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The research behind this test

Every question you'll answer is an original, plain-language item. The areas they measure come straight from peer-reviewed ADHD research, including screening research led at Harvard Medical School with the World Health Organization, and the executive-function model of ADHD developed at the Yale School of Medicine. To be clear: this test is informed by that research. It is not produced, endorsed, or administered by any of these institutions.

What we measure, and why

Focus & Attention

How easily your attention stays on tasks, conversations, and details. This is one of the two core symptom areas researchers use to describe ADHD.

Based on: Kessler RC et al. (2005) · Ustun B et al. (2017) · American Psychiatric Association et al. (2013)

Energy & Restlessness

Inner restlessness and the need to move. This is the second core symptom area described in diagnostic research.

Based on: Kessler RC et al. (2005) · American Psychiatric Association et al. (2013)

Acting in the Moment

Acting or speaking before thinking it through, which research ties closely to hyperactivity.

Based on: Kessler RC et al. (2005) · Barkley RA et al. (2010) · American Psychiatric Association et al. (2013)

Getting Things Done

Starting tasks, staying organized, remembering steps, and following through. These are the executive-function difficulties described in the Yale model of ADHD.

Based on: Brown TE et al. (2013) · Faraone SV et al. (2021)

Feelings & Frustration

How strongly emotions hit and how quickly they settle. Modern ADHD research treats this area as central, not secondary.

Based on: Barkley RA et al. (2010) · Shaw P et al. (2014)

Time & Deadlines

Sensing time, estimating it, and meeting deadlines. Adult ADHD research finds this is a frequent real-world challenge.

Based on: Brown TE et al. (2013) · Faraone SV et al. (2021)

Everyday Life

The practical impact on work, relationships, money, and self-image. Large community studies at Harvard-affiliated hospitals documented these functional impairments.

Based on: Biederman J et al. (2006) · Faraone SV et al. (2021)

The research behind your report

The questions you answered are original, but each area they measure comes from peer-reviewed research, including work from Harvard Medical School and the Yale School of Medicine. This test is informed by that research. It is not produced or endorsed by these institutions.

  1. 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. Psychological Medicine, 35(2), 245–256. (Harvard Medical School / World Health Organization) View publication
  2. Ustun B, Adler LA, Rudin C, Faraone SV, Spencer TJ, Berglund P, Gruber MJ, Kessler RC (2017). The World Health Organization Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5. JAMA Psychiatry, 74(5), 520–527. (Harvard Medical School / NYU School of Medicine) View publication
  3. Brown TE (2013). A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Impairments. Routledge. (Yale School of Medicine (Yale Clinic for Attention & Related Disorders)) View publication
  4. Barkley RA, Fischer M (2010). The unique contribution of emotional impulsiveness to impairment in major life activities in hyperactive children as adults. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(5), 503–513. View publication
  5. Shaw P, Stringaris A, Nigg J, Leibenluft E (2014). Emotion dysregulation in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 276–293. View publication
  6. Faraone SV, Banaschewski T, Coghill D, et al. (2021). The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 evidence-based conclusions about the disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 128, 789–818. View publication
  7. Biederman J, Faraone SV, Spencer TJ, Mick E, Monuteaux MC, Aleardi M (2006). Functional impairments in adults with self-reports of diagnosed ADHD: a controlled study of 1001 adults in the community. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 67(4), 524–540. (Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School) View publication
  8. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Publishing. View publication