Disclosed are methods for determining the immunological status of the adaptive immune system of a subject by identifying and quantifying rearranged DNA (and/or subsequently transcribed RNA) sequences encoding T cell receptor (TCR) and/or immunoglobulin (IG) polypeptides, in a lymphoid DNA-containing sample from the subject TCR and/or IG sequence diversity and sequence distribution permit immunocompetence and immune repertoire assessment and reflect the degree of T cell or B cell clonality and clerical expansion in the sample. Methods for stratifying patient populations on the basis of immunocompetence including likelihood of responding to immunotherapy are also described.