Face Blindness Test
An adult self-report using the PI20 questions about everyday face recognition. Receive the published score, an explanation of its limits, and an optional PDF to discuss with a professional; this page does not include an objective face-memory task.
Face Blindness Test is a free, confidential 20-question self-assessment, the validated 20-item Prosopagnosia Index. It takes about 5 minutes, runs entirely in your browser, and gives you a plain-language score across 4 interpretation bands plus an optional in-depth report. It is an educational screening, not a diagnosis.
Everyday face recognition, with the source made clear
Recognizing a person by their voice or usual location can hide difficulty recognizing their face. The PI20 asks about concrete situations, then provides information to consider alongside formal assessment.
The actual PI20 statements
This page reproduces the validated items verbatim from Table 1 of Shah and colleagues' 2015 article, with attribution under CC BY 4.0. It covers familiar faces, changes in appearance, unexpected meetings, and everyday consequences. The statements are presented in two scoring groups, a disclosed change to their original order.
Published response scoring
Each response contributes 1 to 5 points, including the five items scored in the opposite direction. The final total runs from 20 to 100. This avoids a common source of misleading results: treating the positive statements as difficulties or accidentally shifting the original scoring range.
A companion to objective assessment
Your result reflects your account of face recognition, not performance on a face-memory experiment. Interpretations explain the published ranges while asking about history and daily impact. That distinction matters because the original authors intended the PI20 to complement objective tests, not replace them.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Item source | May mix anecdotes with uncredited questions | Verbatim Table 1 PI20 items, authors and CC BY licence identified |
| Scoring | Reverse scoring may be unclear | Published 1 to 5 contributions; total 20 to 100 |
| Ranges | May invent a face-blind percentage | Uses the authors' cautious 65, 75, and 85 boundaries |
| Subscales | May offer unsupported face-recognition types | One PI20 total; scoring groups are not subscales |
| Performance testing | May present self-report as a memory task | Clearly states that no objective task is administered |
| Support | May stop at a label | Assessment guidance and practical recognition strategies |
How scoring works
Answers are scored 0–100 in total. Your result falls into one of 4 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–64 | Below the suggested PI20 range | Your total is below 65, the lower boundary discussed by the original authors. Difficulties can still deserve assessment below that point. |
| 65–74 | Within the suggested mild range | Your total enters the PI20 range the authors considered broadly suggestive of mild developmental prosopagnosia. Objective assessment is needed to clarify it. |
| 75–84 | Within the suggested moderate range | Your total falls in the PI20 authors' broadly suggestive moderate range. Consider an assessment that includes objective face-recognition tasks. |
| 85–100 | Within the suggested severe range | Your total falls in the PI20 authors' broadly suggestive severe range. Professional assessment can help establish the nature and impact of these difficulties. |
Methodology & sources
The 20-item Prosopagnosia Index (PI20) was developed by Shah, Gaule, Sowden, Bird, and Cook (2015), Royal Society Open Science, 2:140343, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.140343. We reproduce its Table 1 item wording verbatim under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, copyright 2015 the authors. Responses use the published 1 to 5 agreement scale, anchored by Strongly Disagree and Strongly Agree. Items 8, 9, 13, 17, and 19 contribute 6 minus the selected response; the other 15 contribute the response itself. For compatibility with this interface, the 15 forward-scored items appear first and the five reverse-scored items second, with original item numbers in help text. Wording and total scoring are unchanged; this presentation order has not been separately validated. The two parts are scoring groups, not validated subscales.
The PI20 total ranges from 20 to 100. Shah and colleagues described 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and 85 to 100 as broadly indicative of mild, moderate, and severe developmental prosopagnosia, respectively, while explicitly requiring complementary evidence from objective testing. We retain those boundaries with cautious result labels. Scores below 65 are below the suggested range, not proof of unimpaired recognition. The display band begins at 0 to cover the engine range; scores 0 to 19 are impossible with completed responses. This adult educational screening does not establish a condition, determine onset, or assess general memory. The separate memory screen at /tests/memory-screen explores a broader concern. Persistent recognition difficulties merit professional assessment, and sudden new difficulty needs urgent medical evaluation rather than a lifelong-trait questionnaire.
References
- Shah P, Gaule A, Sowden S, Bird G, Cook R. The 20-item prosopagnosia index (PI20): a self-report instrument for identifying developmental prosopagnosia. Royal Society Open Science. 2015;2(6):140343. doi.org/10.1098/rsos.140343
- Creative Commons. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), licence deed. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- NHS. Prosopagnosia (face blindness). Accessed September 13, 2026. nhs.uk/conditions/face-blindness/
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 13). Face Blindness Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/face-blindness
Face Blindness Test FAQ
Does a score of 65 mean I have face blindness?
A score of 65 or above enters the original authors' suggested range for further consideration of developmental prosopagnosia. It is not confirmation. Their study describes the PI20 as complementary to objective face-recognition tests. A professional assessment can consider your history, visual function, and actual performance alongside your account of daily situations.
Why are some questions scored in reverse?
Five statements describe relative ease with faces. Agreeing with them therefore contributes fewer difficulty points. The original items are 8, 9, 13, 17, and 19. We place these together in the second part and apply the published conversion automatically. Continue answering honestly; you do not need to reverse your own response.
Is forgetting names the same as face blindness?
No. Forgetting a name while recognizing the person is different from failing to recognize their face. The PI20 includes several everyday situations to explore recognition more broadly. It cannot isolate every reason for a particular response. If forgetfulness extends beyond faces, the <a href="/tests/memory-screen">memory screen</a> addresses a different topic, and a clinician can help clarify it.
What if this difficulty started recently?
The developmental pattern studied in the PI20 concerns longstanding difficulties. Newly acquired difficulty can have other causes, including neurological problems. Seek urgent medical advice for a sudden change, especially after a head injury or with confusion, weakness, or speech changes. Do not wait for a questionnaire result; emergency symptoms require your local emergency service.
How does the PDF affect privacy?
The engine scores answers locally and retains them in this tab's session storage to restore a result after checkout. It sends aggregate test events. Optional PDF signup sends your name, email, and summary scores; paid reports also use summary scores. The free result requires neither purchase nor signup. The instrument authors do not receive your result through this questionnaire.
Related tests
Memory & Dementia Concern Screen
Informed by the validated AD8, with a clear, doctor-focused next step.
Brain Fog Test
Covers focus, memory, word-finding, and mental fatigue. Brain fog is a symptom, not a diagnosis.
Cognitive Function Test
A five-domain reflection on everyday cognitive lapses, with clear guidance on when to seek care.