What Is a Normal GCS Score?

Doctors use the Glasgow Coma Scale to assess a patient's level of consciousness.

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a calculated scale that determines a patient's level of consciousness. Medical professionals use it to evaluate patients with

• traumatic brain injury,
• altered mental status,
  • drug overdose,
  • stroke, and
  • encephalopathy.

The scale measures three categories:

• Eye opening (E)
• Motor response (M)
• Verbal response (V)

The GCS score is the sum of the score in each of the three categories, with a maximum score of 15 (normal) and a minimum score of 3 (deep unconsciousness), as follows:

GCS score = E + M + V

Eye-opening scores

• 4: Spontaneously
• 3: To verbal command
• 2: To pain
• 1: No response

Best motor response scores

• 6: Obeys command
• 5: Localizes pain
• 4: Flexion withdrawal
• 3: Flexion abnormal (decorticate)
• 2: Extension (decerebrate)
• 1: No response

Best verbal response scores

• 5: Oriented and converses
• 4: Disoriented and converses
• 3: Inappropriate words; cries
• 2: Incomprehensible sounds
• 1: No response

A normal GCS score is equal to 15, which indicates a person is fully conscious.

The GCS helps to define the severity of traumatic brain injury. In general...

• Score 13-15: Mild head injury
• Score 9-12: Moderate head injury
• Score of 8 or less: Severe head injury