You might have GERD if you get heartburn or regurgitation (sour liquid or food coming back up) on two or more days a week, or if milder symptoms are troublesome enough to affect your life. That’s roughly the definition gastroenterologists use [Vakil et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006]. GERD is very common, affecting around 1 in 5 adults in North America and up to 1 in 4 in parts of Europe [El-Serag et al., Gut, 2014].

The quick quiz below checks your symptoms against that definition. It takes about a minute, flags anything that needs a doctor, and tells you what I’d do next. It can’t diagnose you, but it will show whether your symptoms fit the GERD pattern.

Do I Have GERD? Free Symptom Quiz

2 quick steps · about 1 minute · instant result

Key Takeaways

GERD is defined by troublesome reflux symptoms. Heartburn or regurgitation on 2 or more days a week is the usual threshold.
Heartburn and regurgitation are the two classic symptoms. Chest pain, a sour taste, night-time coughing and hoarseness can also be linked.
Throat symptoms without much heartburn may point to silent reflux (LPR) rather than classic GERD. The Reflux Symptom Index calculator checks for that.
No quiz can diagnose GERD. Even feeling better on a PPI isn’t proof you have it.
Difficulty swallowing, weight loss, vomiting blood, black stools or heart-type chest pain need a doctor, not a quiz.
Most GERD responds well to changes in eating habits, meal timing and sleep position, plus medication when needed.

How This GERD Quiz Works

The quiz asks how many days in the past week you’ve had four key symptoms: heartburn, regurgitation, reflux that disturbs your sleep, and needing antacids. Each scores from 0 to 3, for a total out of 12.

Likely GERD pattern: heartburn or regurgitation on 2 or more days a week, or a score of 6 or more.
Possible or mild reflux: symptoms on 1 day a week, or a score of 3 to 5.
Unlikely: little or no heartburn or regurgitation.

It also asks about upper stomach pain and nausea. These don’t count toward your score, because they point more toward the stomach than reflux. If they’re your main symptoms, the result tells you so.

Finally, it asks whether you have ongoing throat symptoms like throat clearing, hoarseness or a lump feeling. If you do, you’ll be pointed to the RSI test for silent reflux. That’s important because I was diagnosed with GERD first, and it turned out my problem was mainly LPR. I tell that story in how I cured my GERD.

What Counts as GERD?

An international panel of 44 experts defined GERD as reflux of stomach contents that causes troublesome symptoms or complications [Vakil et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006]. Two parts of that definition matter.

“Troublesome” means it affects your wellbeing. Occasional heartburn after a big curry isn’t GERD. Mild symptoms on 2 or more days a week, or moderate to severe symptoms on even 1 day a week, usually count.
“Or complications” means someone can have GERD with damage to the esophagus, such as erosive esophagitis, even if their symptoms are mild.

The same definition recognizes that reflux can show up outside the esophagus, including as laryngitis, chronic cough, asthma and dental erosion. Those are the “extraesophageal” forms, and they overlap heavily with what’s now called LPR.

Common GERD Symptoms

The two classic symptoms

Heartburn: a burning feeling behind the breastbone, often after meals or when lying down or bending over.
Regurgitation: sour or bitter liquid or food coming up into your throat or mouth. See water brash and regurgitation.

GERD or Something Else?

Several conditions look like GERD, and getting the label right matters because the treatments differ.

Silent reflux (LPR): mainly throat symptoms with little heartburn. PPIs often don’t help, which is what happened to me. See GERD vs LPR, or check your score with the RSI calculator.
Functional dyspepsia: upper stomach pain, early fullness and nausea without much heartburn. See functional dyspepsia and indigestion vs acid reflux.
Gastritis or a stomach ulcer: gnawing or burning pain in the upper stomach, sometimes eased or worsened by food. See stomach ulcer or acid reflux.
Heart problems: chest pain with exertion, breathlessness or sweating must be checked urgently. See heartburn or heart attack.

Why a Quiz Can’t Diagnose GERD

Symptoms are a good starting point, but they aren’t proof. Even the common shortcut of “if a PPI helps, it must be GERD” is unreliable. A meta-analysis comparing PPI response with pH testing found it picked up 78% of people with GERD but correctly ruled it out in only 54% of people without it [Numans et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004].

For classic heartburn and regurgitation without warning signs, current US guidelines support a trial of acid-suppressing medication as a first step. Endoscopy is recommended when there are warning signs or symptoms don’t respond [Katz et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2022]. Confirming GERD properly means testing: an endoscopy to look for damage, or pH monitoring such as the Bravo test to measure reflux directly. The latest international criteria set out exactly which test results confirm or rule out GERD [Gyawali et al., Gut, 2024]. For the full process, see how acid reflux is diagnosed.

When to See a Doctor

See your doctor promptly, whatever your quiz result, if you have:

Difficulty or pain when swallowing, or food getting stuck
Unexplained weight loss
Vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
Black, tarry stools
Persistent vomiting
New symptoms at age 55 or over
Symptoms that persist despite treatment

Chest pain that comes on with exertion, or comes with breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading to your arm or jaw, is an emergency. Call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US.

What to Do If Your Quiz Suggests GERD

The steps that made the biggest difference for me also have good evidence for GERD itself:

Stop eating 3 hours before bed. See how long before bed you should stop eating.
Eat smaller meals and cut back on fatty and fried food.
Raise the head of your bed if you have symptoms at night. See how to raise the head of your bed.
Use an alginate after meals, such as Gaviscon Advance.
Find your trigger foods. Coffee, alcohol, citrus, tomatoes, chocolate and spicy food are the usual suspects.

If you want all of this in one structured plan, the Wipeout Diet Plan sets out exactly what to eat, when and how much.

Conclusion

The quickest way to answer “do I have GERD?” is to look at how often you get heartburn and regurgitation, and how much they bother you. Two or more days a week is the classic sign. The quiz above checks that in a minute, flags warning signs, and points you to the RSI test if your symptoms are mainly in your throat. It can’t replace a doctor, and nothing short of testing confirms GERD for certain. But it gives you a clear starting point, which is more than I had when I was first told I had GERD.

If your result points to GERD, the Wipeout Diet Plan is my complete, step-by-step guide to calming reflux through food, meal timing and daily habits. I designed it originally around silent reflux, but because it targets the same root causes, it works equally well for classic GERD and heartburn.

If you want something simpler to start with, the Wipeout Food Reference Guide is the essential companion. It lists reflux-friendly foods and drinks with their pH values, so you can quickly see what’s safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have GERD or just heartburn?

Occasional heartburn after a big or spicy meal is common and isn’t GERD. It becomes GERD when symptoms are frequent (usually 2 or more days a week) or troublesome enough to affect your daily life, or when reflux has caused damage to the esophagus.

Can you have GERD without heartburn?

Yes. Some people mainly have regurgitation, a chronic cough, hoarseness or throat symptoms. When reflux mainly affects the throat with little heartburn, it’s often called silent reflux or LPR. The RSI calculator is designed for that.

Is this GERD quiz accurate?

It follows the definition doctors use, but no symptom quiz can diagnose GERD. Some conditions, like functional dyspepsia and heart problems, can feel similar. Use your result as a guide for what to do next and what to discuss with your doctor.

How is GERD diagnosed?

Doctors usually start with your symptoms, and often a trial of acid-suppressing medication. If there are warning signs, or symptoms don’t respond, the next steps are an endoscopy and pH monitoring, which measure reflux directly.

Can GERD go away on its own?

It can improve a lot, especially when it’s driven by things you can change, like late meals, large portions, extra weight or smoking. Some people need ongoing treatment, particularly if they have a hiatal hernia.

What’s the difference between GERD and LPR?

GERD mainly affects the esophagus and typically causes heartburn and regurgitation. LPR is reflux that reaches the throat and voice box, causing throat clearing, hoarseness and a lump feeling, often without heartburn. Many people have both. See GERD vs LPR.

Research & References

Vakil et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2006. The Montreal consensus of 44 experts from 18 countries defined GERD as reflux causing troublesome symptoms and/or complications, and recognized extraesophageal syndromes such as laryngitis, cough, asthma and dental erosion.
El-Serag et al., Gut, 2014. A systematic review estimated GERD prevalence at 18.1% to 27.8% in North America and 8.8% to 25.9% in Europe, with evidence that prevalence is increasing.
Numans et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004. A meta-analysis of 15 studies found that response to a short PPI trial had 78% sensitivity and 54% specificity for GERD against pH monitoring, so it doesn’t confidently establish the diagnosis.
Katz et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2022. The American College of Gastroenterology guideline on diagnosing and managing GERD, covering medication, lifestyle, surgical and endoscopic management.
Gyawali et al., Gut, 2024. The Lyon Consensus 2.0 sets out the test criteria for and against a GERD diagnosis, including when endoscopy and pH monitoring confirm it.

Do I Have GERD? Free 1-Minute Quiz & Symptom Checker