Free OCD Test (OCI-R)

Take the check

The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory–Revised asks how much each experience has distressed or bothered you in the past month. Answer for how much it troubled you, not just whether it happened.

What your score means

Eighteen items scored out of 72. Broad bands:

• 0–20 — below the threshold. Below the usual screening cut-off. Occasional checking or intrusive thoughts are part of normal life.
• 21–40 — raised. Around or above the usual cut-off of 21. Worth assessing properly, especially if rituals are eating time.
• 41–72 — high. A heavy load. OCD-specific therapy is genuinely worth arranging rather than trying to push through.

Intrusive thoughts aren't the problem

Almost everyone gets unwanted, disturbing thoughts — violent, sexual, blasphemous, whatever your mind can conjure. In OCD the thought isn't the illness; the struggle against it is. The more you try to neutralise, check or reassure the thought away, the louder it gets. This is exactly what the right therapy targets, and why fighting the thoughts harder never works.

What actually helps with OCD

OCD needs specific handling — some generic advice even makes it worse. These point the right way:

• Resist the ritual, not the thought. You can't control which thoughts arrive, but you can choose not to perform the checking, washing or reassurance. Each time you don't, the anxiety drops on its own — this is the core of ERP.
• Stop seeking reassurance. Asking 'are you sure it's fine?' or Googling symptoms feels like relief but is a compulsion. It teaches your brain the fear was valid.
• Let the doubt sit. OCD demands certainty it can never get. Practising tolerating 'maybe' is more useful than any amount of checking.
• Don't fight thoughts with logic. Arguing with an intrusive thought keeps you engaged with it. Noticing it and letting it pass works better than debating it.
• Get the right therapy. OCD responds specifically to Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). General talk therapy alone usually isn't enough — this is worth knowing before you start.

When self-help isn't enough

Self-help has real limits with OCD, because the condition is good at turning coping strategies into new rituals. If intrusive thoughts and compulsions are taking real time out of your day, or you're avoiding things to keep them at bay, that's the stage to get proper support. OCD responds specifically and well to ERP therapy — which is hard to do alone precisely because it means deliberately not doing the thing that brings relief. A counselling conversation is a good first step to find the right help.

Talking to someone about it

A Lume Live session is a confidential 1:1 conversation with Sachin Bajaj, who holds an M.Sc in Clinical Psychology (Gurugram University) and a PGDGC from Jamia Millia Islamia. Sessions are ₹499 for 45 minutes, with your first at ₹249 using code FIRST50 — priced so that finding out whether it helps doesn't require asking anyone for money.

Nothing is shared with your parents, school, college or employer, and you can book using a first name only. For most people that matters more than the price.

Frequently asked questions