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ASRS v1.1 Screener: Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale
The ASRS v1.1 Screener is a six-question self-report scale for adults, used to see whether ADHD symptoms deserve a closer look. Take it below, scored exactly as published, then read how the shaded-box scoring works.
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.
What the ASRS v1.1 Screener is
The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was developed in conjunction with the World Health Organization's revision of its Composite International Diagnostic Interview, by researchers including Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School and Lenard Adler of NYU. It was published in 2005.
The full ASRS v1.1 Symptom Checklist has 18 questions based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD. According to the checklist's instructions, six of the eighteen questions were found to be the most predictive of symptoms consistent with ADHD. Those six form the Screener and are also Part A of the checklist. The remaining twelve questions are Part B.
How ASRS v1.1 scoring works
Every question has the same five answers: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often and Very Often. On the paper form, some answer boxes are darkly shaded, and the shading starts at a different point for different questions:
| Question | Counts toward the score when you answer |
|---|---|
| 1. Wrapping up the final details of a project | Sometimes, Often or Very Often |
| 2. Getting things in order when a task requires organization | Sometimes, Often or Very Often |
| 3. Remembering appointments or obligations | Sometimes, Often or Very Often |
| 4. Getting started on tasks that require a lot of thought | Often or Very Often |
| 5. Fidgeting or squirming when you have to sit for a long time | Often or Very Often |
| 6. Feeling overly active, as if driven by a motor | Often or Very Often |
The form then says: "Add the number of checkmarks that appear in the darkly shaded area. 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."
There is no weighting: each shaded answer counts once, so the total runs from 0 to 6. The online version on this page applies exactly these rules and, like the paper form, shows the shaded area as darker boxes. NYU also describes an unshaded, clinician-facing version with additional scoring instructions, available in select languages.
The 2024 scoring update (0 to 24)
In February 2024 the scale's Harvard research team posted a scoring update. It explains that the original 0 to 6 rule was created to make the screener easier for primary care and clinical use, but that prevalence estimates based on it were high or inconsistent. An alternative method, described by Kessler and colleagues in 2007, was found to be more robust and better for research: each answer scores 0 (Never) to 4 (Very Often), the six answers are added up to a total from 0 to 24, and 14 or more screens positive. The update also groups totals into four bands: 0 to 9 low negative, 10 to 13 high negative, 14 to 17 low positive and 18 to 24 high positive.
Our result shows both: the shaded-box count from the patient form first, then your 0 to 24 total.
How accurate is the ASRS v1.1 Screener?
In the original study, ASRS answers from 154 adults who had taken part in the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication were compared with clinicians' ratings made without seeing the answers. The six-question Screener did better than the full 18 questions:
| Measure | 6-question Screener | 18-question ASRS |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity (people with ADHD it flagged) | 68.7% | 56.3% |
| Specificity (people without ADHD it cleared) | 99.5% | 98.3% |
| Total classification accuracy | 97.9% | 96.2% |
| Kappa (agreement beyond chance) | 0.76 | 0.58 |
In this sample the Screener caught about 7 in 10 adults who had ADHD and very rarely flagged someone who didn't. The sample was small and deliberately included more people who reported childhood ADHD and its persistence, so results in other groups can differ. The authors recommended the unweighted six-question Screener over the full ASRS for community surveys and for clinical outreach and case-finding.
The Screener and the 18-question checklist
Part B's twelve questions do not produce a total score. The checklist instructions say they provide additional cues and can serve as further probes into a patient's symptoms, which a clinician reviews along with how much the symptoms impair daily life.
Licensing differs too. NYU makes the six-question Screener freely available, including for commercial use, with attribution, while the 18-question checklist is licensed separately. That is why this site offers the Screener only.
The ASRS v1.1 PDF
NYU's licensing site lists the official patient-facing PDF of the Screener in English and in many translations. If your provider prefers paper, you can fill in that form, or finish the test on this page and use Print or save my answers to bring your choices to the appointment.
Citation
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ASRS v1.1 free to use?
The six-question Screener is. NYU, which licenses the scale, says it is freely available for clinical and non-clinical use, including commercial use, but requires attribution and allows no modifications other than creating electronic versions. The 18-question Symptom Checklist is licensed separately.
What is a positive ASRS v1.1 score?
Four or more of the six answers in the darkly shaded range. The form says that this indicates your symptoms may be consistent with adult ADHD and that it may be beneficial to talk with your healthcare provider about an evaluation.
Can the ASRS v1.1 diagnose ADHD?
No. NYU states that the screener is not a standalone diagnostic tool and that diagnosis or prescription should never be made solely on the basis of a score from it.
Who is the ASRS v1.1 Screener for?
Adults 18 and older. It asks how you have felt and conducted yourself over the past 6 months.
Is there an ASRS for DSM-5?
A separate version called ASRS-5 exists. NYU lists it for educational and research use only, so this site does not offer 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
- Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Symptom Checklist, instructions page (PDF distributed by the Attention Deficit Disorder Association). https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf