⚠️ Important Notes
- Score < 8 = Intubate (used as a mnemonic in emergencies).
- Always consider confounding factors like:
- Intubation or aphasia (affects verbal score)
- Sedatives or paralytics (affect motor score)
- Eye swelling or facial trauma (affects eye score)
🧠 Total Score Interpretation
| Total Score | Level of Consciousness | Clinical Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 13–15 | Mild or No Impairment | Normal or mildly impaired consciousness; may be monitored or discharged if stable |
| 9–12 | Moderate Impairment | Moderate brain injury; usually requires hospital admission and observation |
| ≤ 8 | Severe Impairment / Coma | Comatose state; airway may be compromised—intubation and ICU care are often necessary |
| 3 | Deep Coma or Brain Death | No eye, verbal, or motor response; prognosis is very poor |
Quick visual reference – Click here
Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Reference Chart
Eye Response (E)
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 4 | Opens eyes spontaneously |
| 3 | Opens eyes to speech |
| 2 | Opens eyes to pain |
| 1 | No eye opening |
Verbal Response (V)
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 5 | Oriented |
| 4 | Confused conversation |
| 3 | Inappropriate words |
| 2 | Incomprehensible sounds |
| 1 | No verbal response |
Motor Response (M)
| Score | Description |
|---|---|
| 6 | Obeys commands |
| 5 | Localizes pain |
| 4 | Withdraws from pain |
| 3 | Abnormal flexion (decorticate) |
| 2 | Abnormal extension (decerebrate) |
| 1 | No motor response |
Total Score Interpretation
| Total Score | Level of Consciousness | Clinical Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 13–15 | Mild or No Impairment | Normal or mildly impaired; may be monitored or discharged if stable |
| 9–12 | Moderate Impairment | Moderate brain injury; usually requires hospital admission |
| ≤ 8 | Severe Impairment / Coma | Comatose; airway may be compromised—ICU and intubation often needed |
| 3 | Deep Coma or Brain Death | No eye, verbal, or motor response; very poor prognosis |
Some Practice Questions – Click here
🧠 Glasgow Coma Scale – Case-Based Questions
A 45-year-old male is brought to the ER after a car accident:
- Eyes open to pain
- Utters random words
- Withdraws to painful stimuli
✅ Answer: D) 9 — Eye: 2, Verbal: 3, Motor: 4 → Total = 9
A 29-year-old female is unconscious after a seizure:
- No eye opening
- Incomprehensible sounds
- Extends arms to painful stimulus
✅ Answer: A) 6 — Eye: 1, Verbal: 2, Motor: 3 → Total = 6
A 70-year-old man with dementia:
- Opens eyes to speech
- Confused but speaking
- Obeys commands
✅ Answer: D) 13 — Eye: 3, Verbal: 4, Motor: 6 → Total = 13
A 60-year-old man post-cardiac arrest:
- No eye opening
- No verbal response
- No motor response
✅ Answer: A) 3 — Eye: 1, Verbal: 1, Motor: 1 → Total = 3
A 16-year-old boy fell off a skateboard:
- Eyes open to voice
- Oriented but drowsy
- Localizes pain
✅ Answer: B) 13 — Eye: 3, Verbal: 5, Motor: 5 → Total = 13