Beighton score calculator
The Beighton score, also called the Beighton scale or Beighton test, is a 9-point hypermobility test. Check each joint, get your score out of 9 and see what it means for your age.
Beighton score calculator
Move gently and don’t force any joint. Stop if anything hurts. Elbows and knees are easier to judge with someone watching from the side.
Little fingers
With your palm flat on a table, gently bend your little finger back with your other hand: yes if it goes past 90°, beyond pointing straight up.
Thumbs
With your arm out and your wrist bent down, gently pull your thumb towards the inside of your forearm: yes if it touches your forearm.
Elbows
Hold your arms out straight to the sides, palms up: yes if an elbow bends backwards more than 10° past straight.
Knees
Stand up with your legs straight: yes if a knee bends backwards more than 10° past straight.
Palms on the floor
Stand with your knees straight and bend forward: yes if you can put both palms flat on the floor.
Your Beighton score
0 out of 9
Answer the 9 checks to get your score out of 9.
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Runs in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent, so your answers are gone when you leave this page.
A score for your clinician, not a diagnosis.
Want to keep your score with the rest of your health history? In the Juno app you tell Juno how you feel by voice or text, and it keeps your score, symptoms and context together.
How to do the Beighton test
The Beighton score comes from a 1973 study by Peter Beighton and colleagues. It checks how far nine joints bend, with 1 point for each, so the highest score is 9.
| Check | Points |
|---|---|
| Little finger bends back past 90° | 1 for each hand |
| Thumb can be pulled down to touch the forearm | 1 for each hand |
| Elbow bends backwards more than 10° | 1 for each arm |
| Knee bends backwards more than 10° | 1 for each leg |
| Palms flat on the floor with knees straight | 1 |
| Total | 9 |
Move gently and don’t force any joint. Stop if anything hurts. Elbows and knees are easier to judge with someone watching from the side.
- Little fingers. With your palm flat on a table, gently bend your little finger back with your other hand: yes if it goes past 90°, beyond pointing straight up.
- Thumbs. With your arm out and your wrist bent down, gently pull your thumb towards the inside of your forearm: yes if it touches your forearm.
- Elbows. Hold your arms out straight to the sides, palms up: yes if an elbow bends backwards more than 10° past straight.
- Knees. Stand up with your legs straight: yes if a knee bends backwards more than 10° past straight.
- Palms on the floor. Stand with your knees straight and bend forward: yes if you can put both palms flat on the floor.
How to read your score
The 2017 international classification of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes uses these cut-offs for generalised joint hypermobility:
| Age group | Beighton score |
|---|---|
| Children and teenagers before puberty | 6 or more |
| From puberty to age 50 | 5 or more |
| Over age 50 | 4 or more |
A score at or above the cut-off shows generalised joint hypermobility only. It is not a diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), which need a clinician and further criteria. A clinician may also use the five-part Hakim–Grahame questionnaire, which asks about how flexible you are now and were in the past.
What to do next
If you have symptoms or questions about your joints, see your GP, a physiotherapist or a rheumatologist and bring your result. The calculator prints it or copies it, with every check you answered yes or no.
Our guide to EDS symptoms has a printable checklist to take with you, and the free symptom tracker keeps a record between appointments.
Questions
What is the Beighton score?
A 9-point test of how far some joints bend. You get 1 point for each little finger that bends back past 90°, each thumb that can be pulled down to touch the forearm, each elbow and each knee that bends backwards more than 10°, and 1 for putting your palms flat on the floor with your knees straight.
What Beighton score means hypermobility?
In the 2017 international criteria, generalised joint hypermobility is a score of 6 or more for children and teenagers before puberty, 5 or more from puberty to age 50, and 4 or more over age 50.
Does a high Beighton score mean I have EDS?
No. A high score shows generalised joint hypermobility only. It is not a diagnosis of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD), which need a clinician and further criteria.
Can I do the Beighton test at home?
Yes, as a first check. Move gently, don’t force any joint and stop if anything hurts. Elbows and knees are easier to judge with someone watching from the side. Then take your score to your GP, a physiotherapist or a rheumatologist.
Is the Beighton scale the only hypermobility test?
No. A clinician may also use the five-part Hakim–Grahame questionnaire, which asks about how flexible you are now and were in the past.
Does this page save my answers?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing is stored or sent to Juno, so your answers are gone when you close the page. Print or copy your result first if you want to keep it.
Sources
- Malfait F et al. The 2017 international classification of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet, 2017
- Beighton P, Solomon L, Soskolne CL. Articular mobility in an African population. Ann Rheum Dis, 1973
- NHS: Joint hypermobility syndrome
Last updated 12 October 2026. This page is general information. It does not diagnose and does not replace advice from your own clinician.
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