This article reviews both the commonly used functional outcome scales and the detailed neurologic deficit scales that are currently employed in stroke therapeutic efficacy trials. Both types of scales have their apparent advantages, with the neurologic scales being able to detect smaller changes in the patient's neurologic function, whereas the functional outcome scales appear to have more relevance to the patient's ability to function independently. Clearly, both types of scales also possess weaknesses, and to date there is no agreement on a single gold standard for measuring a drug's therapeutic efficacy after a stroke.