Home › Do I Have ADHD?
Do I Have ADHD? Take a 6-Question Self-Test
If you keep asking whether ADHD explains the missed details, forgotten appointments or restlessness, a short screener is a reasonable first step. It can't answer for sure; it can tell you whether an evaluation is worth discussing.
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.
Common signs of ADHD in adults
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) lists these problems that ADHD symptoms can lead to in adults:
- Difficulty paying attention and often getting distracted
- Disorganization and procrastination
- Poor time management, planning, or organization
- Trouble remembering daily tasks
- Frequently losing things or being forgetful in activities
- Frequently interrupting others or being very talkative
- Trouble focusing on a large task or multitasking
- Trouble following instructions or finishing projects
- Difficulty sitting still for long periods and often moving or fidgeting
- Feelings of restlessness and a need for constant activity or stimulation
- Choosing immediate rewards over future rewards or consequences
Based on their symptoms, people can be diagnosed with one of three types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive or combined. NIMH adds that inattentive symptoms often persist as people get older, whereas hyperactivity and impulsivity are more likely to decline.
Everyone does some of this. What makes it ADHD?
NIMH puts it plainly: many people show some of these behaviors some of the time. For adults with ADHD, they are more severe, frequent and persistent. Three things separate ADHD from an ordinary busy, distracted stretch of life:
- It started early. Adults must have shown symptoms starting before age 12.
- It shows up in more than one place. ADHD makes it hard to function in at least two areas of life, such as at home, school or work.
- It lasts and gets in the way. Symptoms interfere with daily life and last at least 6 months.
NIMH also notes that ADHD often co-occurs with other mental disorders, and that sleep problems are especially common, affecting up to 70% of adults with ADHD. That is one reason a provider asks about your mood and medical history: to rule out other explanations.
Why some adults only find out later
NIMH gives several reasons someone may not be diagnosed until adulthood. Teachers and parents may not have recognized the disorder, or may have provided supportive environments that helped a child thrive despite it. A milder form may be manageable until faced with the stresses and demands of adulthood, especially at work. ADHD symptoms among girls and women are especially likely to have been missed in childhood; see our ADHD test for women.
How to find out for sure
Only a qualified provider, such as a primary care provider or a mental health professional, can diagnose ADHD. According to NIMH, they may:
- ask to talk to people who know you well, such as a partner, family members and friends;
- look at school reports or other childhood records;
- use clinical interviews, behavior rating scales or symptom checklists;
- run psychological tests of memory, planning, decision-making and reasoning;
- ask about your mood and current and past medical conditions to rule out other diagnoses.
The threshold for adults is slightly lower than for children: people over 16 must show five symptoms of inattention or of hyperactivity and impulsivity, instead of six. Your screener result and printed answers are a useful way to open that conversation.
What you can do in the meantime
A screener is not treatment, and nothing here replaces an evaluation. NIMH mentions a few kinds of support adults use alongside care from a provider: some get help from a life coach or ADHD coach who can teach executive function skills, some try lifestyle changes such as adding more physical exercise, and people whose symptoms cause impairment at work may qualify for reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Frequently asked questions
Can an online quiz tell me if I have ADHD?
No. A screener like this one can tell you whether your answers look like the answers of adults with ADHD in research, which is a reason to talk to a professional. Only a qualified provider can diagnose ADHD.
What if I think I have ADHD but my score is low?
Trust your day-to-day experience and talk to a provider. In its original study the screener missed about 3 in 10 adults who had ADHD, and a provider looks at much more than six answers.
Is this do I have ADHD test free?
Yes. The test and the full result are free, with no sign-up and no email, and your answers never leave your browser.
Who should take it?
Adults 18 and older who want to check their own symptoms. It is not meant for children or teens, or for rating someone else.
What if I am struggling right now?
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (US) or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
More on ADHD self-screening
Sources
- 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
- 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