Proposes a short version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) that contains only 21 statements denoting the highest degree of clinical depression, as compared to the original BDI (BDI-O), which consists of 21 item groups with each group containing 4 options. The author recruited a sample of 203 male and female volunteers (between the ages of 18 and 32 yrs) and introduced items of the short version in 2 response forms: Likert (L) and Yes/No (Y/N) format. The author also used 2 depression subscales derived from the Symptom Check List-90 and the Hopkins Symptom Check List. Results showed that the BDI-O had relatively lesser skew and kurtosis. However, the M/SD ratio was well balanced in the BDI-L and not in the original and BDI-Y/N versions. Cronbach's α, correlations with 4 other scales, and loadings onto 2 separate factors of depression were high in both BDI-O and BDI-L--although they were higher in the BDI-L, which also had improved factorial structure. The proposed short BDI-L version contains only one fourth of the BDI-O without deleting any of its symptom indicators and, therefore, the author concludes that the short BDI-L version contributes well to enhancing the BDI cost-effectiveness, especially in empirical research projects containing loaded test batteries