Do I have premature ejaculation? Take the 5-question self-test

Most men have wondered “do I come too quickly?” after sex that ended sooner than they wanted. The self-test above won’t diagnose you, but it answers a more useful question: do your answers look like what doctors call premature ejaculation, or more like a bad patch? Below is where the test comes from, how to read your score, what it can’t tell you and what to do next.

Where does this test come from?

It is inspired by the PEDT (Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool), a 5-item questionnaire built for clinical research and published in European Urology in 2007. The authors validated it in more than 1,300 men with and without premature ejaculation.

They compared three groups: 292 men diagnosed by a clinician, 309 men who said they had PE and 701 men who said they didn’t. That comparison is where the score bands still used today come from. Worth knowing: the lead author worked for the drug company Pfizer, and the tool was built for use in clinical trials. That doesn’t make the questionnaire worthless (researchers around the world use it), but it is a fair thing to mention. Our questions are reworded from the original, not copied, and the scoring follows the published bands.

What does each question actually measure?

Each question looks at one part of the medical definition, rather than just counting minutes. Together they cover five things:

• Control: how hard you find it to hold back when you want to.
• Frequency: whether coming before you want to is a one-off or happens most of the time.
• Sensitivity: how little stimulation it takes to push you over the edge.
• Your distress: how much it frustrates or upsets you.
• The relationship: whether it worries your partner or causes problems between you.

Notice what’s missing: there’s no stopwatch question. That is deliberate. Doctors care as much about control and how you feel as about time, because plenty of men who last a few minutes are perfectly happy, and some who last longer still feel out of control.

How do I read my score?

Each answer scores 0 to 4, so your total sits somewhere between 0 and 20. The bands come from the original validation study:

A high score is not a verdict, and a low one doesn’t mean your concerns don’t count. If something bothers you, it’s worth working on whatever the number says.

What do doctors mean by premature ejaculation?

The International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM) uses three criteria together: coming within about a minute of penetration (or a clear drop to around three minutes or less if you used to last longer), being unable to delay it on nearly every occasion, and feeling distressed or avoiding sex because of it (Serefoglu et al., 2014).

The NHS puts it more simply: ejaculating sooner than you or your partner would like, and it says that happening now and then is common and nothing to worry about. For context, a stopwatch study of 500 couples in five countries, including the UK, found a median of 5.4 minutes from penetration to ejaculation, with a huge range between men.

Doctors also separate lifelong PE (it has always been this way) from acquired PE (it started later). If you’re not sure which one fits, our guide to the types of premature ejaculation walks you through them.

How common is coming too quickly in the UK?

Very common. In the Natsal-3 national survey, 14.9% of sexually active men in Britain said they had reached climax more quickly than they wanted for three months or more in the past year, about 1 in 7. It was the most common sexual problem for men aged 16 to 24, at 16.5%.

UK urologists estimate that 20 to 30% of men are affected and fewer than a quarter seek help. So if you’ve just scored high, you’re in large company, and simply taking the test puts you ahead of most.

What can’t an online test tell you?

It can’t diagnose you, and it can’t find the cause. A score only reflects how you feel about recent sex, so it can be pushed up by a stressful month, a new partner or a long gap since you last came.

It also can’t spot the things a GP looks for: erection problems that make you rush, an inflamed prostate, an overactive thyroid, or medicines and drugs that change how you ejaculate. The ISSM definition was also written for vaginal sex, because there is little research on other kinds of sex, so bear that in mind if that isn’t the sex you have. And the PEDT was designed for research, not as a stand-alone screening tool. Treat your result as a starting point for a conversation, not the end of one.

Why show your score to your GP?

Because it turns an awkward conversation into a short one. Saying “I took a PEDT-style self-test and scored 12” tells your GP straight away that you’re talking about control, frequency and distress, not just one bad night.

It’s also useful later. Researchers use the PEDT to track change over time: a 2025 meta-analysis found that adding non-drug approaches such as behavioural techniques to the PE medicine dapoxetine improved PEDT scores more than dapoxetine alone. Retaking the test every few weeks gives you and your GP a simple way to see whether what you’re doing is helping. Our guide on whether to see your GP about premature ejaculation explains what the appointment involves.

What should I do with my result?

Start with the one thing your score points to. Here’s a simple way to decide:

• 8 or less: PE is unlikely. If you’d still like more control, read why some men come so quickly (nerves, a long gap, a new partner) and try the stop-start and squeeze techniques the NHS lists.
• 9 or 10: possible PE. Practise control for a few weeks with the exercises to last longer (pelvic floor work, breathing and stop-start), then retake the test. If your score doesn’t move, book your GP.
• 11 or more: likely PE. Book a GP appointment and bring your score. Meanwhile, start the exercises: UK urologists describe a mix of medicines and behavioural therapy as the mainstay of long-term treatment.

Medicines do help many men, and only a doctor can tell you whether they’re right for you. Exercises are something you can start today and keep doing alongside anything your GP suggests.

If you’d like a guided routine, Duro is an iPhone app that builds a 5-minute daily session from a free 3-minute assessment: guided Kegels, breathing, stop-start challenges and strength work. It’s currently available in French only, with an English version on the way, so it’s best suited to French speakers for now. See how Duro works. Duro is a training programme, not a medical treatment. If it keeps happening, talk to your GP.

When should I see my GP, whatever my score?

Some signs matter more than any test result. See your GP if:

• It started suddenly after years of lasting as long as you wanted. Acquired PE can have a physical cause, such as prostate or thyroid problems, which the NHS lists.
• You have pain when you ejaculate or during sex.
• You see blood in your semen. It’s usually not serious, but your GP should check it.
• You also have trouble getting or keeping an erection. The British Heart Foundation notes that erection problems can be an early sign of heart disease, so it’s worth getting checked.
• It’s affecting your mood or your relationship, or you’ve started avoiding sex.

GPs deal with this regularly. You won’t be the first person that day to bring it up, and having your score to hand makes the first sentence much easier.