APGAR score calculator and chart
For healthcare professionals and students. Check results against your local protocols and clinical judgement; this tool does not give medical advice.
This APGAR score calculator adds up the five signs Virginia Apgar proposed for describing a newborn’s condition — Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration — each scored 0, 1 or 2. Tap the description that fits at 1 minute, then switch to 5 minutes (and 10, 15 or 20 if needed); each time keeps its own score in a small table, with the interpretation band used by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
It is meant for midwives, nurses, students and doctors learning or documenting the score, and for checking a chart quickly. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
How to use the APGAR Score Calculator
- Choose the minutes after birth you are scoring — start with 1.
- For each of the five signs, tap the box that best describes the baby; the total updates at once.
- Tick Resuscitation in progress if the baby is receiving interventions at that moment.
- Switch to 5 minutes and score again; the table keeps both. Continue every 5 minutes if the 5-minute score is below 7.
- Use Copy scores for the notes, or Clear all times to start a new baby.
APGAR Score Calculator features
Tap-to-score chart
All five signs with the full 0/1/2 descriptions on screen, large enough to use on a phone.
Several time points
Separate scores at 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes, shown together in one table.
Published bands
7–10 reassuring, 4–6 moderately abnormal, 0–3 low, as worded by AAP/ACOG.
Recording prompts
Reminds you to score at 5 minutes and to continue every 5 minutes up to 20 when the 5-minute score is under 7.
Resuscitation flag
Marks scores given during resuscitation, which the AAP/ACOG statement says are not equivalent.
APGAR score chart
From Apgar V. A proposal for a new method of evaluation of the newborn infant. Curr Res Anesth Analg 1953;32(4):260–267, in the wording of the AAP/ACOG table. The letters A-P-G-A-R are a later mnemonic for the same five signs.
| Sign | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance (colour) | Blue or pale all over | Body pink, extremities blue (acrocyanosis) | Completely pink |
| Pulse (heart rate) | Absent | Below 100/min | 100/min or more |
| Grimace (reflex irritability) | No response | Grimace | Cry or active withdrawal |
| Activity (muscle tone) | Limp | Some flexion | Active motion |
| Respiration | Absent | Weak cry, hypoventilation | Good, crying |
What the APGAR score means
“The Apgar Score”, AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn and ACOG Committee on Obstetric Practice, Pediatrics 2015;136(4):819–822 (also ACOG Committee Opinion 644, reaffirmed 2025; checked 19 October 2026) describes a score of 7 to 10 as reassuring, 4 to 6 as moderately abnormal and 0 to 3 as low in term and late-preterm infants. The score is reported at 1 and 5 minutes for every baby and, when the 5-minute score is below 7, every 5 minutes up to 20 minutes.
The same statement is clear about the limits: the Apgar score alone is not evidence of asphyxia, does not predict an individual baby’s mortality or neurological outcome, and is not used to decide whether or how to resuscitate — resuscitation starts before the 1-minute score. A score given during resuscitation is not the same as one given to a baby breathing on its own, which is why an expanded form recording the interventions is encouraged.
Common questions about particular scores
An Apgar score of 9 usually means the baby lost one point for colour: blue hands and feet (acrocyanosis) are common in the first minutes while the rest of the body is pink. A score that rises between 1 and 5 minutes — say from 7 to 9 — reflects the baby adapting after birth, which is exactly what the repeated scores are meant to show.
Several signs depend on maturity — tone, reflex irritability and colour in particular — so a healthy preterm baby may score lower without being unwell, and maternal sedation or anaesthesia can lower the score too. Interpret the number together with the baby’s gestational age and the full clinical picture.
APGAR Score Calculator FAQ
What does APGAR stand for?
Appearance (colour), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex irritability), Activity (muscle tone) and Respiration. The score is named after Dr Virginia Apgar, who proposed it in 1952 and published it in 1953; the acronym came later.
Is an Apgar score of 9 good?
Yes. Any score from 7 to 10 is described as reassuring by AAP/ACOG; 9 usually means the only point lost was for blue hands and feet.
When is the Apgar score done?
At 1 and 5 minutes after birth for every baby, and then every 5 minutes up to 20 minutes if the 5-minute score is below 7. The APGAR score calculator above keeps each time point separately.
Does a low Apgar score mean brain damage?
No. AAP/ACOG state the Apgar score alone does not predict an individual baby’s neurological outcome and is not evidence of asphyxia. It describes the baby’s condition at that moment.
Is the Apgar score used to decide resuscitation?
No. Resuscitation is guided by breathing, heart rate and tone straight after birth, before the 1-minute score is assigned.
How do I track a preterm baby’s age later on?
For age adjusted for prematurity, use the corrected age calculator.