2026-07-27

Adult ADHD Screening Questionnaire (ASRS v1.1)

Bandai Choi Practical Guides ADHD assessment, ADHD screening, adult ADHD

By Bandai Choi, Clinical Psychologist | Board-approved supervisor | Reviewed: August 2026 | 6 min read

Bandai Choi
Clinical Psychologist | Board-approved supervisor
Breathe-n-Smile Psychology, Essendon North, Footscray and telehealth across Australia

Are you wondering whether an adult ADHD screening questionnaire can tell you if you have ADHD? The ASRS v1.1 is a six-question screening questionnaire for adults aged 18 and over. It can indicate whether further discussion may be useful, but it cannot diagnose ADHD, estimate your probability of having it or rule it out. A clinician considers screening results alongside history, functioning and other factors.

TL;DR

The ASRS v1.1 is a six-question adult ADHD screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic assessment.
It asks about experiences during the past six months.
Four or more responses in the published shaded ranges constitute a positive screen.
Your answers and result stay in this browser. The page does not save or send them.

The ASRS v1.1 is a six-question adult ADHD screening questionnaire for people aged 18 and over. It can indicate whether further discussion may be useful, but it cannot diagnose ADHD, estimate the probability of ADHD or rule it out.

What should you know before completing it?

Answer according to your usual experience over the past six months, rather than one unusually easy or difficult week. Choose the closest response even if the pattern changes across home, work, study or relationships.

Your answers are not sent anywhere. The calculation happens in your browser. The questionnaire does not save your responses or attach them to an enquiry.

Attention, organisation and restlessness can be affected by sleep, stress, anxiety, low mood, trauma, physical health and other neurodevelopmental differences. A questionnaire cannot work out which explanation fits best.

WHO ASRS v1.1 six-question screener

Over the past six months, how often…

0 of 6 answered

These shaded responses count toward the published screening cutoff.

1How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

2How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

3How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

4When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

5How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

6How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Very Often

Please answer all six questions before viewing the result.

A positive or negative screen is not a diagnosis. A comprehensive assessment considers developmental history, daily functioning, other possible explanations and information from other sources where appropriate.

Adult ADHD assessment Psychologist or psychiatrist?

What does the screening result mean?

Four or more responses in the shaded scoring ranges constitute a positive ASRS v1.1 screen. This suggests that an adult ADHD evaluation may be worth discussing. It does not estimate your chance of having ADHD, measure severity or confirm a diagnosis.

A result below the cutoff does not rule out ADHD. Adults may interpret self-report questions differently depending on their circumstances, coping strategies and reference points. If the experiences concern you or affect daily life, you can still raise them with your GP or another qualified health professional.

What could you do next?

Discuss it with your GP

Make a note of your result and bring examples of how the concerns affect daily life. Your GP can discuss health factors and possible referral pathways.

Learn about assessment

Read about the adult ADHD assessment process, report options and practical considerations before deciding.

Seek practical support

You can seek help with attention, organisation or overwhelm without committing to diagnosis or formal assessment.

What does a fuller ADHD assessment consider?

An assessment should not rest on one questionnaire or score. It generally considers whether the pattern began during childhood, appears across more than one setting and affects everyday functioning. Health, developmental and psychological factors also need consideration.

The appropriate professional depends partly on what you want from the process. The guide to choosing an ADHD psychologist, psychiatrist or GP explains their different roles in Australia.

About the ASRS v1.1 questionnaire

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale v1.1 six-question screener is intended for adults aged 18 and over. NYU states that it is freely available for clinical, non-clinical and commercial use with attribution. Apart from creating electronic versions, the questions, response options, scoring and shaded categories must not be modified.

General information only. This screening result does not replace individual psychological or medical advice.

Common questions

Can this questionnaire diagnose ADHD?

No. The ASRS v1.1 is a brief screening questionnaire. Diagnosis requires a broader clinical assessment, and the result should not be used by itself to make treatment or medication decisions.

What is the cutoff for the six-question ASRS v1.1?

Four or more responses in the instrument’s published shaded scoring ranges constitute a positive screen. This means further clinical discussion may be useful, not that ADHD has been diagnosed.

Does a positive result mean I have ADHD?

No. It means the response pattern meets the screener’s threshold and that further discussion may be useful. Other explanations and overlapping conditions still need consideration.

Does a result below the cutoff rule out ADHD?

No. If attention, organisation, restlessness or related concerns affect daily life, you can discuss them with a qualified professional regardless of the score.

Have an administrative question about assessment?

Call 0431 828 769 or email reception@breathe-n-smile.com. You can also use the contact form to ask about availability, fees or how the assessment process works.

Please avoid including sensitive clinical information in ordinary email or website messages.

Adult ADHD assessment Read this related guide for a fuller explanation of Adult ADHD assessment.
Psychologist or psychiatrist? Read this related guide for a fuller explanation of Psychologist or psychiatrist?.

Ask a practical question

You can ask a brief administrative question about appointments, location or next steps. Please do not include detailed clinical history or urgent information in an ordinary web enquiry.

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References

Instrument attribution: The six-question Adult Self-Report Scale-Version 1.1 (ASRS-v1.1) Screener is a subset of the 18-question Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-Version 1.1 Symptom Checklist. © New York University and the President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Kessler RC, Adler L, Ames M, et al. (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. Official ASRS information and reproduction terms · Validation study.