In brief. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) was developed with the World Health Organization as a quick screen for ADHD in adults. Its six-question Part A takes about two minutes and is the tool behind most online "ADHD tests", including ours. A positive screen means an assessment is worth having. It is not a diagnosis.
What the ASRS is
The ASRS was developed by Kessler and colleagues for the WHO World Mental Health Survey and published in 2005. The full scale has 18 items matching the DSM criteria for ADHD, rephrased for adult life. Part A, the six items found to be most predictive, is the screener most people encounter. Each item asks how often something happens on a five-point scale from never to very often.
What the six questions ask about
- Trouble wrapping up the final details of a project once the challenging parts are done.
- Difficulty getting things in order for a task that requires organisation.
- Problems remembering appointments or obligations.
- Avoiding or delaying tasks that require a lot of thought.
- Fidgeting or squirming when sitting for a long time.
- Feeling overly active and compelled to do things, as if driven by a motor.
Four items measure inattention and two measure hyperactivity, which reflects how adult ADHD tends to present.
Two questions to start
Take the full self-testWHO adult ADHD screener. Scored on your device. A screen is not a diagnosis.
How scoring works
Each item has a threshold (for some items "sometimes" counts, for others only "often" or "very often"). Four or more of the six items at or above threshold is a positive screen. In the original validation, this cut-off correctly identified most adults with ADHD while producing relatively few false positives.
What a positive screen means
It means your pattern of everyday difficulty resembles that of adults with ADHD strongly enough to justify a proper assessment. It does not mean you have ADHD. Anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, burnout, autism, menopause and simple overload all produce positive screens. A negative screen does not rule ADHD out either, particularly in people who have built strong compensating systems.
What happens next
Assessment is a clinical interview with a psychiatrist, ADHD-trained GP or psychologist covering current symptoms, childhood history, functioning across settings and other explanations, often with the full ASRS and other rating scales. See how adult ADHD assessment works. If you want to talk it through first, a psychologist or counsellor who works with ADHD can help you decide whether assessment is worth the cost and wait.
Take it here
Our free ADHD self-test uses the ASRS Part A, scored on your device. Nothing is sent to us unless you choose to email yourself the result.
Get matched, or start with the free self-test.
A practitioner who understands neurodivergence, matched when one has availability. Or two minutes on the self-test first, scored on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ASRS accurate?
As a screen, yes: it catches most adults with ADHD. As a diagnosis, no. It is a first filter, designed to be followed by clinical assessment.
Can I fail the ASRS and still have ADHD?
Yes. Adults who mask well, whose main difficulties are emotional or time-related, or who are in a highly structured period of life can screen negative.
Will a clinician accept my online result?
They will treat it as useful information, not as evidence. Most assessments repeat the ASRS and add other measures.
Is the ASRS suitable for autistic people?
It screens for ADHD only. Autistic adults with ADHD often screen positive; autistic adults without ADHD can also screen positive because of executive function overlap, which is why assessment considers both.
Sources and review
Last updated 2026-09-14.