RAADS-R Test
A confidential self-reflection screening built on the RAADS-14 Screen, the validated 14-item short form of the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R). You answer using the scale's own response format, get an instant 0 to 42 score against its published cutoff, see how your traits fall across its three subscales, and can save an optional in-depth personalized report to keep or bring to a clinician.
RAADS-R Test is a free, confidential 14-question self-assessment, based on the validated RAADS-14 Screen. It takes about 4 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.
The RAADS-14, read through an affirming lens
The RAADS-14 Screen distills the longer RAADS-R into fourteen statements that load onto three subscales where autistic adults often differ from non-autistic adults. It measures traits, not worth. Being autistic is a difference in how a mind works, not something broken that needs fixing.
Mentalizing differences
The largest RAADS-14 subscale. Six statements about reading faces and feelings, knowing what others expect, taking turns in conversation, focusing on detail, and taking things literally.
Social anxiety
Four statements about how demanding groups and social situations feel, whether making friends comes naturally, and how much effort ordinary socializing takes. One item is worded toward ease and scored in reverse, exactly as the instrument specifies.
Sensory reactivity
Four statements: textures that feel offensive on the skin, needing to withdraw when senses are overwhelmed, covering your ears against painful noise, and getting very upset when a familiar routine is suddenly changed. Sensory experience and a need for predictability are a core part of many autistic people's day.
| Feature | Typical free quiz | Psychology.com |
|---|---|---|
| Validated RAADS-14 items, faithful wording | Rarely | Yes, all 14 statements |
| The scale's own four-point response format | Often simplified | Yes, kept intact |
| Correct reverse-scoring of the normative item | Frequently wrong | Yes, handled internally |
| Three subscale scores, not just one number | Rarely shown | Yes, scored separately |
| Published cutoff (14) explained in context | Rarely | Yes, with the higher 23 cutoff too |
| Affirming, non-pathologizing language | No | Throughout |
| 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 0–42 in total. Your result falls into one of 3 bands:
| Score | Band | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0–13 | Below the screening threshold | Your RAADS-14 score is below 14, the cutoff the screen uses to flag when a fuller autism assessment is worth considering. On this measure, your answers overlap less with the autistic-trait profile it is built to catch. |
| 14–22 | At or above the screening threshold | Your score is 14 or higher, the RAADS-14 screening cutoff at which the authors suggest a fuller autism assessment may be worth considering. This is a signal worth exploring, not a verdict. |
| 23–42 | Well above the screening threshold | Your score is 23 or higher, the more specific cutoff the RAADS-14 authors describe above the standard threshold of 14. Your answers describe a strong autistic-trait profile on this screen, though a screen is still not a diagnosis. |
Methodology & sources
This screening reproduces the RAADS-14 Screen (Eriksson, Andersen & Bejerot, 2013), the validated fourteen-item short form abridged from the eighty-item Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R; Ritvo et al., 2011). Each statement is answered on the scale's own four-point response set, which captures when a trait has been true: three points for true now and when you were young, two for true only now, one for true only when you were younger than sixteen, and zero for never true. Thirteen items are scored in that direction. The small-talk item, worded toward social ease rather than difficulty, is a normative item and is reverse-scored, exactly as the published instrument specifies, and we handle that direction internally. The total runs from 0 to 42. Statements have been lightly reworded for readability while preserving the meaning of the validated instrument.
The fourteen items load onto three subscales, and we present and score them that way: mentalizing differences (items about reading people, conversation, detail focus, and taking things literally), social anxiety (items about groups and socializing), and sensory reactivity (items about texture, overwhelm, noise, and needing routines to stay the same). In the original validation, a cutoff of 14 or above reached a sensitivity of 97 percent, with the median score around 32 for autistic adults, 15 for adults with ADHD, and 3 for non-psychiatric controls; the authors also describe a higher, more specific cutoff of 23. This is an educational screening for self-reflection, not a diagnostic tool, and no score can tell you whether you are autistic. For the complete fifty-question Autism-Spectrum Quotient with five domain scores, see our main autism test at /tests/autism. A formal autism assessment is carried out by a qualified clinician through a developmental history and direct observation. We present results in affirming, strengths-aware language, because autism is a difference in neurology, not a deficit.
References
- Eriksson JM, Andersen LM, Bejerot S. RAADS-14 Screen: validity of a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in an adult psychiatric population. Mol Autism. 2013;4(1):49.
- Ritvo RA, Ritvo ER, Guthrie D, et al. The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R): a scale to assist the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults. J Autism Dev Disord. 2011;41(8):1076–1089.
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, August 28). RAADS-R Test. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tests/raads-r
RAADS-R Test FAQ
What is the RAADS-R, and what is the RAADS-14?
The RAADS-R is the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised, an eighty-item scale developed to help clinicians assess autism in adults. The RAADS-14 Screen is its validated fourteen-item short form, built for quick screening in everyday settings. This test uses the RAADS-14, so it is fast to take while staying faithful to the RAADS-R lineage, and it reports the three subscales the short form is built around.
What is a high RAADS-14 score?
The total runs from 0 to 42. In the original validation, a score of 14 or above is the screening cutoff at which a fuller conversation about assessment is worth considering; it reached a sensitivity of 97 percent. The median was around 32 for autistic adults and 3 for non-psychiatric controls, and the authors describe a higher, more specific cutoff of 23. A number is a prompt to reflect, never a diagnosis.
How is this different from your main autism test?
Our main autism test at /tests/autism uses the full fifty-question Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and reports five trait domains. This page uses the RAADS-14, a different and shorter validated instrument from the RAADS-R family, scored across its own three subscales. Many people take both; when two well-built screens point the same way, that is more informative than either alone.
Why is one question scored in reverse?
The small-talk item, about chatting and making small talk with ease, is worded toward social comfort rather than difficulty. The RAADS-14 includes it as a normative item and reverses its scoring so that reporting ease lowers the autism-associated total. We apply that reversal internally, so you simply answer honestly and the scoring is handled correctly.
Is this test a diagnosis?
No. It is for education and self-reflection only. An autism diagnosis is made by a qualified clinician through a developmental history and direct observation. If your result resonates, a screening score can be a useful thing to bring to that conversation, whatever the outcome turns out to be.
Is being autistic a disorder?
Autism is a neurotype, a different way of thinking, sensing, and relating, with real strengths alongside genuine challenges. Many autistic adults find that understanding themselves through this lens is clarifying and affirming rather than something to be fixed.
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