Introduction
The adult ASRS questionnaire asks about attention, organisation, restlessness and impulsive behaviour in everyday situations. This page includes 18 items, with the first six forming Part A and the remaining items forming Part B.
Examples such as finishing a project's last details, keeping appointments or waiting your turn make the broad topic of attention more concrete. Difficulties can vary across home, study and work; recording the settings and how long the pattern has existed adds context to a questionnaire completed today.
This is an adult self-report tool. The Vanderbilt questionnaire addresses a child's behaviour through an observer's account and is not an equivalent shorter or longer adult test. Sleep, stress and mood are also useful topics to bring into a discussion about concentration.
Instructions
Please answer the questions below, rating yourself on each of the criteria shown using the scale on the right side of the page. As you answer each question, click on the box that best describes how you have felt and conducted yourself over the past 6 months.
Scoring and result metrics
The result page reports a local screening score for this questionnaire. Use the score range, any subscale scores, and the interpretation band together rather than treating one number as a diagnosis.
- Score range
- 0-6
- Items scored
- 18
- Result indicators
- Total score / Subscale scores / Interpretation band when available
Subscale ranges
Part A
Reported range: 0-6
Part B
Reported range: 0-12
Score interpretation bands
- 0-3Lower range
Scores in the 0-3 range are not indicative of ADHD symptoms in adults.
- 4-6Elevated range
Scores in the 4-6 range are indicative symptoms consistent with ADHD in adults.
Interpretation bands summarize screening thresholds from the questionnaire source material. Higher scores usually indicate more of the measured concern unless the tool notes a different scoring rule.
Tool information
- Version
- 18 questions
- Administration
- Self-report
- Intended audience
- Adults aged 18 or older reviewing attention, organization, restlessness, and impulsivity symptoms
Sources
- Kessler RC, Adler L, Ames M, Demler O, Faraone S, Hiripi E, Howes MJ, Jin R, Secnik K, Spencer T, Ustun TB, Walters EE. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population.
- JB Schweitzer, et al. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRSv1.1). 85(3): Med Clin North Am. 757-777. 2001.
- American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. American Psychiatric Association. 85-93. 2000.
- J Biederman, et al. Patterns of Psychiatric Comorbidity, Cognition, and Psychosocial Functioning in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 150. Am J Psychiatry 1792-1798. 1993.
- RA Barkley. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. 1998.
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