CVR Calculator

Content Validity Calculator

Enter your expert panel's ratings and get CVR, I-CVI, CVI, S-CVI/Ave and S-CVI/UA instantly.

Items
5
Experts
5
Evaluation model
Rating scale (Lawshe): 1 Essential 2 Useful but not essential 3 Not necessary
Click a cell and enter a rating between 1–3 (1 Essential, 2 Useful but not essential, 3 Not necessary). Navigate with the arrow keys, or paste a block copied from Excel directly into any cell. Your data is saved automatically in your browser.

CVI Content Validity Index (mean of CVR values)
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S-CVI/Ave Scale-level CVI (mean of I-CVI values)
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S-CVI/UA Scale-level CVI (universal agreement)
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Guide & Calculation Explanations

How to use
  1. Set the dimensions: Use the Items and Experts steppers above to size the table. Hover over a row or column header and click the × button to delete a specific item/expert.
  2. Enter the ratings: Type each expert's rating using Lawshe's 3-point scale: 1 Essential, 2 Useful but not essential, 3 Not necessary. Values shown in green count as "relevant" under the selected model; cells with an orange background mark missing ratings in a partially filled row.
  3. Choose a model: The Strict model counts only 1 as "relevant"; the Lenient model counts 1 and 2.
  4. Read the results: CVR and I-CVI appear at the end of each row; CVI, S-CVI/Ave and S-CVI/UA update automatically below the table.
  5. Work with Excel: Paste a block copied from Excel directly into any cell, use the "Paste from Excel" dialog, or copy the whole table with its results to the clipboard.

Keyboard shortcuts

  • 1–3 enters the rating and moves to the next cell
  • ↑ ↓ ← → navigate between cells
  • Enter moves down one cell, Backspace clears the cell

Your data is stored automatically in your browser, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off.

CVR (Content Validity Ratio)
CVR = (ne − N/2) / (N/2)

ne: Number of experts rating the item as "relevant"
N: Total number of experts rating the item

Lawshe's minimum CVR values

Number of Experts Minimum CVR
50.99
60.99
70.99
80.75
90.78
100.62
110.59
120.56
130.54
140.51
150.49
200.42
250.37
300.33
350.31
400.29
Source: Lawshe, C. H. (1975). A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel Psychology, 28(4), 563-575.
I-CVI (Item-level Content Validity Index)
I-CVI = Number of experts rating the item as "relevant" / Total number of experts

Evaluation criteria

  • 1-2 experts: I-CVI must be 1.0 (green)
  • 3+ experts:
    • I-CVI ≥ 0.78: Valid (green)
    • I-CVI 0.70–0.78: Needs revision (orange)
    • I-CVI < 0.70: Should be eliminated (red)

Note: Values range from 0 to 1. An I-CVI of 0.79 or more indicates the item is relevant, 0.70 to 0.79 indicates the item needs revision, and less than 0.70 suggests the item should be eliminated. With more than five experts, the acceptable value for I-CVI is 0.78.

Sources:
Lynn MR. Determination and quantification of content validity. Nurs Res. 1986;35(6):382–5. doi: 10.1097/00006199-198611000-00017.
Polit DF, Beck CT. The content validity index: are you sure you know what's being reported? Critique and recommendations. Res Nurs Health. 2006;29(5):489–97. doi: 10.1002/nur.20147.
CVI (Content Validity Index)
CVI = Average of all CVR values

Acceptable CVI values

Number of Experts Acceptable CVI Source of Recommendation
2At least 0.8Davis (1992)
3-5Should be 1Polit & Beck (2006), Polit et al. (2007)
At least 6At least 0.83Polit & Beck (2006), Polit et al. (2007)
6-8At least 0.83Lynn (1986)
At least 9At least 0.78Lynn (1986)
Sources:
Davis, L. L. (1992). Instrument review: Getting the most from a panel of experts. Applied Nursing Research, 5(4), 194-197.
Lynn, M. R. (1986). Determination and quantification of content validity. Nursing Research, 35(6), 382-385.
Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2006). The content validity index: are you sure you know what's being reported? Research in Nursing & Health, 29(5), 489-497.
Polit, D. F., Beck, C. T., & Owen, S. V. (2007). Is the CVI an acceptable indicator of content validity? Appraisal and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 30(4), 459-467.
S-CVI/Ave (Scale-level CVI / Average)
S-CVI/Ave = Average of all I-CVI values

Validity criteria

  • Excellent content validity: S-CVI/Ave ≥ 0.90
  • Insufficient: S-CVI/Ave < 0.90

Note: To determine the validity of S-CVI, researchers also use the CVI ≥ 0.8 criterion: if S-CVI ≥ 0.8, the scale is considered valid.

Sources:
Waltz, C. F., Strickland, O. L., & Lenz, E. R. (2005). Measurement in nursing and health research. Springer Publishing Company.
Shi, J., Mo, X., & Sun, Z. (2012). Content validity index in scale development. Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban, 37(2), 152-155.
S-CVI/UA (Scale-level CVI / Universal Agreement)
S-CVI/UA = Items rated "relevant" by all experts / Total number of items

Validity criteria

  • Excellent content validity: S-CVI/UA ≥ 0.80
  • Insufficient: S-CVI/UA < 0.80

Note: S-CVI/UA and S-CVI/Ave are both scale-level CVI values computed with different formulas. Researchers recommend that a scale with excellent content validity should be composed of I-CVIs of 0.78 or higher, with S-CVI/UA of 0.8 or higher and S-CVI/Ave of 0.9 or higher.

Sources:
Davis, L. L. (1992). Instrument review: Getting the most from a panel of experts. Applied Nursing Research, 5(4), 194-197.
Shi, J., Mo, X., & Sun, Z. (2012). Content validity index in scale development. Zhong Nan Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban, 37(2), 152-155.

Formula Guides

Deep dive into each validity calculation with detailed explanations, thresholds, and examples:

What is CVR? Content Validity Ratio formula, Lawshe's thresholds What is I-CVI? Item-level validity, Lynn & Polit criteria What is CVI? Scale-level average of CVR values What is S-CVI/Ave? Average of I-CVI values, 0.90 threshold What is S-CVI/UA? Universal agreement, 0.80 threshold