Research-Validated Assessment

Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)

Measure your ability to bounce back from stress with this 6-item scientific questionnaire developed by Smith et al.

6 questions · 1 minute · Free · Instant results
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Uses official BRS with attribution

Rate how much you agree with each statement about how you typically respond to difficult situations. There are no right or wrong answers.

1

I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times.

2

I have a hard time making it through stressful events.

3

It does not take me long to recover from a stressful event.

4

It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens.

5

I usually come through difficult times with little trouble.

6

I tend to take a long time to get over setbacks in my life.

0 of 6 questions answered

Your Results

Brief Resilience Scale Score

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Score range: 1.0 to 5.0
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1.0 (Low) 3.0 5.0 (High)

What This Means

1.00 - 2.99 Low Resilience May take longer to recover from setbacks
3.00 - 4.30 Normal Resilience Typical recovery rate from stress
4.31 - 5.00 High Resilience Quick to bounce back from adversity

What You Can Do

    The Science Behind the BRS

    The Brief Resilience Scale was developed to assess resilience as specifically the ability to bounce back or recover from stress.

    From the Research

    "While resilience has been defined as resistance to illness, adaptation, and thriving, the ability to bounce back or recover from stress is closest to its original meaning. Previous resilience measures assess resources that may promote resilience rather than recovery..."

    — Smith, B.W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The Brief Resilience Scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194-200.

    Key insight: The BRS focuses specifically on recovery ability, not on protective factors like optimism or social support that other resilience scales measure. This makes it uniquely suited for assessing your core bounce-back capacity.

    Psychometric Properties

    "The BRS was reliable and measured as a unitary construct... The BRS is a reliable means of assessing resilience as the ability to bounce back or recover from stress and may provide unique and important information about people coping with health-related stressors."

    — Smith et al. (2008). International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

    Score Distribution

    Low
    Normal
    High
    Average: 3.70
    1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

    Based on combined samples of 844 participants (Smith et al., 2013)

    Reliability: Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.80 to 0.91 across four validation samples. The BRS has been validated in over 21 countries and consistently shows strong psychometric properties.

    Score Range Category Interpretation
    1.00 - 2.99 Low Resilience May need more time and support to recover from challenges
    3.00 - 4.30 Normal Resilience Recovers from stress at a typical pace
    4.31 - 5.00 High Resilience Bounces back quickly from difficulties
    How Scoring Works

    The BRS uses 6 items: 3 positively worded (1, 3, 5) and 3 negatively worded (2, 4, 6). Negative items are reverse-scored, then all scores are averaged. This produces a final score from 1.0 to 5.0.

    How the BRS Compares to Other Resilience Scales

    The BRS focuses specifically on bounce-back ability, while other scales measure broader aspects of resilience.

    Scale Focus Items Best For
    Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) Bounce-back ability 6 Quick assessment of recovery capacity
    Connor-Davidson (CD-RISC) Multiple resilience factors 25 Comprehensive resilience profile
    Grit Scale Perseverance and passion 8-12 Long-term goal pursuit

    The BRS is uniquely focused on recovery speed rather than the resources or traits that support resilience. This makes it particularly useful when you want to understand specifically how quickly you return to normal after setbacks.

    About This Assessment

    This page presents the official Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) developed by Bruce W. Smith and colleagues in 2008. We have implemented it with proper attribution and scoring as specified in the original research.

    The Brief Resilience Scale is freely available for research and educational purposes with proper citation. This implementation uses the exact 6-item questionnaire and scoring methodology from:

    Smith, B.W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The Brief Resilience Scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194-200.

    Score interpretation bands are based on Smith et al. (2013) as cited in measurement resources.

    This tool is provided for educational and self-reflection purposes. It is not a clinical diagnostic instrument and should not replace professional evaluation. Your score reflects self-reported tendencies and may vary based on current circumstances or mood.

    If you are experiencing significant stress or difficulty coping, consider speaking with a mental health professional who can provide personalized guidance.

    The BRS was primarily validated in adult populations. Research across 21 countries shows strong reliability, though measurement properties may vary slightly across different age groups and cultural contexts (Zhou et al., 2025).

    Resilience is not fixed. Your score reflects current tendencies, not a permanent trait. Many factors can influence resilience, and it can be developed through practice, support, and learning coping strategies.