VOCI Test — Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (55-Item OCD Assessment)
The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory — the standard 55-item OCD self-report scale with six symptom-dimension mapping. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Vishal Kasal, MD in Psychiatry, MBBS. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.
Important safety information
The VOCI includes a question about thoughts of self-harm (question 9). If you have had any such thoughts recently, please reach out for support before or instead of taking this assessment — you do not need to take a test to deserve help.
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The 55 VOCI items — six sub-scales
Each item is rated on a 5-point scale:
0 = Not at all · 1 = A little · 2 = Some · 3 = Much · 4 = Very much
The 55 items load onto six sub-scales:
Contamination (12 items): Fear of germs, dirt, chemicals, bodily fluids; distress about touching contaminated objects; washing / avoidance to reduce contamination distress.
Checking (6 items): Fear of catastrophe from a mistake (fire from unchecked appliances, harm from unlocked doors, error at work); repeated checking to prevent harm.
Obsessions (12 items): Unwanted intrusive thoughts of violence, sex, blasphemy, or unacceptable content; often without visible compulsions (Pure-O); distress about having such thoughts.
Hoarding (7 items): Difficulty discarding items even without clear value; distress about loss; cluttered spaces.
Just Right (12 items): Need for symmetry, order, or a "complete" feeling; distress when things feel wrong or asymmetric; repeating behaviours until they feel right.
Indecisiveness (6 items): Extreme difficulty making decisions; revisiting past decisions; distress at ambiguity.
Total ranges 0-220.
VOCI interpretation
The bands below are the guidance bands the Mindtalk app uses to present your result. They are not a published clinical cut-off for the VOCI.
| Total | Severity | What it means | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-60 | Low | Typical of community samples | Continue self-monitoring |
| 61-100 | Moderate | Clinical presentation possible | Clinical evaluation if impairment present; sub-scale profile matters |
| 101-140 | High | Clinical OCD likely | Clinical evaluation; ERP + consider SSRI |
| 141-220 | Very high | Very high symptom load | Urgent clinical evaluation; combined ERP + SSRI usually indicated |
The sub-scale profile is often more useful than the total. Someone with total 90 driven entirely by Contamination has a very different treatment plan than someone with total 90 driven by Obsessions. The Mindtalk app shows both.
How the VOCI was developed
The VOCI was developed by Dana Thordarson, Adam Radomsky, Stanley Rachman, Roz Shafran, and colleagues at the University of British Columbia and published in 2004 (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2004). It was designed as a psychometric upgrade over the older Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) — the MOCI's yes/no items were too coarse and its factor structure had been criticised.
The VOCI's 55 items were selected from a larger pool through iterative factor analysis to identify the six-dimension structure. The 5-point scoring (0-4) replaced yes/no to give better severity resolution. Sub-scales were designed to align with the emerging OCD-subtype literature — the observation that OCD sub-populations (Contamination, Checking, Obsessions-only, Hoarding, Just Right) respond to different specific ERP protocols.
A Spanish validation replicated the six-factor structure. The VOCI is used routinely in OCD specialist clinics for subtype mapping and treatment planning; Y-BOCS is used alongside for clinician-administered severity tracking during treatment.
VOCI vs other OCD scales
| Test | Items | Time | Best for | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VOCI | 55 | 10 min | Six-dimension OCD subtype profile | Self-report |
| OCI | 42 (full) / 18 (OCI-R) | 5-8 min | Fast OCD screening | Self-report |
| Y-BOCS | 10 | 15 min | Gold-standard severity + treatment tracking | Clinician |
| DOCS (Dimensional OC Scale) | 20 | 5 min | Four-dimension model with distress + interference | Self-report |
| MOCI (older) | 30 | 6 min | Historical continuity; superseded by VOCI | Self-report |
Use VOCI when subtype mapping matters for treatment planning. Use OCI-R for fast screening. Use Y-BOCS for clinician severity tracking during treatment.
When to act on your VOCI result
- 0-60: No action. Retake if intrusive thoughts / compulsions increase.
- 61-100 (moderate): Clinical evaluation if the pattern is impairing daily life. Sub-scale profile guides where to start.
- 101-140 (high): Clinical evaluation. ERP + SSRI is first-line. Book a Mindtalk psychologist with OCD experience.
- 141+ (severe): Urgent clinical evaluation. Combined ERP + SSRI at higher-than-depression dose usually indicated. Consider intensive treatment (multiple ERP sessions per week).
- High Obsessions sub-scale (Pure-O pattern): Look specifically for an OCD therapist familiar with Pure-O ERP — imaginal exposure + mental-ritual response prevention. General CBT often misses Pure-O.
- High Hoarding sub-scale: Hoarding is now a separate DSM-5 diagnosis (Hoarding Disorder), distinct from OCD. Treatment differs — cognitive-behavioural for hoarding specifically.
After the VOCI
- Pair with Y-BOCS. Ask your clinician for Y-BOCS at intake and every 4-6 weeks during treatment for severity tracking.
- Sub-scale profile drives ERP planning. Bring your Mindtalk sub-scale profile to your first CBT session.
- Learn about the condition. Read our guide to obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Screen depression. OCD and depression commonly co-occur. Take PHQ-9 alongside.
- Consider comorbid conditions. OCD often co-occurs with tic disorders, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and ADHD. Bring a full history to consultation.
- Book a specialist. Mindtalk's psychologists with ERP training treat OCD across Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore, and online for anywhere in India.
Validation and evidence
Dana Thordarson, Adam Radomsky, Stanley Rachman, Roz Shafran and colleagues published the VOCI in 2004 as a revision of the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory. They wanted to cover obsessions, compulsions, avoidance and related personality features. The development study tested it in people with OCD, people with other anxiety disorders or depression, community adults and students, and reported good reliability and validity. A 2009 study of two non-clinical Spanish samples replicated the original six-factor structure. It also showed good convergent validity with other OCD measures and good divergent validity from depression, anxiety and worry measures. In 2026 Radomsky and colleagues published a shorter VOCI-2, which adds newer symptom areas such as mental contamination and reassurance seeking. We have not found an Indian validation of the VOCI.
References
- Thordarson DS, Radomsky AS, Rachman S, et al. The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI). Behav Res Ther. 2004;42(11):1289-1314. PubMed
- Nogueira Arjona R, Godoy Avila A, Gavino Lázaro A, et al. Psychometric properties of the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI) in two non-clinical Spanish samples. Psicothema. 2009;21(4):646-651. PubMed
- Radomsky AS, Giraldo-O'Meara M, Krause S, et al. The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-2 (VOCI-2). Behav Cogn Psychother. 2026. PubMed
How to take the VOCI
- 1
Open the VOCI in the Mindtalk app
Tap "Take the VOCI" to open the assessment. You will need a free Mindtalk account — sign-in takes under a minute.
- 2
Answer the 55 items
For each of the 55 statements, rate how well it describes you on a 0-4 scale (Not at all to Extremely). Some items describe distressing thoughts, some describe repetitive behaviours.
- 3
Get your total and six-dimension profile
Receive a total 0-220 score, six-dimension sub-scale profile, severity band, and a personalised next-step recommendation. The subtype profile is used for ERP treatment planning.
Related assessment guides
BDDC
Test whether concerns about your appearance fit Body Dysmorphic Disorder criteria in 3 minutes. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →OBQ-44
The Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire — measures the three cognitive belief domains that maintain OCD. 44 items, 8 minutes, free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →OCI
The 42-item OCD screener developed by Edna Foa and colleagues — measures 7 OCD symptom domains across washing, checking, doubting, ordering, obsessing, hoarding, and neutralising. 10-15 minutes. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →Y-BOCS (explained) → OCI free alternative
The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale — the gold-standard clinician-administered OCD severity measure. Learn what it is, and take free OCD screeners in the Mindtalk app.
Read the guide →Frequently Asked Questions
- How accurate is the VOCI?
- The original 2004 study tested the VOCI in people with OCD, people with other anxiety disorders or depression, community adults and students, and reported good reliability and validity. A Spanish study replicated its six-factor structure, with good convergent validity and good divergent validity from depression and anxiety measures. Its authors describe its psychometric properties as excellent. Its main strength is the subscale profile. Like any questionnaire, it screens rather than diagnoses.
- What are the six VOCI sub-scales?
- Contamination (fear of germs, dirt, illness; washing / avoidance compulsions). Checking (fear of harm from a mistake; repeated checking of locks, appliances, work). Obsessions (intrusive unwanted thoughts of violence, sex, blasphemy without visible compulsions — often called Pure-O). Hoarding (difficulty discarding, distress about loss of items, cluttered spaces). Just Right (need for symmetry, order, or a specific feeling of completeness). Indecisiveness (extreme difficulty making decisions, revisiting past decisions). Most people with OCD have one or two dominant sub-scales and lower scores on others.
- VOCI vs OCI vs Y-BOCS — which should I take?
- OCI (Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, 42 items) and its short form OCI-R (18 items) are the fastest self-report OCD scales — good for screening. VOCI (55 items) is longer but gives a much richer six-dimension subtype profile — best when treatment planning follows. Y-BOCS (Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale) is clinician-administered and is the gold-standard severity measure used in every OCD medication and CBT trial. Rule of thumb: OCI-R for fast screening, VOCI for subtype mapping, Y-BOCS for clinician severity + treatment tracking.
- What are the VOCI severity bands?
- The VOCI has no single validated clinical cut-off (unlike PHQ-9). The Mindtalk app uses guidance bands: 0-60 low, 61-100 moderate, 101-140 high, 141+ very high. These bands are for orientation, not diagnosis. The subscale profile is usually more useful than the total, and an OCD-trained clinician should interpret a high result.
- Is the VOCI validated in India?
- We have not found a published Indian validation of the VOCI. Its structure has been replicated outside Canada, including in Spanish samples. For Indian-language severity rating, the clinician-rated [Y-BOCS](/assessments/y-bocs) has validated Hindi, Kannada and Bengali versions (2025). Cultural note: contamination with religious-purity themes needs clinician sensitivity to tell OCD apart from normal ritual practice.
- What treatment works for OCD, and does subtype matter?
- First-line treatment is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — a specific CBT protocol. SSRIs at higher-than-depression doses (paroxetine 40-60mg, fluoxetine 60-80mg, sertraline 200mg, escitalopram 20-30mg) are also first-line, especially for moderate-severe OCD. Subtype matters for ERP because the exposures are different: Contamination = touching feared objects + not washing; Checking = leaving without checking + tolerating uncertainty; Obsessions (Pure-O) = imaginal exposure + response prevention on mental rituals; Hoarding = discarding + tolerating distress. A well-matched ERP protocol needs an OCD-experienced therapist.
- How is the VOCI scored?
- Each of the 55 statements is rated 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much). Add all items for the total (0-220), and add the items in each group for the six subscales: Contamination (12 items), Checking (6), Obsessions (12), Hoarding (7), Just Right (12) and Indecisiveness (6). Compare your subscales with each other to see which OCD pattern is strongest.
- How do I take the VOCI?
- Click 'Take the VOCI'. Complete the 55 items (8-10 minutes), receive your total + six-dimension profile + severity band, and get a personalised next-step recommendation. Free in the Mindtalk app.
Need a clinician's read on your results?
A high score is a signal, not a diagnosis. Mindtalk's psychiatrists and clinical psychologists can interpret your results and recommend next steps — same-day appointments available.