ADHD Test (ASRS-5)

How the ASRS-5 is calculated

Each of the 6 questions is rated on a 0-4 scale: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Very Often. The sum gives a total of 0-24. The cut-off for a positive screen is 14.

The validation study (Kessler 2005) showed that this 6-item version, derived from the longer 18-item ASRS, captures about 91% of adults with ADHD when the cut-off is set at 14. Specificity at the same cut-off is about 96%, meaning false positives are uncommon. The 2017 DSM-5 update by Ustun et al confirmed these properties hold under current diagnostic criteria.

The 6 questions cover the two core ADHD dimensions: inattention (questions 1-4) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (questions 5-6). The scoring weights all items equally — the original 2005 Kessler paper used differential weights, but the simplified equal-weight version is now the standard in primary care.

What your score means

A score in the 0-13 range does not rule out ADHD entirely, but the patterns the test was built to detect are not strong in your daily life. If life still feels harder than it should, the cause may be elsewhere — sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, thyroid problems, or a sustained stressful period.

A score of 14-19 is a positive screen. About 4 in 5 adults at this threshold have ADHD when fully evaluated. The remaining 1 in 5 turn out to have anxiety, depression, sleep apnoea, or thyroid issues that mimic ADHD-like focus problems. A doctor untangles them.

A score of 20-24 is a strong positive screen. At this level the probability of an ADHD diagnosis on full evaluation is high. This is also the band most likely to overlap with co-existing anxiety, depression, or sleep problems.

When this test is most useful — and when it isn’t

Most useful when:

• You have struggled with focus, organisation, or restlessness for years, not just weeks
• Childhood signs were present (school reports, parent stories), even if formal diagnosis was missed
• The patterns affect work, relationships, or finances measurably
• You are between 18 and 65 with no current acute crisis

Less reliable when:

• You are in the middle of a major life crisis (grief, divorce, job loss) — symptoms can mimic ADHD temporarily
• You have severe untreated depression — depressed cognition mimics ADHD inattention
• You have a sleep disorder (apnoea, insomnia) — sleep deprivation perfectly mimics ADHD
• You have an active substance-use disorder — alcohol and stimulants both confound the picture

In any of these cases, treat the underlying issue first and retake the ASRS-5 in 4-8 weeks for a clearer signal.

ADHD vs anxiety and depression

ADHD overlaps with anxiety and depression in roughly half of adult cases. The clinical picture can be hard to disentangle:

• Anxiety narrows focus through worry, making it look like ADHD inattention. The GAD-7 helps identify it.
• Depression slows thinking and saps motivation, making it look like ADHD avoidance. The PHQ-9 helps identify it.
• Sleep apnoea fragments sleep, leaving the brain too tired to concentrate. STOP-BANG screens for it.
• Thyroid issues (hypo or hyper) affect attention and energy. A blood test rules them out.

The clinical convention is to treat the most disabling problem first. If anxiety or depression is severe, treat that — then retake the ASRS-5. If ADHD remains positive, both conditions need treatment together, which works better than treating one alone.

Related tests

• PHQ-9 Depression Test — 9-question depression screener, validated worldwide. Often co-occurs with ADHD.
• GAD-7 Anxiety Test — 7-question anxiety screener. About half of adults with ADHD also have anxiety.
• PSS-10 Stress Test — perceived stress over the past month. Stress amplifies ADHD-like symptoms.

Privacy

All calculations run in your browser. We never see, log, or store your individual answers. Only an anonymous event (locale, severity band) is sent to a privacy-respecting analytics service. You can refresh, close, or share this page — your answers stay only on this device.