Article10 Jan 202616 min
Intolerance of Uncertainty Test – IUS-27
June 17, 2026
Your results: Factor 1: 0 (), Factor 2: 0 ()
Higher scores suggest that uncertainty feels more difficult to tolerate right now.
The total score shows your overall level of intolerance of uncertainty.
Factor 1 reflects how uncertainty may interfere with action, confidence, sleep, or daily functioning.
Factor 2 reflects how strongly uncertainty feels upsetting, unfair, or emotionally hard to accept.
The IUS-27 does not have universally accepted clinical cutoffs, so this result is best used as a map for self-reflection, not as a diagnosis.
If not knowing tends to pull you into worry, overthinking, checking, or freezing, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-27) can help you put that pattern into words.
This 27-item questionnaire measures how difficult it feels to live with ambiguity, unpredictability, and incomplete information. It is often used in research and clinical settings to understand anxiety-related patterns, especially when the mind treats uncertainty as something dangerous that must be solved immediately.
Sources: Freeston et al. (1994); Buhr & Dugas (2002); Sexton & Dugas (2009).
What this test measures
The IUS looks at overall intolerance of uncertainty and two more specific factors:
- Factor 1: Uncertainty has negative behavioural and self-referent implications
This factor reflects how uncertainty can interfere with action, confidence, sleep, and day-to-day functioning. - Factor 2: Uncertainty is unfair and spoils everything
This factor reflects how strongly uncertainty feels upsetting, unacceptable, or hard to tolerate emotionally.
What you’ll get
Quick
27 questions · about 4-6 minutes
Clear
Your total IUS score plus scores for both subscales
Private
Anonymous · No registration required
Important
The IUS is a screening and self-reflection tool, not a diagnosis. There are no universally accepted clinical cutoffs for the IUS-27, so the most useful part of the result is the pattern of your scores and how closely the statements fit your lived experience.
If uncertainty has been shrinking your life, fuelling constant reassurance-seeking, or making decisions feel painfully hard, this can be a helpful first step toward understanding what is happening.
- Answer 27 statements about how characteristic each one feels for you in general.
- Choose one option from “Not at all characteristic of me” to “Entirely characteristic of me.”
- After the test, you’ll see your total score and your scores on both IUS factors.
Higher scores reflect a greater difficulty tolerating uncertainty. This questionnaire supports insight, but it does not replace professional assessment.
Take the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale
Please rate how characteristic each statement feels for you.
1. Uncertainty stops me from having a firm opinion.
2. Being uncertain means that a person is disorganized.
3. Uncertainty makes life intolerable.
4. It's unfair not having any guarantees in life.
5. My mind can't be relaxed if I don't know what will happen tomorrow.
6. Uncertainty makes me uneasy, anxious, or stressed.
7. Unforeseen events upset me greatly.
8. It frustrates me not having all the information I need.
9. Uncertainty keeps me from living a full life.
10. One should always look ahead so as to avoid surprises.
11. A small unforeseen event can spoil everything, even with the best of planning.
12. When it's time to act, uncertainty paralyses me.
13. Being uncertain means that I am not first rate.
14. When I am uncertain, I can't go forward.
15. When I am uncertain I can't function very well.
16. Unlike me, others always seem to know where they are going with their lives.
17. Uncertainty makes me vulnerable, unhappy, or sad.
18. I always want to know what the future has in store for me.
19. I can't stand being taken by surprise.
20. The smallest doubt can stop me from acting.
21. I should be able to organize everything in advance.
22. Being uncertain means that I lack confidence.
23. I think it's unfair that other people seem sure about their future.
24. Uncertainty keeps me from sleeping soundly.
25. I must get away from all uncertain situations.
26. The ambiguities in life stress me.
27. I can't stand being undecided about my future.
Your results: Factor 1: 0 (), Factor 2: 0 ()
Higher scores suggest that uncertainty feels more difficult to tolerate right now.
The total score shows your overall level of intolerance of uncertainty.
Factor 1 reflects how uncertainty may interfere with action, confidence, sleep, or daily functioning.
Factor 2 reflects how strongly uncertainty feels upsetting, unfair, or emotionally hard to accept.
The IUS-27 does not have universally accepted clinical cutoffs, so this result is best used as a map for self-reflection, not as a diagnosis.
Keep exploring uncertainty more gently
If this result feels familiar, these next steps can help you understand the pattern more deeply, learn practical CBT tools, and check whether anxiety is also playing a role.
- Resource22 Mar 20262 min
"5-4-3-2-1" Grounding Exercise for Anxiety & Panic
A sensory grounding technique to return to the present moment
- Questionnaire27 Dec 2021
FAQ
What does the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale measure?
It measures how strongly uncertainty, ambiguity, and incomplete information affect your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. Higher scores mean uncertainty tends to feel more distressing and harder to tolerate.
How is the IUS-27 scored?
Each of the 27 items is rated from 1 to 5, and the scores are added together. The questionnaire also includes two official factors, each scored by summing its assigned items. There is no reverse scoring.
Can this test diagnose an anxiety disorder?
No. The IUS is useful for self-reflection and screening, but it does not diagnose generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, or any other mental health condition on its own. If intrusive thoughts, checking, or compulsive rituals are also part of the picture, the Y-BOCS online OCD severity test can help you reflect on symptom severity more specifically.
Why are there no severity labels like mild or severe?
Unlike tools such as PHQ-9 or GAD-7, the IUS-27 does not have widely accepted diagnostic cutoff bands. That is why this page shows the total score and factor scores rather than forcing a clinical label that the measure was not designed to provide.
Where is intolerance of uncertainty often seen?
It is commonly discussed in relation to worry, generalized anxiety, checking, reassurance-seeking, avoidance, perfectionism, and decision paralysis. It can also show up during stressful life transitions, health fears, relationship uncertainty, or burnout.
References
- Freeston, M. H., Rhéaume, J., Letarte, H., Dugas, M. J., & Ladouceur, R. (1994). Why do people worry? Personality and Individual Differences, 17(6), 791-802.
- Buhr, K., & Dugas, M. J. (2002). The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale: Psychometric properties of the English version. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40, 931-945.
- Sexton, K. A., & Dugas, M. J. (2009). Defining distinct negative beliefs about uncertainty: validating the factor structure of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Psychological Assessment, 21(2), 176-186.