If you answer yes to more than half of these questions, you may be living with ADHD-related traits. Only agree if you think the characteristic in question is a lifelong one. Try not to overthink the questions. Just go with your gut and give the first answer that comes to mind.

• Do you often lose or forget things?
• Are you adventurous about new foods, music or experiences?
• Do you forget to pay bills or accrue overdrafts even when you have enough money?
• Do you feel stuck, like you aren’t moving forward in your life?
• Do you get “in the zone” when you’re interested in something, often focusing so deeply that everything else falls away?
• Do you tend to think “outside the box”?
• Are you easily distracted by sights, sounds, smells, emotions or random thoughts?
• Do you write, speak, think or dream in vivid imagery?
• Is it often difficult for you to go to bed when you intend to and shut down your brain to sleep?
• Have you ever struggled with alcohol, drugs, gambling or other addictive habits?
• Are you a free thinker who often questions the decisions and opinions of others?
• Are your attachments to people and animals in your life intensely strong and emotional?
• Do you have a good sense of humour that may consist of subtle jokes, intricate teasing and metaphors that others may not understand?
• Do you get exited and persistent when you’re solving a challenging problem?
• Are you fun, spontaneous, “the life of the party”?
• Have you changed jobs often?
• Are you often deeply moved by music, language or the visual arts?
• Is it difficult for you to follow through and complete projects?
• Do you have difficulty sustaining relationships, especially when they become familiar or routine?
• Have you developed your own method of learning and understanding concepts that leads to conflict with others who don’t use or understand your method?
• Do you “see” or “know” patterns and solutions in complexity that others are likely to miss?
• Are you always on the go, rarely able to relax, even when you want to?
• Do you have a difficult time gauging the time it will take to do something and/or the time it will take to get somewhere?
• Is it a challenge to get started on something, especially when you don’t understand it or it’s not interesting?
• Are you great in a crisis – or any situation that requires flexibility and quick thinking?
• Does your abundance of thoughts and ideas make it difficult to focus on the task in hand?
• Are you a high-energy person?
• Do your strong emotions take you beyond yourself into areas of philosophical consideration?
• Do you work hard at being organised without much to show for your effort?
• Do you intuitively understand complex concepts?
• Are you confronted with the problem of having too many abilities in too many areas in which you’d like to work, discover and excel?
• Is it easy and natural for you to empathise with perspectives different from your own?
• Are you more creative than most people?
• Do you typically run late?
• Do you often zone out in conversation and miss what people say?
• Do you love intense physical activity and movement?
• Do you tend to interrupt or blurt things out in conversation because if you don’t you’ll forget your thought or point?
• Have you had a lot of speeding tickets or other driving violations?
• Are you frequently irritable or impatient?
• Are you curious about the world, always interested in learning new things?
• Do you find it difficult to keep your personal space organised?
• Do you rely on the pressure of deadlines to get things done, often at the last minute?
• Do you tend to act impulsively, without anticipating the consequences?
• Are you a procrastinator?
• Do you drink a lot of caffeine to help you focus?
• Do you react strongly to sights, sounds or smells that don’t seem to affect others?
• Are you good at making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas?
• Do you often forget basic, everyday things and need reminders to remember and accomplish them?
• Do you seek out excitement or risk?
• Do you often feel like you’re underachieving in your life, not living up to your potential?
• Do you have the ability to predict consequences, see relationships and foresee problems which are likely to occur?
• Do you get bored easily?

This test was created by Don Baker, MA, LMHC, and the website unpackingADHD.com, for educational purposes only.

It is not a substitute for a clinical diagnosis of ADHD, but you may find it helpful when discussing a possible referral from your GP to a clinician, or in your discussions with a clinician.