Maternity
APGAR score calculator
Score a newborn on the five APGAR signs — Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration — each 0 to 2, for a total of 0 to 10, and see the commonly cited interpretation band. Assessed at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Free, no signup, runs in your browser.
Interactive calculator
APGAR score calculator
Choose the best observation for each of the five signs — Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration — to see the total (0–10) and the interpretation band. Select all five to compute a total.
Result
Select an option for all five signs to see the total and the interpretation band.
For education and practice only. This tool is a study aid, not a substitute for clinical judgment, a newborn resuscitation protocol, or institutional policy. The APGAR guides immediate assessment; it does not by itself predict long-term outcome.
How it works
The five APGAR signs, scored 0–2
APGAR is a mnemonic for the five signs assessed just after birth. Each sign is scored 0, 1, or 2 on the criteria below, and the five are summed for a total of 0 (worst) to 10 (best).
| Sign | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Appearance (skin color) | Blue or pale all over | Body pink, extremities blue (acrocyanosis) | Completely pink |
| P Pulse (heart rate) | Absent | Below 100 bpm | 100 bpm or above |
| G Grimace (reflex irritability) | No response to stimulation | Grimace / weak cry | Cry, cough, sneeze, or pulls away |
| A Activity (muscle tone) | Limp / flaccid | Some flexion of extremities | Active motion, well flexed |
| R Respiration | Absent | Slow or irregular, weak cry | Good, strong cry |
Total score
Total = A + P + G + A + R (each 0–2) → 0 to 10
Add the five signs. Commonly cited bands: 7–10 reassuring / generally normal, 4–6 moderately depressed, 0–3 severely depressed.
When it’s assessed
1 min · 5 min · every 5 min to 20 min if low
The 1-minute score reflects how the newborn tolerated birth; the 5-minute score reflects the response to support. The APGAR guides assessment and resuscitation decisions but does not by itself predict long-term outcome.
Worked example
An APGAR score, sign by sign
The newborn
A newborn with a heart rate of 140 bpm, a strong cry, active motion, who cries and pulls away when stimulated, and whose body is pink but with blue hands and feet (acrocyanosis). What is the APGAR score?
The scoring
- Appearance: body pink, extremities blue = 1.
- Pulse: 140 bpm (≥ 100) = 2.
- Grimace: cries and pulls away = 2.
- Activity: active motion = 2.
- Respiration: strong cry = 2.
- Total: 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 9.
Answer: APGAR 9 (reassuring, 7–10 band).
Reading the result
A score of 9 sits in the reassuring 7–10 band. The one point that was “lost” is Appearance — acrocyanosis (blue hands and feet) is common and normal in the first minutes while circulation adjusts.
This is exactly why a perfectly healthy newborn very often scores 9 rather than a perfect 10. Enter these five observations in the calculator above to see the same total and breakdown returned.
Document the breakdown, not just the total, and repeat the score at 5 minutes — the trend matters more than any single number.
Common questions
The APGAR score, explained
- What is the APGAR score and what does each letter stand for?
- APGAR is a quick newborn assessment scored just after birth. The letters are a mnemonic for the five signs assessed: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration. Each sign is scored 0, 1, or 2, and the five are summed for a total of 0 to 10.
- How is each of the five signs scored 0 to 2?
- Appearance: 0 = blue or pale all over, 1 = body pink with blue extremities (acrocyanosis), 2 = completely pink. Pulse: 0 = absent, 1 = below 100 bpm, 2 = 100 bpm or above. Grimace: 0 = no response to stimulation, 1 = grimace or weak cry, 2 = cry, cough, sneeze, or pulls away. Activity: 0 = limp/flaccid, 1 = some flexion of extremities, 2 = active motion, well flexed. Respiration: 0 = absent, 1 = slow or irregular with a weak cry, 2 = good, strong cry.
- When is the APGAR score assessed and why?
- The APGAR is assessed at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth, and then every 5 minutes up to 20 minutes if the score stays low. The 1-minute score reflects how the newborn tolerated the birth process, while the 5-minute score reflects the response to any support given — the trend between them helps guide immediate assessment.
- What do the APGAR interpretation bands mean?
- Commonly cited bands are: 7–10 reassuring or generally normal, 4–6 moderately depressed, and 0–3 severely depressed. Lower scores prompt closer assessment and resuscitation support. These bands are widely used as a general guide, not a rigid rule, and are always interpreted alongside the full clinical picture.
- Why does a healthy newborn often score 9 instead of 10?
- Acrocyanosis — a pink body with blue hands and feet — is common and normal in the first minutes of life while circulation adjusts. Because Appearance is scored 1 rather than 2 when the extremities are still blue, a perfectly healthy newborn very often scores 9 rather than a perfect 10.
- Does the APGAR score predict a baby's long-term outcome?
- No. The APGAR is a snapshot that guides immediate assessment and resuscitation decisions right after birth. A single score does not by itself predict long-term neurologic or developmental outcome, which is why the score is repeated and interpreted alongside the full clinical picture. This tool is a free study and practice aid, not medical advice.
Keep studying maternity
From newborn assessment to the full topic
The APGAR is one piece of maternal-newborn care. Practice the full OB & maternity question bank, estimate a due date with the pregnancy calculator, or explore the other free tools.
This calculator and all study material on this site are provided for practice and study only — they are not medical advice or a substitute for clinical judgment, a newborn resuscitation protocol, or institutional policy. The APGAR guides immediate assessment and does not by itself predict long-term outcome. NCLEX® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN), which does not endorse or sponsor this site.