What is the highest score on the Glasgow Coma Scale?

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a widely used tool for assessing a patient’s level of consciousness and neurological function after a brain injury. The scale evaluates three key aspects: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response, with a maximum score of 15 indicating full consciousness and responsiveness. Each component is scored as follows:

• Eye opening can score from 1 to 4.

• Verbal response can score from 1 to 5.

• Motor response can score from 1 to 6.

When you sum the highest possible scores from each of these three components, it totals to 4 (eye) + 5 (verbal) + 6 (motor) = 15. Thus, a GCS score of 15 reflects a fully alert and oriented patient, while scores lower than that indicate varying levels of altered mental status or impaired consciousness. Therefore, the highest score on the Glasgow Coma Scale is indeed 15.