Table of Contents
Instructions:
Below are statements that may or may not apply to you. Please tap “Not at all”, “A little”, “Some”, “Much”, or “Very much” to indicate how much each question applies to you.
How much is each of the following statements true of you?
| Not at all | A little | Some | Much | Very much | |
| I feel compelled to check letters over and over before mailing them. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often upset by my unwanted thoughts of using a sharp weapon. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I feel very dirty after touching money. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I find it very difficult to make even trivial decisions. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I feel compelled to be absolutely perfect. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly experience the same unwanted thought or image about an accident. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly check and recheck things like taps and switches after turning them off. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I use an excessive amount of disinfectants to keep my home or myself safe from germs. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I often feel compelled to memorize trivial things (e.g., license plate numbers, instructions on labels) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I have trouble carrying out normal household activities because my home is so cluttered with things I have collected. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| After I have decided something, I usually worry about my decision for a long time. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I find that almost every day I am upset by unpleasant thoughts that come into my mind against my will. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I spend far too much time washing my hands. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I often have trouble getting things done because I try to do everything exactly right. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Touching the bottom of my shoes makes me very anxious. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often upset by my unwanted thoughts or images of sexual acts. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Not at all | A little | Some | Much | Very much | |
| I become very anxious when I have to make even a minor decision. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I feel compelled to follow a very strict routine when doing ordinary things. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I feel upset if my furniture or other possessions are not always in exactly the same position. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly check that my doors or windows are locked, even though I try to resist the urge to do so. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I find it very difficult to touch garbage or garbage bins. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I become very tense or upset when I think about throwing anything away. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am excessively concerned about germs and disease. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often very late because I can’t get through ordinary tasks on time. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I avoid using public telephones because of possible contamination. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am embarrassed to invite people to my home because it is full of piles of worthless things I have saved. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly experience the same upsetting thought or image about death. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often upset by unwanted thoughts or images of blurting out obscenities or insults in public. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I worry far too much that I might upset other people. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often frightened by unwanted urges to drive or run into oncoming traffic. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I almost always count when doing a routine task. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I feel very contaminated if I touch an animal. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| One of my major problems is repeated checking. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I often experience upsetting and unwanted thoughts about losing control. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I find it almost impossible to decide what to keep and what to throw away. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am strongly compelled to count things. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly check that my stove is turned off, even though I resist the urge to do so. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Not at all | A little | Some | Much | Very much | |
| I get very upset if I can’t complete my bedtime routine in exactly the same way every night. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am very afraid of having even slight contact with bodily secretions (blood, urine, sweat, etc.). | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often very upset by my unwanted impulses to harm other people. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I spend a lot of time every day checking things over and over again. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I have great trouble throwing anything away because I am very afraid of being wasteful. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I frequently have to check things like switches, faucets, appliances, and doors several times. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| One of my major problems is that I am excessively concerned about cleanliness. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I feel compelled to keep far too many things like old magazines, newspapers, and receipts because I am afraid I might need them in the future. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly experience upsetting and unacceptable thoughts of a religious nature. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I tend to get behind in my work because I repeat the same thing over and over again. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I try to put off making decisions because I’m so afraid of making a mistake. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I often experience upsetting and unwanted thoughts about illness. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am afraid to use even well kept public toilets because I am so concerned about germs. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Although I try to resist, I feel compelled to collect a large quantity of things I never actually use. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I repeatedly experience upsetting and unwanted immoral thoughts. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| One of my major problems is that I pay far too much attention to detail. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I am often upset by unwanted urges to harm myself. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| I spend far too long getting ready to leave home each day because I have to do everything exactly right. | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Description
The VOCI was designed to provide a self-report assessment of a range of obsessions, compulsions, avoidance behaviour, and personality characteristics of known or theoretical importance in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). It has 55 questions rated on a five point Likert-type scale. It is useful in tracking the underlying cognitive structure of OCD and assessing symptoms over time. This scale is a more up to date revision of the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-Revised (MOCI-R).
Validity and Reliability
Thordarson et. al. (2004) evaluated the factor structure of the MOCI-R and modified the scale to produce a test with a high level of internal consistently and high loading factors (see reference). The authors established the validity of the VOCI through testing individuals with known diagnoses of either OCD (n = 88), depression or anxiety (n = 60). These scores were compared to community adult group (n = 39) and a student group (n = 200). A comparison between the mean score for the OCD sample and the mean for each comparison groups was conducted, using the Dunnett method of multiple comparisons. The OCD group scored significantly higher than the other groups on the VOCI total score, Contamination, Checking, Just Right, and Indecisiveness subscales. A t-test analysis was also undertaken to see if the scale could discriminate between different subtypes of OCD. The results clearly support the known-groups validity of the Contamination, Checking, Obsessions, and Hoarding subscales. Test re-test reliability among OCD groups is high, with all coefficients 0.9 or above after 47 days. For the student sample, however, test retest reliability was poor (0.5 to 0.6).
Interpretation
Results consist of a total raw score which is between 0 and 220, and 6 subscale scores: Contaminations (12 items, scores between 0 and 48) Checking (6 items, scores between 0 and 24) Obsessions (12 items, scores between 0 and 48) Hoarding (7 items, scores between 0 and 28) Just right (12 items, scores between 0 and 48) Indecisiveness (6 items, scores between 0 and 24) In addition to the raw scores, results are presented in terms of percentile ranks compared to an OCD group, anxious/depressed group (AD), community adults (CA), and a student (S) sample. Percentile ranks for the community adults group should be interpreted with caution as the validity group has a low sample size (n=39). High percentiles indicate high levels of symptoms compared to comparison group.
Developer
Thordarson, D.S., Radomsky, A.S., Rachman, S., Shafran, R., Sawchuk, C.N., Hakstian, A.R. (2004). The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI). Behaviour Research & Therapy, 42(11), 1289-1314
Number Of Questions
55
Developer Reference:
Thordarson, D.S., Radomsky, A.S., Rachman, S., Shafran, R., Sawchuk, C.N., Hakstian, A.R. (2004). The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI). Behaviour Research & Therapy, 42(11), 1289-1314
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/vancouver-obsessional-compulsive-inventory-voci/
Mohammed looti. "Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/vancouver-obsessional-compulsive-inventory-voci/.
Mohammed looti. "Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI)." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/vancouver-obsessional-compulsive-inventory-voci/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI)', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/vancouver-obsessional-compulsive-inventory-voci/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI)," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI). PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.