Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q)
A confidential self-assessment built on the CAT-Q, the validated 25-item measure researchers use to study social camouflaging: the compensating, masking, and performing that many autistic adults do to get through social situations. You get an instant score across the three camouflaging strategies, an affirming plain-language interpretation, and a professional PDF report you can keep or bring to a clinician.
Autism Masking Test (CAT-Q) is a free, confidential 25-question self-assessment, based on the validated CAT-Q. It takes about 5 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 3 interpretation bands plus a downloadable PDF 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
Research on the original scale often treats a total of around 100 out of 175 as high camouflaging. On our rescaled 0 to 100 version that lands at roughly 57, and we show you exactly how the translation works.
| 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 |
| Downloadable PDF report | No | Yes, branded & shareable |
| 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. |
Methodology & sources
The 25 statements reproduce the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q), developed and validated by Hull and colleagues (2019) and freely available in the research literature, reworded only lightly 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. In research using the original scale, a total of around 100 out of 175 is often used as a marker of high camouflaging; carried over proportionally, that corresponds to roughly 57 on our 0 to 100 version, which is where our high band begins. The translation is approximate, because compressing a 7-point scale to 5 points shifts mid-range answers slightly. 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). Our translation is deliberately conservative, so if anything it under-flags rather than over-flags.
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.
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
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.
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