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BAI: The Beck Anxiety Inventory Explained

Update Date 

September 24th, 2026

Author 

Anxiety Checklist Editorial Team
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In short

The Beck Anxiety Inventory is a 21-item questionnaire created by Aaron T. Beck that measures how strongly anxiety symptoms, especially physical ones, bothered you over the past week. Scores range from 0 to 63. It is copyrighted by Pearson and given by clinicians; free validated alternatives such as the DASS-21 and GAD-7 can be taken on this site.

Key takeaways

  • Most of its 21 items describe body sensations such as a pounding heart or dizziness.
  • The manual ranges are 0–7 minimal, 8–15 mild, 16–25 moderate and 26–63 severe.
  • It has very high internal consistency, with alphas of 0.90 to 0.94.
  • It cannot be reproduced for free: the official version comes through a clinician or Pearson.
  • The DASS-21 anxiety scale correlates 0.81 with the BAI and is free.

Licensed questionnaire

How to take the BAI

The Beck Anxiety Inventory is copyrighted and published by Pearson, so its questions cannot be reproduced here. It is usually given by a psychologist, therapist or doctor. For an answer today, the DASS-21 anxiety scale measures very similar symptoms and correlates strongly with the BAI.

Questions
21
Time
5–10 min
Covers
Past week
Score
0–63
Take the free DASS-21Take the GAD-7

What the BAI measures

The Beck Anxiety Inventory was published in 1988 by Aaron T. Beck, the psychiatrist who founded cognitive behavioural therapy, with Norman Epstein, Gary Brown and Robert Steer. It was designed to measure clinical anxiety while overlapping as little as possible with depression.

It lists 21 common symptoms, each rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (severely) for the past week. Most describe the body: numbness or tingling, feeling hot, wobbly legs, dizziness, a pounding heart, trembling, difficulty breathing. A smaller group describes fear, such as being unable to relax or fearing the worst will happen. This makes the BAI particularly sensitive to panic-type anxiety.

How the BAI is scored

The 21 answers add up to a total between 0 and 63. The ranges most often used come from the BAI manual:

0–7MinimalLittle or no anxiety.
8–15MildSome anxiety symptoms.
16–25ModerateClear anxiety that is worth addressing with support.
26–63SevereStrong anxiety. Professional help is recommended.

Two sets of ranges exist

Some sources use the original 1988 guidelines instead: 0–9 normal, 10–18 mild to moderate, 19–29 moderate to severe, 30–63 severe. Check which ranges a report uses.

How accurate is the BAI?

0.90–0.94internal consistency across patients, students and community adultsJulian, 2011
0.62–0.93test-retest reliability, from 7 weeks to 1 week apartJulian, 2011
0.81correlation with the SCL-90 anxiety scaleJulian, 2011

The BAI still correlates with depression measures (0.61 with the Beck Depression Inventory). In older adults and people with physical illness, body symptoms can come from the illness itself and raise the score.

BAI compared

BAIGAD-7DASS-21 anxiety
FocusPhysical symptoms and fearWorry and tensionPhysical arousal and panic
Questions2177 (of 21)
Free to useNo, licensed by PearsonYesYes
Take itThrough a clinicianOn this siteOn this site

What to do with a BAI score

  • Discuss it with the professional who gave you the test; they will read it alongside your history
  • Moderate or severe scores are a good reason to consider treatment. CBT is the best-studied therapy for anxiety
  • Repeating the BAI every few weeks shows whether treatment is working
  • If you ever feel unsafe, find a helpline near you

Scientific references

  1. Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(6), 893–897. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.56.6.893
  2. Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. A. (1993). Beck Anxiety Inventory Manual. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
  3. Fydrich, T., Dowdall, D., & Chambless, D. L. (1992). Reliability and validity of the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 6(1), 55–61. doi:10.1016/0887-6185(92)90026-4
  4. Julian, L. J. (2011). Measures of anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A). Arthritis Care & Research, 63(S11), S467–S472. doi:10.1002/acr.20561
  5. Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335–343. doi:10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U

Frequently asked questions

Can I take the Beck Anxiety Inventory for free online?

Not in its official form: the BAI is copyrighted and licensed by Pearson. Ask a psychologist or doctor, or take the free DASS-21, whose anxiety scale measures very similar symptoms.

What is a normal BAI score?

Using the BAI manual, 0–7 is minimal anxiety. Scores of 8–15 are mild, 16–25 moderate and 26–63 severe.

Is the BAI a diagnostic test?

No. It measures how strong anxiety symptoms are. A diagnosis needs a full assessment by a professional.

BAI or GAD-7?

The BAI focuses on physical symptoms and fear, which makes it sensitive to panic. The GAD-7 focuses on worry and tension, and is free: take it here.

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