Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q): Screen How Much You Camouflage Autistic Traits Socially
This Autism Masking Test explores the effort you put into hiding or compensating for traits in social situations. Adapted from the CAT-Q, it gives an instant camouflaging breakdown, not an autism diagnosis.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q) is a free, confidential 25-question self-assessment, based on the validated CAT-Q. It takes about 7 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
What the CAT-Q actually measures
Camouflaging is the work of hiding or compensating for autistic traits in social situations. The CAT-Q was built to measure that work directly, and it separates it into three distinct strategies rather than one vague number.
The full CAT-Q
All 25 items of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire developed by Hull and colleagues (2019), worded faithfully and lightly adapted for readability. Five items are reverse-scored, exactly as in the original.
Three camouflaging strategies
Compensation (scripts, copying, studied social skills), masking (monitoring and adjusting your face, body, and eye contact), and assimilation (forcing yourself through social situations while feeling like you are performing).
A disclosed research threshold
The threshold displayed here is an educational band for this adapted questionnaire. It is not a validated research cutoff or a diagnostic threshold. Changing response options does not establish equivalence with original CAT-Q scores, and the result cannot determine whether you are autistic.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated CAT-Q questions | Rarely | Yes, all 25, faithful wording |
| Three research subscales | No | Compensation / masking / assimilation |
| Research threshold, translation disclosed | No | Yes, explained clearly |
| Affirming, non-pathologizing language | Rarely | Throughout |
| Clinician-reviewed interpretation | Rarely | Yes, clinician reviewed |
| Optional in-depth personalized report | No | Yes, written to your exact scores |
| Confidential (no data sent) | Often tracked | Runs in your browser |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–100 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–33 | Low camouflaging | Your answers point to relatively little social camouflaging. Either social situations feel fairly natural to you, or you feel able to be yourself in them. |
| 34–56 | Moderate camouflaging | Your answers point to a noticeable amount of social camouflaging. Plenty of people live here, and the useful question is what it is costing you. |
| 57–100 | High camouflaging | Your answers place you above the level research treats as high camouflaging. This pattern is strongly consistent with what late-diagnosed autistic adults describe, and it deserves care, not criticism. |
Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q) vs. an Autism Screening
The Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q) and an autism screening ask different questions. This test asks how much energy you spend compensating, monitoring, and performing in social situations, regardless of why. The Autism Test (Adult) asks about the broader pattern of traits associated with autism, including sensory sensitivities, special interests, and communication style, independent of how well you have learned to hide them.
Many late-diagnosed adults, especially women, score high here because effective masking is exactly what caused their traits to go unrecognized for years; the Autism Test for Women and the RAADS-R Test: The RAADS-14 Screen are both built with that late-diagnosis pattern in mind. If attention differences are also part of the picture, the AuDHD Test (Autism + ADHD) looks at how autism and ADHD traits can overlap and mask each other.
Masking at Work
Work is one of the settings where camouflaging often runs hardest, since meetings, small talk, and constant impression management can stack up over a working day. Scripting responses before a meeting, forcing eye contact on video calls, and suppressing stimming at a desk are all forms of the same compensation and masking the CAT-Q measures, just concentrated into a single environment you cannot easily leave.
If work-related masking is running you down, the Burnout Test can help you see whether general burnout has stacked on top of the camouflaging load, and building a self-care plan around your actual recovery needs, rather than a generic wellness routine, tends to help more. Disclosing autism or requesting accommodations at work is a personal decision with real tradeoffs, and a clinician experienced with autistic adults, findable through the Psychology.com therapist directory, can help you think through what would actually reduce your load.
Consider keeping a private note of which interactions require rehearsal, what you suppress, and how you feel afterward. The Self-Care Plan tool can help you make room for quieter surroundings, breaks, and recovery in ways that fit your circumstances. You can also browse the Psychology.com tests hub if your next question concerns a different aspect of daily functioning.
How accurate is this adapted CAT-Q score?
The original CAT-Q has research support as a measure of self-reported camouflaging. This page changes its response format and some wording, so the original validation findings cannot be assumed to apply unchanged. The score describes your answers here; it does not estimate your probability of being autistic.
Treat the displayed bands as educational summaries. A mathematical rescaling cannot show that people would answer a different response format in an equivalent way. If you bring the result to a clinician, mention that it comes from an adapted questionnaire and include examples of social effort, exhaustion, and support needs that the total may miss.
Methodology & sources
The 25 statements are adapted from the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q), developed and validated by Hull and colleagues (2019) and freely available in the research literature, with wording changes for readability. The original uses a 7-point agreement scale scored 1 to 7, giving totals from 25 to 175. We present a 5-point agreement scale scored 0 to 4, giving totals from 0 to 100, and we disclose that adaptation openly. The original validation paper does not establish a diagnostic cutoff for this adaptation. The displayed high band should be understood as a site-specific educational label, not a research threshold carried over from the original. Changing the number of response options requires separate validation before scores or cutoffs can be compared with those from the original instrument. Five items describe finding social situations natural or comfortable and are reverse-scored, as in the original. Subscale scores follow the validated three-factor structure: compensation (9 items), masking (8 items), and assimilation (8 items). There is no established evidence that this adaptation systematically underestimates or overestimates camouflaging. A low result cannot rule out support needs, and a high result does not identify the cause of social effort.
This test is provided for education and self-reflection. It measures camouflaging, not autism: non-autistic people camouflage too, and a high score does not by itself mean you are autistic, just as a low score does not rule it out. The CAT-Q was developed with both autistic and non-autistic adults, and camouflaging in autistic people is best understood as an adaptation to an unaccommodating world, not a flaw. If your result raises questions about autism itself, a formal assessment with a qualified clinician is the only way to answer them.
For a clinical conversation, describe what happens before, during, and after demanding interactions. You might explain which behaviors feel chosen, which feel necessary for safety or acceptance, and what makes an interaction easier. The purpose of discussing camouflaging is to understand your experience and possible support needs. You do not need to stop masking or disclose an identity to others because of a questionnaire result.
References
- Hull L, Mandy W, Lai MC, Baron-Cohen S, Allison C, Smith P, Petrides KV. Development and validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). J Autism Dev Disord. 2019;49(3):819-833. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3792-6
- Hull L, Petrides KV, Allison C, Smith P, Baron-Cohen S, Lai MC, Mandy W. "Putting on my best normal": social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017;47(8):2519-2534. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5
- Raymaker DM, Teo AR, Steckler NA, Lentz B, Scharer M, Delos Santos A, Kapp SK, Hunter M, Joyce A, Nicolaidis C. "Having all of your internal resources exhausted beyond measure and being left with no clean-up crew": defining autistic burnout. Autism Adulthood. 2020;2(2):132-143. doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0079
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q). Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/autism-masking
Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q) FAQ
What is autistic masking?
Masking, also called camouflaging, is the ongoing effort to hide or compensate for autistic traits in social situations: rehearsing scripts, copying body language, forcing eye contact, suppressing stimming, and monitoring how you come across. It is often learned early, sometimes so early it feels automatic, and it takes real energy even when it looks effortless from the outside.
Can non-autistic people mask too?
Yes. Social camouflaging exists across the whole population; most people adjust how they come across in some settings. That is one reason a high score on this test does not by itself mean you are autistic. If the autism question is what you are really asking, our adult autism test uses a validated screening built for exactly that.
Why is masking so exhausting?
Because it is continuous work. Monitoring your face, planning your sentences, suppressing natural movement, and running a social performance all at once uses attention and energy that other people spend on the conversation itself. Many autistic adults describe needing hours or days to recover from sustained masking, and research links heavy camouflaging with stress, anxiety, and low mood.
What is autistic burnout?
Autistic burnout is a state of deep exhaustion, loss of skills, and reduced tolerance for sensory and social demands that many autistic adults describe after long periods of masking and unsupported overload. Researchers who studied it describe internal resources exhausted beyond measure. It is different from ordinary work burnout and usually improves with rest, reduced demands, accommodation, and support.
How do I unmask safely?
Gradually, and only where it is safe to. Unmasking is not an obligation, and in some environments masking is self-protection. Many people start small: letting themselves stim at home, dropping scripted small talk with a trusted friend, or being open with one safe person. A therapist who understands autistic adults can help you work out where unmasking is safe and what you actually want back.
Does a high score mean I am autistic?
No. This test measures camouflaging behavior, not autism, and high camouflaging occurs in non-autistic people too. That said, very high scores are common among autistic adults, especially those identified late. If your result resonates and you have wondered about autism, the clear next step is a screening followed by a formal assessment with a clinician experienced in adult autism.
Related tests
Autism Test for Women
An educational screener for the internalized female autism presentation, with a four-part breakdown.
PDA Test (Pathological Demand Avoidance)
An honest adult screener adapted from the EDA-QA, with the PDA debate explained plainly.
ADHD Test for Women
The ASRS screener core plus ten female-presentation signs, with a full breakdown.
Twice-Exceptional (2e) Test
A screener for the twice-exceptional pattern: high ability alongside a learning or attention difference.
Autism Test (Adult)
Explore autistic traits with the full AQ, domain scores, and guidance on discussing an adult assessment.