The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised yields a maximum score of 40 using interview and collateral history. What score conventionally establishes a diagnosis of psychopathy in research and forensic practice?

• A 15 or above
• B 20 or above
• C 25 or above
• D 30 or above ✓

Explanation

On the PCL-R, a score of 30 or above out of 40 defines psychopathy in North American and most international usage; scores of 20 to 29 indicate psychopathic traits but fall short of the diagnostic band. The instrument measures glibness, grandiosity, callousness, lack of remorse, and antisocial lifestyle, and high scores predict recidivism, which is why the cutoff matters in forensic settings.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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