Notice the process without judging the thought’s meaning
Nine original items concern repetition, unwanted appearance and difficulty disengaging. Their raw sum describes selected responses, without measuring the truth or danger of a thought.
Add items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 13, each scored 0–4 with no reversal. All nine are required; the possible sum is 0–36. No separate three-item subtype scores are issued.
Three related features remain in one published subscale
The core subscale combines repetition, thoughts appearing without invitation and difficulty shifting away from them. It is not a test of the content’s truth, intent or importance. An unwanted thought is not the same as an intention to act. The form asks about typical experiences with negative events or problems rather than requiring you to describe a private thought.
Keep the original interleaved item key
In the fictional worked pattern, the nine core responses are 2, 1, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3, 2 and 1. They total 18 out of 36. The questions appear among other subscale items in the original order; simply taking the first nine would use the wrong key. Eighteen is an example, without a middle-severity label or comparison with a population.
Reopening a message can serve different purposes
Imagine repeatedly reopening an unsent message. Checking a new factual detail can add useful information; rereading the same sentence while feeling unable to move on may feel different. This example does not tell you which a real situation is. The score cannot distinguish every useful review from a distressing loop, and it cannot establish why the pattern occurred.
Uncertainty is not absence of the experience
Zero means you selected Never for that statement, while unscored means there is not a numeric answer. One unscored response withholds the nine-item sum and the total, without changing complete sums from other parts. A larger core sum is not proof of weak will, and a smaller sum is not a guarantee of wellbeing. Do not infer severity from the midpoint.
Choose whether an observation would be useful
You can note the situation, whether new information appeared and whether the thinking felt hard to leave, without recording the thought’s private content. Stop the exercise if it increases distress. If the experience is persistent, upsetting or disruptive, professional support can be appropriate regardless of the score. This page does not ask you to force thoughts away or promise that a particular technique will resolve them.
Keep the subscale tied to its actual evidence
The item grouping comes from the original paper’s factor table and should not be expanded into new personality types. Its evidence belongs to the studied versions and samples, not automatically to a new translation. The English items retain their published wording under the credited CC BY 3.0 source; FermatMind’s Chinese wording and strict unscored policy are disclosed adaptations. No hiring or career-fit interpretation follows from this sum.