About the test
Adult ADHD screener (ASRS)
The ASRS v1.1 screener is six questions from the World Health Organization’s Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. It asks how often you have experienced common adult ADHD symptoms over the past six months and shows whether your answers are consistent with adult ADHD. It is a screening tool for adults, not a diagnosis.
Questionnaire / instrument: ASRS-V1.1
The test at a glance
- Price
- Free, including your results
- Registration
- No account required
- Length
- 6 questions
- Time
- About 2 minutes
- Format
- Self-report · five response options
- Your report
- Screening result · your six answers
How the screener counts
The six questions are taken unchanged from the official form. Each one has its own threshold, marked as a shaded area on the paper form:
Questions 1 to 3
Finishing the final details of a task, getting things in order and remembering appointments or obligations. An answer counts at “Sometimes”, “Often” or “Very Often”.
Questions 4 to 6
Avoiding or delaying tasks that need a lot of thought, fidgeting when you have to sit still and feeling driven by a motor. An answer counts at “Often” or “Very Often”.
The screening result
Four or more counted answers means your answers are consistent with adult ADHD symptoms. Fewer than four means they are not typical of adult ADHD.
What your results show
Your result is calculated as soon as you answer the last question. You can preview an example report before taking the test.
- Whether your answers are consistent with adult ADHD symptoms, and how many of your six answers fell in the counted range.
- Each question with your answer, with the counted answers marked “In the counted range”.
- A reminder of what else can cause similar difficulties, and what you can do next.
What does it measure?
Six common symptoms associated with adult ADHD, including difficulties with organization, completing tasks, remembering commitments and restlessness. Answers concern the past six months.
Where does it come from?
The ASRS v1.1 six-question screener is a subset of the 18-question Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, developed by the WHO workgroup with researchers including Ronald Kessler and Lenard Adler.
How is the result calculated?
Each answer is compared with its item-specific threshold: sometimes or more for the first three questions, often or more for the last three. Four or more positive items is the published screening threshold.
What can the result tell you?
The screener is intended for adults and cannot diagnose ADHD. A positive screen can be a reason to seek a fuller assessment; sleep problems, stress and other conditions can also affect these symptoms. A low score does not rule out ADHD.
Languages and adaptations
We use the source’s official question translations where available. If the questionnaire is unavailable in the selected language, it is shown in English. Our result explanations are separate from the original instrument.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ADHD screener free?
Yes. You can answer the questions and read the full result without paying or creating an account.
Can this test tell me whether I have ADHD?
No. A positive result means your answers resemble those common in adult ADHD and that an assessment may be worthwhile. A diagnosis requires a thorough assessment by a qualified professional, who also looks at your childhood, how the difficulties affect different areas of your life and whether something else explains them.
Why only six questions?
In the original study by Kessler and colleagues, these six questions from the 18-question ASRS symptom checklist screened better than the full checklist. The screener is short because it is meant as a first step, not an assessment. It misses some adults with ADHD, so a result below the threshold does not rule ADHD out.
Why do some answers count at “Sometimes” and others only at “Often”?
The official form uses a different threshold for each question, based on how often the symptom is reported by adults with ADHD compared with others. We follow that scoring exactly: questions 1 to 3 count from “Sometimes”, questions 4 to 6 from “Often”.
Can children or teenagers take it?
No. The ASRS is designed for adults aged 18 or older. ADHD in children and young people is assessed with other methods, often with information from parents and teachers.
How is it different from the autism screener?
The ASRS asks about attention, organisation and restlessness, while the autism screener (RAADS-14) asks about social understanding, social anxiety and sensory reactions. ADHD and autism can occur together and share some difficulties, which is why neither screener can tell them apart on its own.
How should I answer?
Think about how you have usually felt and acted over the past six months, at work, at home and in other settings. Answer for how things actually are, not how you would like them to be. There are no right or wrong answers.
License and reuse
NYU / Harvard© New York University and the President and Fellows of Harvard College. The six-question screener is available for clinical and non-clinical use, including commercial use, with attribution. Changes other than creating an electronic version are not permitted.
The terms below apply to the test materials. Articles, translations, software and our result descriptions may have separate terms.
Sources and further reading
Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., et al. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine, 35(2), 245-256.