MIDAS Score Calculator: Free Migraine Disability Assessment
Answer five questions about the last three months to calculate your MIDAS migraine disability score and Grade I-IV range. It can support a care conversation, but it cannot diagnose migraine or tell you which treatment you need.
1. Answer five questions
Count missed or less-productive days in work, home, and social life.
2. See the score and grade
The calculator adds your answers and maps the result to the MIDAS grade ranges.
3. Use it in context
Pair the score with your diary and a clinician's advice rather than treating it as a diagnosis.
"How bad are your migraines?" is a question most sufferers struggle to answer. Pain is subjective. But missed workdays, cancelled plans, and half-productive afternoons? Those are measurable. And that's exactly what the MIDAS score captures.
The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) was developed by researchers Richard B. Lipton and Walter F. Stewart. It has been validated in published studies, is used in headache care, and takes about 2 minutes to complete. The result is a single disability score that adds context to a broader clinical assessment.
Why Your MIDAS Score Matters
Most people dramatically underreport how much migraines affect their life. You power through bad days, skip the party without thinking twice, and slowly adjust your expectations downward. The MIDAS questionnaire gives you a structured way to count that impact.
Here's why that number matters clinically:
- It adds context. A clinician can consider the grade alongside headache frequency, symptoms, history, preferences, and other health conditions.
- It makes the conversation more specific. A score can help you describe missed days and reduced productivity alongside your symptoms, history, and treatment response.
- It tracks reported disability. Repeating MIDAS can show change over time, but a score alone cannot prove why it changed or prescribe the next step.
The MIDAS Grading Scale
Little or No Disability
Reported impact falls in the little-or-no-disability range.
Mild Disability
Starting to interfere with daily life. Worth discussing with your doctor.
Moderate Disability
Reported impact falls in the moderate-disability range.
Severe Disability
Reported impact falls in the severe-disability range; consider a clinical review.
Take the MIDAS Assessment
Answer 5 questions about the last 3 months. Be honest — the point isn't to get a "good" score, it's to get an accurate one. Your doctor needs the real picture.
Responde las 5 preguntas siguientes basándote en los últimos 3 meses. Ingresa 0 si la respuesta es ninguno.
Complementario (no puntuado — pero útil para tu médico)
0
What to Do With Your Score
Bring It to Your Doctor
Print or screenshot your results. The MIDAS score is one of the most widely recognized disability measures in headache medicine. Combined with a symptom history and tracking diary, it can add useful context, but it is not a complete assessment.
Retake It Every 3 Months
A single MIDAS score is a snapshot. The real value is tracking it over time. If you start treatment and your score changes after three months, discuss that change with your clinician alongside headache frequency, side effects, and other factors.
Combine It With Daily Tracking
MIDAS measures the what — how many days you lost. Daily headache tracking reveals surrounding context — possible triggers, patterns, and circumstances around attacks. Together, they can help you prepare a more specific care conversation.
Pair your MIDAS grade with real attack data
MIDAS summarizes three months in one number. Claru's Doctor Reports turn your logged attacks into a PDF with frequency, severity and medication entries, so your clinician sees both the score and the detail.
Download Claru freeAvailable for iOS and Android. Current availability and plans are listed in the app store.
How Many Migraines Is Too Many?
There is no universal cutoff. The right time to seek care depends on frequency, duration, symptoms, disability, changes from your usual pattern, and your medical history.
- Increasing frequency — record the change and discuss it with a clinician.
- Meaningful disability — missed work, school, household, or social activities matters even when attacks are less frequent.
- New or changing symptoms — seek medical advice regardless of your MIDAS score.
But frequency alone doesn't capture the full picture. Two migraines per month that each knock you out for 3 days is arguably worse than four migraines that each last 4 hours. That's why MIDAS measures disability, not just frequency — and why both numbers matter when talking to your doctor.
People Also Ask
Is the MIDAS questionnaire the same one doctors use?
MIDAS is a five-question questionnaire developed to assess migraine-related disability over the previous three months. Its original validation study found it reliable and valid in the migraine populations studied. A clinician may use MIDAS alongside your symptoms, history, and other assessments; it is not a diagnosis on its own.
What if my score seems too low but I still feel disabled?
MIDAS captures missed and reduced-productivity days, but some impacts are harder to quantify — anxiety about the next attack, avoiding trigger situations, reduced quality of life even on "good" days. If you feel your headaches are a significant problem, tell your doctor regardless of the score. MIDAS is one tool, not the whole picture.
Can I use MIDAS for tension headaches, not just migraines?
MIDAS was developed to assess migraine-related disability. If you have tension-type headaches or are unsure what type of headache you have, a clinician can help choose an appropriate assessment. You can also take the migraine vs headache quiz first.
What treatments are available for high MIDAS scores?
A high score is a reason to discuss the level of disability with a clinician. Any treatment conversation should account for diagnosis, frequency, other conditions, current medicines, pregnancy, side effects, access, and personal preferences. The score alone does not select a treatment.
Related Resources
- How Long Does a Migraine Last? Free Calculator
- Migraine vs Headache: How to Tell the Difference (+ Free Quiz)
- Pressure Points for Headaches: A Practical Guide
- Foods That Cause Migraines: Trigger Food Checker
- 5 Most Common Early Warning Signs Before a Migraine Starts
- Printable headache and migraine diary templates
- Migraine doctor appointment checklist
- Free migraine appointment resources
Sources: Stewart WF, Lipton RB, et al. (2001), Development and testing of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire, Neurology; Editorial standards. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. This tool is for educational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice. MIDAS was developed by Richard B. Lipton and Walter F. Stewart and is used here with attribution to its authors.