Free weekly mental health check (CORE-10)
A quick, private check based on the CORE-10. Free, scored on your device, and yours to keep.
What this check measures
The CORE-10 asks ten questions about the past week: anxiety and panic, low mood and hopelessness, sleep, memories that will not leave you alone, whether you have felt able to cope, whether you have had someone to turn to, and one question about plans to end your life. Your answers add up to a single score from 0 to 40.
How the scoring works
Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points. Two questions run the other way: having someone to turn to, and feeling able to cope, score 4 when they are not true at all and 0 when they are true most or all of the time. The authors set a clinical cut-off at 11; scores at or above it are more typical of people coming to counselling than of the general population:
| Score | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| 0-10 | Below the cut-off for distress |
| 11-40 | At or above the cut-off for distress |
What it cannot tell you
A score cannot diagnose anything, and one week is one week. A hard week can push the number up, and a quiet one can hide something that has been building for months. It is a prompt for reflection and, if the number is worrying you, a good reason to talk with your doctor or a counsellor.
It has been a week, and you are not sure whether you are coping or just getting through. This is a free weekly mental health check built on the CORE-10, a ten-question measure counselling services use to see how people are doing from one week to the next. About two minutes, scored the moment you finish, privately, in your browser. It is a screening tool, not a diagnosis.
Questions people ask
Is this a diagnosis?
No. The CORE-10 measures general psychological distress; it does not diagnose any condition. A score at or above the cut-off is a good reason to talk with a professional, not a conclusion on its own.
Why does it only ask about the last week?
Because it was built to be taken again. Counselling services use the CORE-10 at the start and along the way, so each time the question is how the last week has been. If you take it again in a few weeks, the authors treat a change of 6 points or more as a real change rather than an ordinary wobble.
Where does the cut-off of 11 come from?
From UK research that compared people starting counselling with people who were not seeking help. It is a useful guide, not a hard line: those samples are now some years old, and a cut-off worked out from Canadian data could land a little differently. A score of 10 or 12 sits close to the line either way, so read it alongside how the week actually felt.
How is this different from the distress check?
The distress check (K10) looks back over 30 days and centres on nervousness and low mood. The CORE-10 looks at one week, and also asks about sleep, coping, having someone to turn to, and memories that keep intruding. Either is a reasonable place to start; this one suits you better if you want to check in again later.
Who sees my answers?
No one. The check is scored entirely in your browser, and nothing you answer is sent to us or stored anywhere. That also means no one monitors your answers; if you need support, please reach out directly.
What should I do with my score?
Write it down or save the page first, because nothing is stored here. If your score is 11 or more, or the number is worrying you, bring it to your doctor or a counsellor; a free consultation is an easy place to start.
Talking it through, with support
Counselling services
This is a free screening tool, not a diagnosis. It can help you notice patterns and decide whether to reach out. Your answers stay on your device; nothing is sent or saved.
If you need help right now
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, help is available right now. Call or text 9-8-8 any time, anywhere in Canada. In BC, the Mental Health Support Line is 310-6789. If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency department. Outside Canada, find a crisis line for your country in the IASP directory of crisis centres, or call your local emergency number.