Bishop score calculator for cervical assessment
For healthcare professionals and students. Check results against your local protocols and clinical judgement; this tool does not give medical advice.
This Bishop score calculator totals the findings of a vaginal examination that describe how ready the cervix is for labour: dilatation, effacement, station of the presenting part, consistency and position of the cervix. It offers three versions — the original 1964 score, the modified score that uses cervical length instead of effacement, and the simplified three-item score — and quotes the thresholds used by NICE.
It is meant for midwives, obstetricians and students who want to check a total or compare versions. Tap the finding for each item; the total updates at once and can be copied into notes. Everything stays in your browser.
How to use the Bishop Score Calculator
- Choose Original, Modified or Simplified.
- Select the cervical dilatation found on examination.
- Select effacement (original and simplified) or cervical length (modified).
- Select the station of the presenting part relative to the ischial spines, then consistency and position where shown.
- Read the total and the threshold it falls in, and copy the result if needed.
Bishop Score Calculator features
Three versions
Bishop 1964 (0–13), the modified score with cervical length (0–13) and the simplified score of dilatation, effacement and station (0–9).
Item-by-item breakdown
Each finding is listed with its points so the total can be checked.
Sourced thresholds
NICE NG207 groupings (6 or less, more than 6, 8 or more) and the simplified cut-off of more than 5.
Phone-friendly
Large tap targets that work one-handed at the bedside.
Copyable summary
One line with each component, the total and the threshold.
Original Bishop score (1964)
Edward Bishop published the score as a “pelvic score” for elective induction in multiparous women: Obstet Gynecol 1964;24:266–268 (PubMed 14199536; the 1964 issue has no DOI). The table below is the one reproduced in table 2 of Laughon SK, Zhang J, Troendle J, Sun L and Reddy UM, Obstet Gynecol 2011;117(4):805–811.
| Item | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilatation (cm) | 0 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 5–6 |
| Effacement (%) | 0–30 | 40–50 | 60–70 | 80 or more |
| Station | −3 | −2 | −1 or 0 | +1 or +2 |
| Consistency | Firm | Medium | Soft | — |
| Position | Posterior | Mid | Anterior | — |
Modified Bishop score (cervical length)
Effacement in per cent is hard to judge consistently, so Calder AA, Embrey MP and Hillier K, “Extra-amniotic prostaglandin E2 for the induction of labour at term”, J Obstet Gynaecol Br Commonw 1974;81(1):39–46, are credited with replacing it by cervical length in centimetres. In the version used here, length scores 0 for over 4 cm, 1 for 2–4 cm, 2 for 1–2 cm and 3 for under 1 cm, and dilatation scores 0 under 1 cm, 1 for 1–2 cm, 2 for 2–4 cm and 3 over 4 cm. These bands come from current reference tables crediting Calder; we could not read the 1974 paper itself, so check them against your unit’s chart. NICE describes the Bishop score as based on “dilation, effacement (or length), position and consistency of the cervix and the station of the head”.
Thresholds: NICE, the simplified score and US practice
NICE guideline NG207, Inducing labour (published 4 November 2021; checked 19 October 2026) says a score of 8 or more “generally indicates that the cervix is ready to dilate”, and uses a score of 6 or less versus more than 6 when describing the choice of induction method. Follow the guideline itself and your unit’s protocol for what happens next.
Laughon and colleagues analysed 5,610 nulliparous women induced at term and found that only dilatation, station and effacement were significantly associated with vaginal birth. Their simplified Bishop score uses those three items with the same points (0–9); a simplified score above 5 had a positive predictive value of 87.7%, against 87.0% for an original score above 8, the cut-off used for comparison in that US study. Worked example (self-test): dilatation 3–4 cm, 60–70% effacement and station −1 score 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 on the simplified score.
Bishop Score Calculator FAQ
How is the Bishop score calculated?
Add the points for dilatation (0–3), effacement (0–3), station (0–3), consistency (0–2) and position (0–2), for 0 to 13. The Bishop score calculator above does the adding and lists each item.
What is a favourable Bishop score?
NICE NG207 says 8 or more generally indicates that the cervix is ready to dilate. Many US studies use a score above 8 as favourable; on the simplified score the equivalent is above 5.
What is the modified Bishop score used in the UK?
It replaces effacement with cervical length in centimetres (Calder 1974) and changes the dilatation bands. Choose Modified above to use it.
Does NICE or the NHS use a Bishop score of 6?
NG207 uses 6 or less versus more than 6 when it sets out the methods of inducing labour. Local NHS trust protocols build on this.
What is the simplified Bishop score?
Dilatation, effacement and station only, scored as in the original, for 0 to 9. Laughon et al. (2011) found it predicted vaginal birth after induction about as well as the full score.
Can I work out the due date here too?
No, but the pregnancy due date calculator gives gestational age and the expected date of delivery.