ADHD test

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1)

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association offers the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Questionnaire, is an 18-item screening tool developed by the World Health Organization and the Workgroup on Adult ADHD.

Overview & Structure

Purpose: Screens for adult ADHD symptoms and functional impairment over the past 6 months.

Time to complete:

About 5 minutes.

Rating scale:

Uses a 5-point frequency scale (Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Very Often).

Part A (Screener):

Contains the 6 most predictive questions regarding executive function and hyperactivity.

Part B (Probes):

Contains 12 additional frequency questions that explore inattention, distractibility, and impulsivity in more detail.

This is an online self-report tool is a screener rather than a formal diagnosis.
A complete assessment also reviews your childhood history of attention or self-control challenges.

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Scoring

Divide the 18-item checklist into two parts: Part A and Part B.
Use binary count: 0 or 1 for the core screening section.

Part A

Part A: The 6-Item Screener Part A contains the 6 most predictive questions for adult ADHD.

How questions are rated: Each item is answered on a 5-point frequency scale: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, or Very Often.

Threshold for positive score (selected boxes):
For Questions 1–3 (inattention), a response of Sometimes, Often, or Very Often counts as 1 point (shaded region).

For Questions 4–6 (hyperactivity/impulsivity), a response of Often or Very Often counts as 1 point (shaded region).

All other unselected responses count as 0 points.

Scoring Interpretation:

Add up the points in Part A (range: 0 to 6).

A score of 4 or more in Part A indicates symptoms highly consistent with adult ADHD and means further clinical evaluation is recommended.

Part B

Part B: Qualitative assessment about symptom frequency, severity, and functional impairment.

Part B: There are 12 Questions in of the 18-item scale. Scoring Interpretation:

Part B does not have a formal cutoff score or a numeric total.
Instead, clinicians use these responses as a qualitative assessment about symptom frequency, severity, and functional impairment across work, school, and social settings.

Based on the official scoring instructions from the World Health Organization and clinical guidelines, Part B does not have a formal numeric total or a diagnostic cutoff score.

However we can analyzed Part B qualitatively using the following approach.

Identify Highly Frequent Symptoms (in the following selected answers):

While Part B is used by clinicians to track symptom severity by looking at responses that fall into the designated critical frequency threshold, meaning we look at how bad symptoms are by looking at how often they occur.

Questions 9, 12, 16, and 18

Questions 9, 12, 16, and 18: Count as highly frequent if the response is Sometimes, Often, or Very Often.

Questions 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 17

Questions 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 17: Count as highly frequent if the response is Often or Very Often.

Clinical Purpose & Qualitative Probing

Because the 6 questions in Part A hold the majority predictive power for an ADHD screening,
Part B is used strictly as a supplementary clinical probe.

Part B is used to:

Trace Symptom Domains:

Map out whether the individual's secondary struggles skew more toward Inattention (Questions 7–11) or Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (Questions 12–18).

Assess Impairment: Evaluate the breadth of the symptoms.

Frequent marks in Part B prompt the clinician to investigate how these specific behaviors interfere with the individual's career, education, home life, or relationships.

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1): Disclosure

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Symptom Checklist was developed in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Workgroup on Adult ADHD, which included researchers Lenard Adler, MD, Ronald C. Kessler, PhD, and Thomas Spencer, MD. The instrument is in the public domain, and no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display, or distribute it.

Canada Online Therapy acknowledges the developers, the Workgroup on Adult ADHD, and the original copyright holder, the World Health Organization (WHO), originally published in 2003.

Full citation: World Health Organization. (2003). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist. World Health Organization.

The ASRS v1.1 test is intended for clinical documentation and screening purposes only to assist healthcare professionals in identifying symptoms consistent with adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Please note: it is not a substitute for a comprehensive diagnosis by a trained clinician.

In Canada, an official diagnosis can typically only be provided by a qualified healthcare professional such as a licensed physician, psychiatrist, or registered clinical psychologist.

Registered and licensed therapists utilize these results to inform their treatment plans and advocate for their clients during the assessment process and for special purposes such as needed and presented by their clients.

© 2026 Canada Online Therapy - original wording, design, and layout; Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) content and scoring are attributed to Lenard Adler, Ronald C. Kessler, Thomas Spencer, and the World Health Organization.

References

Adler, L. A., Faraone, S. V., Sarocco, P., Atkins, N., & Khachatryan, A. (2018). Establishing US norms for the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) and characterising symptom burden among adults with self-reported ADHD. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 73(1), e13260. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6585602/

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist. APA Services. https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/health-registry/self-reporting-sympton-scale.pdf

Attention Deficit Disorder Association. (n.d.). Adult ADHD questionnaire: Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1). https://add.org/adhd-questionnaire/

Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board. (2022). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist. National Health Service. https://bsw.icb.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/06/Adult-ADHD-Self-Report-Scale-ASRS-white.pdf

CADDRA - Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance. (2020). Canadian ADHD practice guidelines (4.1 ed.). CADDRA.

Original link: https://www.caddra.ca/wp-content/uploads/Canadian-ADHD-Practice-Guidelines-4.1-January-6-2021.pdf

Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance. (2003). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist instructions [Instructional PDF]. https://www.caddra.ca/pdfs/downloads/ASRS_Instructions.pdf

Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance. (2011). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist instructions (Toolkit 8.23).

Original link: https://www.caddra.ca/pdfs/caddraGuidelines2011_Toolkit.pdf

Embrace Autism. (2021, March 5). ASRS v1.1. https://embrace-autism.com/asrs-v1-1/

Kessler, R. C., Adler, L. A., Berglund, P., Green, J. G., Smith, W. T., Beck, A., ... & Ustun, T. B. (2021). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) for DSM-5: A brief screening scale. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 107, Article 152233. doi.org

MDCalc. (n.d.). Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) for ADHD. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/1730/adult-self-report-scale-asrs-adhd

Psychology Tools. (2026). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRSv1.1). https://psychology-tools.com/test/adult-adhd-self-report-scale

Sikshya. (2024, May 2). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale | ASRS | ADHD Diagnosis | [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=057KbSrx6ro

Ustun, B., Adler, L. A., Rudin, C., Faraone, S. V., Johnston, C. C., Farrelly, L., ... & Kessler, R. C. (2017). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) for DSM-5: A brief screening scale. JAMA Psychiatry, 74(5), 520–526. doi.org

World Health Organization. (2003). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist. Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance. https://www.caddra.ca/wp-content/uploads/ASRS.pdf

World Health Organization. (2003). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist [Instructional PDF]. University of British Columbia. https://med-fom-tcmp.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/10/Adult-ADHD-Self-Report-Scale.pdf

World Health Organization. (2003). Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist [Instructional PDF]. Attention Deficit Disorder Association. https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf