it without permission, and the version you are taking may be altered or scored incorrectly.
Free alternatives
For most clinical and research purposes, the dimensions people actually use the SCL-90-R for are covered by public-domain instruments you can score here in your browser, free: PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, and PHQ-15 for somatic symptoms. Each is validated, widely cited, and takes 2-4 minutes. If you need a single broad measure of distress instead, the K10 is a strong free option.
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