ADHD Self-Test for Adults
This free ADHD self-test uses the six questions of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Screener. Answer for the past 6 months and see how you compare with the screener's cut-off.
Adult Self-Report Scale-V1.1 (ASRS-V1.1) Screener
Check the box that best describes how you have felt and conducted yourself over the past 6 months. Please give the completed questionnaire to your healthcare professional during your next appointment to discuss the results.
The 6-question Adult Self-Report Scale-Version1.1 (ASRS-V1.1) Screener is a subset of the 18-question Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-Version1.1 (Adult ASRSV1.1) Symptom Checklist. © New York University and the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Shown with attribution as NYU permits; questions, answers and scoring are unchanged. ADHD Self-Test is not affiliated with NYU or Harvard.
Your result
0 of 6
Your answers may be consistent with adult ADHD
The screener's own instructions say: "Four (4) or more checkmarks indicate that your symptoms may be consistent with Adult ADHD. It may be beneficial for you to talk with your healthcare provider about an evaluation."
This is a screening result, not a diagnosis. Other conditions can lead to similar answers, which is why a provider also asks about your mood and medical history. Only a qualified professional can tell you whether ADHD is the explanation.
Your answers are below the screener's cut-off
Fewer than 4 of your answers fell in the shaded range. That does not rule ADHD out: in the original study the screener identified about 69% of adults who had ADHD, so some people with ADHD score below 4 (Kessler et al., 2005).
If attention, organization or restlessness keep getting in the way at work, at home or in your relationships, it is still worth talking with a health care provider.
Answers in the shaded range
None of your answers fell in the shaded range.
A second way to score it
In 2024 the scale's Harvard research team posted a scoring update describing an alternative 0 to 24 method: Never 0, Rarely 1, Sometimes 2, Often 3 and Very Often 4 points per question. They found it more robust, especially for research. On that scale, 14 or more screens positive.
Your total: 0 of 24, which is 14 or more.which is below 14.
What to do next
- Print or save your answers and bring them to a primary care provider or a mental health professional. The screener was written to start that conversation.
- Expect more than a questionnaire. The National Institute of Mental Health says a provider may use clinical interviews, rating scales and questions about your childhood, mood and medical history, and may ask to talk with people who know you well.
- Not sure where to start? Search for mental health services near you at FindTreatment.gov, or call SAMHSA's free, confidential National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 (24/7, English and Spanish).
If you're in crisis: call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US, free, confidential, 24/7), or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Outside the US, call your local emergency number.
Optional: an ADHD-friendly strategy guide
Your result above is complete and free. Separately, we're considering a short guide of everyday planning and organizing methods, arranged around the six areas this screener asks about.
This guide isn't available yet. We're checking whether people want it before we write it. Nothing has been charged, and we didn't ask for your email.
It will be general self-help, not treatment, and it won't replace care from a health care professional.
How this ADHD self-test works
- Answer six questions about the past 6 months. For each one, pick how often it happens, from Never to Very Often.
- Your browser scores it. Questions 1 to 3 count when you answer Sometimes, Often or Very Often. Questions 4 to 6 count at Often or Very Often. These are the darker boxes in the test, as on the paper form.
- See your result. Four or more answers in the shaded range means your symptoms may be consistent with adult ADHD, and an evaluation may be worth discussing with a health care provider.
What an ADHD self-assessment can and can't tell you
A self-assessment is a starting point. It turns a vague worry into six concrete answers you can take to a professional. It cannot diagnose ADHD.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains that many people show some of these behaviors some of the time. For adults with ADHD, they are more severe, frequent and persistent, interfere with daily life, occur across multiple situations and last at least 6 months. Adults must also have shown symptoms starting before age 12.
The screener was checked against clinicians' diagnoses in its original 2005 study of 154 adults. It identified 68.7% of the people who had ADHD (sensitivity) and correctly cleared 99.5% of the people who did not (specificity). The sample was small and deliberately included more people who reported childhood ADHD, so accuracy in other groups can differ. In plain terms: a result of 4 or more is a good reason to talk with a professional, and a result below 4 does not prove you don't have ADHD.
Before you take the ADHD self-test
- Think about the last 6 months as a whole, not your best or worst week.
- Answer about yourself. The screener is a self-report for adults 18 and older, not a way to rate someone else.
- Nothing you choose is sent anywhere, so you can answer honestly.
- If a question doesn't fit your life right now, pick the answer that comes closest.
After the test: what to do with your result
Whatever your result, if attention, organization or restlessness keep causing problems at work, at home or in your relationships, talk to a primary care provider or a mental health professional, and bring your printed answers.
NIMH describes what an adult ADHD evaluation can involve: clinical interviews, behavior rating scales or symptom checklists, questions about your mood and medical history to rule out other explanations, and sometimes talking with people who know you well or looking at old school reports, because symptoms must have started in childhood.
NIMH also says it is never too late to seek a diagnosis, and that effective treatment can make day-to-day life easier for many adults and their families. A provider can explain the options that fit you.
Where these questions come from
The questions are the ASRS v1.1 Screener, created by Dr. Lenard Adler of NYU and Dr. Ronald Kessler of Harvard and first published as the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (Kessler et al., 2005). The six questions are Part A of the 18-question ASRS v1.1 Symptom Checklist; they were selected statistically because they best matched clinicians' diagnoses.
NYU, which licenses the scale, makes the screener freely available, including for commercial use, as long as it is credited and not modified other than to make an electronic version. We show the questions, answer options and scoring exactly as published. Read how the scoring works on our ASRS v1.1 Screener page.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official ADHD test?
No online or paper questionnaire can diagnose ADHD on its own. This page uses a published, research-based screener, the ASRS v1.1, but only a qualified health care professional can diagnose ADHD.
Is the ADHD self-test free?
Yes. The test and the full result are free, with no sign-up and no email. We may later offer an optional paid guide for $12; you never need it to see your result.
Do you store my answers?
No. Scoring happens in your browser. Your answers and result are never sent to us or anyone else, and they are gone when you leave the page. See our Privacy Policy.
Can I take it for my child or teenager?
No. The ASRS v1.1 Screener is intended for adults 18 and older. For a child or teen, talk to their pediatrician or another health care provider.
I scored below 4 but I still struggle. What now?
Talk to a provider anyway. The screener misses some adults who have ADHD, and other conditions can cause similar problems. How much your difficulties get in the way of daily life matters more than one number.
Does this ADHD self-assessment work for women?
The same six questions are used for all adults. ADHD in girls and women is often missed in childhood, so we put together a separate ADHD test for women page with what research says about it.
More on ADHD self-screening
Sources
- Kessler RC, Adler L, Ames M, et al. The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine. 2005;35(2):245-256. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15841682/
- NYU Langone Health, Technology Opportunities & Ventures. ASRS v1.1 6-Question Screener. https://license.tov.med.nyu.edu/product/asrs6Qscreener
- Harvard Medical School, National Comorbidity Survey. ASRS v1.1 Scoring update. Posted February 28, 2024 (archived copy). https://web.archive.org/web/2024id_/https://hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/ftpdir/adhd/ASRS_v1.1_screener(6Q)_scoring_update.pdf
- National Institute of Mental Health. ADHD in Adults: 4 Things to Know. NIH Publication No. 24-MH-3573, 2024. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd-what-you-need-to-know