What does your AQ-50 score mean?

The AQ-50 is the most widely used autism screening questionnaire for adults, and many people take it as their first step. When you finish, you get a number between 0 and 50. But what does a score of 22, 29 or 38 actually mean? Here we explain how the score is calculated, where the thresholds come from, and how to use your result.

Where the AQ-50 comes from

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge and published in 2001. The aim was a short questionnaire that adults could fill in themselves to show how many autistic traits they have. It has since been used in hundreds of studies and translated into many languages.

An important idea behind the AQ is that autistic traits exist in everyone to some degree. Everyone gets a score, and autistic people usually score high. That's why the AQ-50 is good at showing roughly where you are, but it can't tell for certain whether you are autistic.

How the score is calculated

The AQ-50 has 50 statements, such as “I prefer to do things the same way over and over again”. You answer “agree”, “slightly agree”, “slightly disagree” or “disagree”.

Each statement gives either 0 or 1 point. You get 1 point if your answer points towards an autistic trait, regardless of whether you agree fully or only slightly. About half of the statements are worded the other way round, such as “I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face”, so there you get the point if you disagree. This means the strength of your answer doesn't affect the score, only its direction.

What the total score means

In the original study:

Adults without an autism diagnosis scored about 16 on average.
Autistic adults scored about 36 on average.
About 80% of the autistic adults scored 32 or more, compared with only 2% of the comparison group.

The threshold of 32 is therefore often used for “many autistic traits”. A later study of people referred to a diagnostic clinic found that a threshold of 26 was better at deciding who should be offered a full assessment. It picked out most of the people who were later diagnosed, but also many who weren't.

On test-autism.com, we describe the score like this:

0–15: very unlikely to be autistic. This is at or below the average for the general population.
16–24: unlikely to be autistic. You have some traits, but fewer than most autistic people.
25–34: likely to be autistic. You are above the threshold used in clinics, and from 32 also above the threshold from the original study.
35–50: very likely to be autistic. This is at or above the average for autistic adults.

The five areas

The 50 statements are divided into five areas with ten statements each, and you get a score from 0 to 10 for each:

Social skill: how you experience social situations and meeting new people.
Attention switching: how easily you shift focus and cope with changes and interruptions.
Attention to detail: how much you notice details, patterns and numbers.
Communication: conversations, small talk and understanding what people mean.
Imagination: imagining stories and what other people intend.

Autistic people often score high on social skill, communication and attention switching. Attention to detail is a special case: many non-autistic people also score high here, for example people who work with numbers, technology or design. So a high total that comes mostly from attention to detail means something different from a high total spread across all five areas.

What can affect your score

Social anxiety and depression can make you agree with many of the social statements, even if you aren't autistic.
ADHD shares some traits with autism, especially around attention.
Masking: if you have learned to hide your traits, you may answer based on how you behave rather than how it feels, and get a lower score. The CAT-Q measures this.
Self-image: the AQ-50 is based on how you see yourself. It can help to think of concrete situations rather than answering from a general impression.

What to do next

If you scored 26 or more and recognise yourself in the statements, it may be worth talking to a doctor about an assessment. If you want a more thorough picture first, you can take the RAADS-R, which also asks about your childhood. Read our guide on how to get an autism assessment as an adult.

Remember that the AQ-50 is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. Only a qualified professional can make a diagnosis, after a thorough assessment of your history and your current life. Ready to take the test? Take the AQ-50 for free here.