Predominantly inattentive (ADD)
Significant attention problems without hyperactivity.
- Easily distracted by other activities or by sounds
- Missing details at work or in conversation
- Careless mistakes in boring or difficult tasks
ADHD test for adults:understand how your attention works
A short questionnaire based on DSM-5 criteria and a battery of online cognitive tasks, in about 20-30 minutes. It measures attention and related cognitive skills; it does not diagnose.
Choose your platform
Wondering about yourself? Only a qualified professional can diagnose ADHD: talk to a psychologist or a doctor, who can use this test with you.
- About 20-30 minutes
- Computer, tablet or phone
- Downloadable report
A complementary tool for professionals. CogniFit does not offer a medical diagnosis of ADHD. It does not diagnose.
Example CAB-ADHD report
Illustrative example with fictitious results · PDF
Download the example report7neuropsychological tasks
20-30minutes for adults
4skill areas profiled
3risk index levels
Source: CogniFit, Cognitive Assessment for ADHD (CAB-ADHD), adult version.
What is ADHD in adults, and what does an ADHD test for adults measure?
In adults, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) shows as attention and concentration problems, hyperactivity or impulsiveness, and is associated with academic, professional and social difficulties: distraction, short attention span, restlessness, emotional instability and impulsive behaviour.
Many adults have lived with these difficulties all their lives without ever being diagnosed. They may have an average or above-average IQ, yet have been labelled disruptive or poor students because of the extra difficulties they faced at school.
An ADHD test for adults such as CogniFit's CAB-ADHD combines a questionnaire with a battery of neuropsychological tasks to evaluate symptoms and cognitive functions related to ADHD. It gives a risk index (low, moderate or high) that takes the person's cognitive strengths and weaknesses into account, and indicates the predominant presentation. That is information for the professional's evaluation, not a diagnosis.
Diagnosing ADHD requires a multidisciplinary assessment, with an exhaustive differential diagnosis to rule out symptoms better explained by a mood disorder, a learning disorder or another condition.
Add an objective cognitive measure to your adult ADHD evaluations.
How ADHD can show in adults' work, home and social life
Signs are grouped into three presentations. They are described here to help you recognise them, never to score them.
Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
Difficulty controlling behaviour, thoughts and emotions.
- Acting before thinking
- Speaking before thinking, with colleagues, family or friends
- Impatience and easily losing control
Combined
Signs of both presentations in the same person.
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mood changes with anxiety and low self-esteem
- Difficulty inhibiting behaviour
- Poor planning of daily activities
Recognising some of these signs does not mean a person has ADHD: only an evaluation by a qualified professional can diagnose it. If you recognise them in yourself, talk to a psychologist, psychiatrist or physician about a full evaluation.
Give each adult you see a structured picture of symptoms and cognition.
The tasks and the cognitive skills the test measures
Online tasks evaluate the main neuropsychological factors associated with ADHD, especially executive functions, with scales and tasks appropriate for each user. These are the seven real tasks.
Four skill areas, and why they matter in ADHD
Focused attention
AttentionFocusing on a target stimulus regardless of how long it lasts. People with ADHD often have trouble attending to the relevant stimuli of a situation, such as one voice in a busy office.
Tasks ask for quick responses to targets while ignoring other stimuli.
Short-term visual memory
MemoryRetaining a small amount of visual information (letters, figures, colours) for a short time. It has been reported as a sensitive measure of cognitive deficits in ADHD.1
A sequence of lit circles is reproduced, then again after a 4-second delay.
Hand-eye coordination
CoordinationActing with the hands according to what the eyes see, from typing to driving. Motor hyperactivity with poor movement control can reduce it.4
A moving ball is tracked precisely along its path.
Planning
ReasoningOrganising the best way to reach a future goal, like a project at work. It is often altered in ADHD, making it harder to foresee the consequences of one's actions.
Reported in the cognitive profile built from the task battery.
A general profile of these skills may indicate the presentation of ADHD and its severity, as information for the professional's evaluation.
How the CAB-ADHD adult test works, from account to report
One online session of about 20-30 minutes, on a computer, tablet or phone, then a report ready to download.
Create your professional account
On the platform for clinicians, researchers or API partners.
The questionnaire
Simple questions adapted to the main DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and symptoms of ADHD in adults: hyperactivity and impulsiveness, inattention, academic history, and difficulties in professional or social areas. Completed by you or by the person.
The task battery
Seven online neuropsychological tasks. The whole test takes adults about 20-30 minutes.
The report
Available to download as soon as the test is completed.
Your interpretation
You review the results within your clinical evaluation and share the recommendations and plan of action with the person.
Example report
Fictitious results- Low risk
- Moderate risk
- High risk
Reading: low risk index; symptoms by area within the range of no apparent risk; no cognitive weaknesses detected.
Next step: specific recommendations and a personalised plan of action, in a PDF report to share.
- SymptomsThe questionnaire's answers by area, each with its score against the range of no apparent risk.
- Cognitive risksA circular diagram for each evaluated area: green marks cognitive strengths, yellow below-average skills, red cognitive weaknesses.
- ConclusionsThe risk index and its effects on the cognitive profile and symptoms, with recommendations and a personalised plan of action.
Send your first CAB-ADHD assessment and read the report yourself.
Choose the platform that fits your work with adults
Each platform has its own account and gives you the same adult CAB-ADHD: questionnaire, task battery and report.
Objective data for your clinical evaluation
Psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists and other health professionals use it with adult patients alongside history and interview.
- Questionnaire completed by you or the patient
- Scores normalised for age and gender
- Report with recommendations and a plan of action
Standardised measures for your study
For studies that need to measure the cognitive abilities of adult participants with tasks based on established neuropsychological tests.
- Seven tasks based on classic paradigms
- Results normalised for age and gender
- Published reliability analysis
The assessment inside your own product
For companies that integrate CogniFit's assessment into their product, so their users can take the adult test online.
- Runs on computer, tablet or phone
- Questionnaire, task battery and report
- Report available when the test ends
Is it for you? Ask your psychologist or doctor to give you this test.
The science behind the test, and how to read its results
Built on established neuropsychological tasks, with a published reliability analysis and clear limits on what a result means.
Grounded in neuropsychology
7tasks based on established neuropsychological tests
The battery draws on the NEPSY, the Corsi block-tapping test, the Boston Naming Test, the WAIS-III vocabulary test, the Stroop test, the Vienna Test System and continuous performance paradigms, focusing on the executive functions associated with ADHD.2 3
Read the reliability analysis (PDF, English)Results to interpret, not verdicts
- Results describe performance at a specific time and day.
- They may vary with time, comfort, motivation or alertness.
- They are not a clinical diagnosis.
- They must be reviewed and interpreted by a qualified health or educational specialist (psychologist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, neurologist) and complement a clinical consultation.
What the test is and is not
A complementary tool for professionals. CogniFit does not offer a medical diagnosis of ADHD.
What the test does
- Evaluates symptoms and cognitive functions related to ADHD
- Gives a risk index (low, moderate, high) and the predominant presentation
- Shows the person's cognitive strengths and weaknesses against age and gender norms
- Offers recommendations that help you choose support strategies
What it does not do
- It does not diagnose ADHD
- It does not replace a multidisciplinary assessment or differential diagnosis
- It does not replace a neuropsychological evaluation, clinical history or the assessment of other areas
- It does not support a clinical decision on its own
Questions about the ADHD test for adults
Short answers for professionals, and for adults wondering about themselves.
Can an online ADHD test for adults diagnose ADHD?
No. The CAB-ADHD is a complementary tool for professionals, and CogniFit does not offer a medical diagnosis of ADHD. Diagnosis requires a multidisciplinary assessment by a qualified professional, with an exhaustive differential diagnosis.
How long does the adult CAB-ADHD take?
Adults take about 20-30 minutes to complete the CAB-ADHD, questionnaire and tasks included. It runs online on a computer, tablet or phone.
What does the adult ADHD assessment measure?
The CAB-ADHD measures ADHD-related symptoms through a questionnaire and cognitive skills through seven neuropsychological tasks: focused attention, short-term visual memory, hand-eye coordination and planning, among the executive functions associated with ADHD.
Who completes the questionnaire?
The questionnaire can be completed by the professional in charge of the assessment or by the person themselves. Its questions are adapted to the main DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and simplified to be understood by almost anyone.
What does the CAB-ADHD report include?
The report includes a risk index for ADHD (low, moderate, high), the predominant presentation, warning signs, a cognitive profile, an analysis of the results, and recommendations and guidelines. It is organised in three parts: symptoms, cognitive risks and conclusions.
I think I may have ADHD. What should I do?
Talk to a qualified professional such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or physician. Only they can diagnose ADHD, and they may use a tool like the CAB-ADHD as one part of a full evaluation.
What ages is the CAB-ADHD for?
The CAB-ADHD is available for children 7 and older, teens and adults. This page describes the adult version.
Is there evidence on the test's reliability?
Yes. CogniFit publishes the reliability analysis of the assessment, in English: CogniFit reliability analysis for researchers (PDF).
Measure the cognition behind adult ADHD, and keep the diagnosis in your hands
Create the account for your work and use the adult CAB-ADHD within your own evaluation.
Once the person completes the test, the results are ready as a downloadable report.
Sources
- Westerberg, H., Hirvikoski, T., Forssberg, H., & Klingberg, T. (2004). Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Span: A Sensitive Measure of Cognitive Deficits in Children With ADHD. Child Neuropsychology, 10(3), 155-161.
- Willcutt, E. G., Pennington, B. F., Boada, R., et al. (2001). A comparison of the cognitive deficits in reading disability and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110(1), 157-172.
- Mahone, E. M., & Denckla, M. B. (2017). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Historical Neuropsychological Perspective. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 23(9-10), 916-929.
- Fliers, E., Rommelse, N., Vermeulen, S. H. H. M., et al. (2007). Motor coordination problems in children and adolescents with ADHD rated by parents and teachers: effects of age and gender. Journal of Neural Transmission, 115(2), 211-220.
United States