Chronic Fatigue Test — Free 12-Question Four-Track Fatigue Check

A free fatigue self-check that splits the past two weeks of tiredness into four tracks: physical energy, mental clarity, keeping daily life running, and recovery after rest. Twelve questions, about three minutes, with a 0-9 score per track.

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What's included

Questions: 12 items
Price: Free
Areas measured: Physical Energy · Mental Clarity · Ability to Manage Daily Life · Recovery After Resting

When this check is useful

If you wake unrefreshed after a full night's sleep, feel your energy switch off every afternoon, or keep re-reading the same line, it is worth taking stock. Rather than collapsing fatigue into one number, this check separates it into four tracks: physical energy, mental clarity, the strength to keep daily life running, and how well you recover after rest. The same word "exhausted" can call for very different remedies depending on which track is under strain.

It is especially useful if you are in a demanding stretch such as overtime or exams, if a whole weekend of rest leaves Monday unchanged, or if tiredness keeps making you cancel plans, exercise, or chores. The items were written by Soundary with reference to published fatigue research; they are not a translation or adaptation of any standardized fatigue scale, and the result is a reference self-check rather than a medical diagnosis.

What to do with your result

Each track scores 0-9: 0-2 means that area is holding up, 3-4 occasional strain, 5-6 frequent strain, and 7-9 strain almost every day. If body is high, start by fixing a consistent bedtime and cutting the stretches you push through on caffeine or sugar. If mind is high, work on one thing at a time and look away from the screen for five minutes every fifty. If daily life is high, break tasks into small pieces and schedule recovery first rather than squeezing out more willpower.

If recovery stays at 7 or above for several weeks, meaning rest no longer refills you, it is worth having a clinician check for sleep problems, anemia, thyroid issues, infection, or overlapping depression and anxiety. Repeat the check every two weeks to compare how the four tracks move, and pair it with a sleep check or a burnout or depression self-check to narrow down where the fatigue is coming from.

How scores are interpreted

Physical Energy

These 3 items examine fatigue felt primarily in the body, such as heaviness, shortness of breath, and afternoon burnout (0-9 points). A lower score means your physical energy is well maintained.

0–2pts · Well-energized
Your physical energy is generally sufficient to get through the day. This is a sign that your current rhythm of sleep, meals, and activity is working well, so keep it up.
3–4pts · Occasionally heavy
There are days when your body feels heavy. It helps to keep a consistent bedtime and add even just 10 minutes of walking during the day.
5–6pts · Frequently heavy
Your physical energy frequently runs out. Try reducing your total workload a bit and see if there are periods where you are relying on caffeine or sugar to get by. It is a good idea to check again in 2 weeks to compare the trend.
7–9pts · Highly exhausted
Your body feels heavy nearly every day. Long-lasting fatigue can be linked to various physical conditions such as sleep quality, anemia, thyroid issues, or infections. If these days continue for several weeks, we recommend getting checked at a nearby medical facility.

Mental Clarity

These 3 items examine mental fatigue, where focus blurs and words and thoughts come out slowly (0-9 points). A lower score means your mind is staying sharp.

0–2pts · Generally sharp
Reading, listening, and thinking are functioning without major hurdles. Please maintain your current rhythm of focus.
3–4pts · Occasionally foggy
There are occasional moments when your mind feels foggy. Handling one thing at a time and taking your eyes off the screen for 5 minutes every 50 minutes can make a difference.
5–6pts · Frequently foggy
Your focus frequently slips. Usually, this is not a sign of cognitive decline, but rather the first change that appears when your energy is low. Consider examining the quantity and quality of your sleep, along with the intensity of your work.
7–9pts · Highly foggy
Your thoughts and words feel slow nearly every day. When it lasts this long, there are things to look into, such as sleep issues, depression or anxiety, or thyroid problems, so we gently recommend speaking with a professional.

Ability to Manage Daily Life

These 3 items look at how much the things that keep your day running—like chores, appointments, and time for yourself—have been pushed back due to fatigue (0-9 points).

0–2pts · Managing well
Even on tiring days, your tasks and time for yourself are generally being maintained. You are doing well.
3–4pts · Occasional pauses
You sometimes postpone or give up on tasks due to a lack of energy. Setting just one most important task and allowing yourself to delay the rest can help reduce the burden.
5–6pts · Frequent pauses
Fatigue is bringing many parts of your daily life to a halt. Breaking tasks into smaller pieces and leaning on people or services for help is a good strategy. You are not being lazy; you are just running low on fuel.
7–9pts · Highly backlogged
It seems most of your daily life is being pushed back by fatigue. At times like this, rather than squeezing out more willpower, you need to schedule recovery itself as a priority. If this state continues for several weeks, we recommend exploring the cause through medical consultation or counseling.

Recovery After Resting

These 3 items look at how much your energy returns after sleeping and resting, measuring the speed of your recovery (0-9 points). A lower score means you recharge well when you rest.

0–2pts · Recovering well
The cycle of recharging through rest is active. As long as recovery is happening, even if fatigue builds up, you will quickly bounce back to normal.
3–4pts · Slightly slow recovery
You occasionally feel that resting doesn't recharge you as much as it used to. Often, the consistency of your bedtime plays a bigger role in recovery than the total hours slept.
5–6pts · Frequently slow recovery
Your energy rarely returns fully, even after a weekend or a break. Check if notifications and screens are still on during your rest time, and try to set aside time to do absolutely nothing.
7–9pts · Hardly recovering
The state of not feeling recharged even after resting is persisting. Fatigue where recovery has stopped does not easily resolve just by waiting for time to pass. We recommend speaking with a nearby medical facility or counseling professional to examine your sleep and physical condition together.

Sample questions

1. When I woke up in the morning, my body felt as heavy as if it were glued to the bed.
2. I quickly became short of breath and my limbs felt heavy even from doing things like climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
3. In the afternoon, my energy drained away as if the power had been suddenly turned off.
4. While reading, I reread the same line several times.

Take a moment to reflect on the past 2 weeks. Please select how often each statement applied to you. Consider both unusually busy days and well-rested days, and simply answer based on what was closest to your average. There are no right or wrong answers.

FAQ

How do I read my fatigue scores?

You answer 12 items on a 0-3 scale, and four tracks of three items each are scored 0-9: physical energy, mental clarity, keeping daily life running, and recovery after rest. 0-2 means holding up, 3-4 occasional strain, 5-6 frequent strain, and 7-9 strain almost daily. The point is to see which track stands out, not to get one total.

Can this test diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome?

No. This is a reference self-check developed by Soundary and does not diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome or any other condition. That diagnosis requires a clinician to weigh fatigue lasting six months or more, worsening after activity, and sleep and cognitive symptoms after ruling out other causes. Use the result as a summary to bring to an appointment.

Could my fatigue be depression or a thyroid problem?

Yes. Fatigue that rest does not fix can accompany sleep problems such as apnea or insomnia, anemia, an underactive thyroid, post-infection states, and depression or anxiety. If your recovery score stays at 7 or above for several weeks, or low mood and loss of motivation come with it, consider both blood tests and a mental health consultation.

How often should I retake it?

Because it asks about the past two weeks, every two weeks is a good interval. Retake it two weeks after adjusting something, such as bedtime or workload, to see which track eases first, and save results to compare busy periods with recovery periods. Daily retakes mostly reflect that day's condition and blur the trend.

Source

The items in this test are a self-check adaptation based on the original instrument and literature below: Self-check items composed by Soundary with reference to research on the physical and mental dimensions of fatigue, including Chalder, T., Berelowitz, G., Pawlikowska, T., Watts, L., Wessely, S., Wright, D., & Wallace, E. P. (1993). Development of a fatigue scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 37(2), 147–153. Not a translation or adaptation of any standardized instrument; a screening tool for reference only.

The items in this test were written by Soundary with reference to published diagnostic criteria and academic literature. They are not a translation or adaptation of any standardized instrument, and the score bands are Soundary's own self-check thresholds.

This is a self-screening tool, not a medical diagnosis. If the result concerns you, please consult a mental health professional.