Free screening tool

ASRS v1.1 adult ADHD self-report screener

This is a screening indicator, not a diagnosis.

The ASRS cannot diagnose ADHD. A positive result means your symptoms may warrant a professional assessment, nothing more. Only a registered clinician can diagnose ADHD. This tool is information, not medical advice. If you are distressed by your symptoms, speak to your GP.

The ASRS v1.1 Part A is a validated 6-question adult ADHD self-report screener developed by the World Health Organization and Harvard researchers. You answer how often each of six experiences applies to you. Four or more responses falling in the shaded scoring range indicate that your symptoms are consistent with adult ADHD and may warrant a full professional assessment. It is a screening indicator only and never a diagnosis.

The six questions

Answer how often each statement has applied to you over the past 6 months.

1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?
2. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organisation?
3. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?
4. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?
5. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?
6. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

Your screening result

Answer all six questions to see your result

Methodology and source

This uses the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Symptom Checklist, Part A, the six-item screener, reproduced as the standard public instrument developed by the World Health Organization in collaboration with researchers including Harvard Medical School (Source: WHO ASRS v1.1, public instrument, checked 13 June 2026).

Scoring follows the official method. Each item has a shaded response range: for the first three items the shaded responses are Sometimes, Often and Very Often, and for the last three they are Often and Very Often. The number of responses that fall in the shaded range is counted. Four or more shaded responses out of six indicates that symptoms are highly consistent with adult ADHD and that a more thorough clinical assessment may be warranted. The thresholds are taken directly from the validated instrument and are not altered or invented.

The ASRS is a screen, not a diagnostic tool. It can flag people who would benefit from assessment, but it produces both false positives and false negatives, so the result is never a diagnosis.

Frequently asked questions

Does a positive ASRS screen mean I have ADHD?

No. The ASRS v1.1 is a screening tool, not a diagnostic test. A positive screen, four or more shaded responses on Part A, means your symptoms are consistent with adult ADHD and may warrant a full assessment. Only a registered clinician can diagnose ADHD, after a detailed clinical assessment. Many people who screen positive do not have ADHD, and some people who screen negative do.

What is the ASRS and who created it?

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) is a public screening instrument developed by the World Health Organization in collaboration with researchers including those at Harvard Medical School. Part A, the six questions used here, is the validated screener with the strongest predictive value. It is reproduced as the standard public instrument, checked on 13 June 2026.

What should I do with my result?

Treat it as information to take to a professional, not a conclusion. If you screen positive, or if symptoms affect your daily life regardless of the score, speak to your GP about an assessment. The free NHS route, including Right to Choose in England, is a good place to start, and our route tools can help you choose.

A reminder, because it matters.

This screener is a prompt to seek assessment, not a diagnosis and not medical advice. ADHD can only be diagnosed by a registered clinician after a full assessment. If your symptoms affect your daily life, or this result has unsettled you, speak to your GP. The NHS route, including Right to Choose in England, is free at the point of use.

OM

Oliver Mackman

Editor, ADHD Helper

Oliver leads ADHD Helper's editorial coverage of adult ADHD. He researches and writes the plain-English explainers on getting an ADHD assessment through NHS Right to Choose or privately, and on the products and tools people use to manage ADHD, drawing on guidance from the NHS, NICE and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He is clear that the site is information, not medical advice, and that diagnosis is for a registered clinician.

Last reviewed: 13 June 2026