Which statement accurately describes the relationship between GCS severity categories and score ranges?

Which statement accurately describes the relationship between GCS severity categories and score ranges?

• A. Score of 8 or less indicates severe brain injury
• B. Score of 9 to 12 indicates mild brain injury
• C. Score of 13 or higher indicates moderate brain injury
• D. All of the above

Answer: (A)

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assigns a total score from 3 to 15 based on eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. The usual severity cutoffs are: mild brain injury for scores 13–15, moderate for 9–12, and severe for 8 or less. Therefore, saying that a score of 8 or less indicates severe brain injury matches the standard classification. The other statements misstate the ranges: 9–12 is moderate, not mild, and 13 or higher is mild, not moderate. So only the first statement aligns with the typical GCS severity mapping.

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assigns a total score from 3 to 15 based on eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. The usual severity cutoffs are: mild brain injury for scores 13–15, moderate for 9–12, and severe for 8 or less. Therefore, saying that a score of 8 or less indicates severe brain injury matches the standard classification. The other statements misstate the ranges: 9–12 is moderate, not mild, and 13 or higher is mild, not moderate. So only the first statement aligns with the typical GCS severity mapping.