Glasgow Coma Scale

The Glasgow Coma Scale describes a person's level of consciousness after a brain injury, and is the standard language clinicians use to hand that information to each other.

Three responses are rated. Eye opening scores 1 to 4, from none to spontaneous. Verbal response scores 1 to 5, from none through sounds and words to oriented conversation. Motor response scores 1 to 6, from none through abnormal postures to obeying commands. Totals run 3 to 15. What matters most is that the three components be recorded separately as well as summed — E3V4M5 tells a clinician something a bare "12" cannot, and a component that cannot be tested is marked NT rather than scored 1.

• The Principle of Parsimony: Glasgow Coma Scale Score Predicts Mortality as Well as the APACHE II Score for Stroke Patients

Licensing Notes: The Glasgow Structured Approach assessment aids are posted free at glasgowcomascale.org in multiple languages, and reproductions in educational materials carry a "used with permission" line — permission is granted on request rather than as blanket open terms. Confirm before reproducing the assessment aid.

Learn More: Severity bands: 13–15 mild, 9–12 moderate, 8 or below severe.