Are online autism tests accurate?

This question’s often asked by non-autistic people who presume autistic people are using online autism tests to diagnose themselves.

Meanwhile, autistic people talk about online autism assessments in quite a different way.

The quick, real answer:

It’s complicated.

The autism assessment process is oftentimes a series of these “online autism tests” printed out and served.

Because guess what! The autism tests on the internet — the ones with names that have gained some semblance of popularity over the years — were created for diagnostic purposes!

Unlike my autistic burnout quiz, random website owners did not simply decide to create an autism test to see who might take it seriously. 🙄

The quick, simple answer

Online autism quizzes and tests may be helpful to people who think they might be autistic.

People who DON’T think they’re autistic don’t spend their time spending 1-5 hours taking online autism assessments to see if they might be autistic or neurodivergent in general.

And if they do? It’s not hard. It’s simple. The tests are reportedly difficult for autistic people. It’s like you’re having to take a test you didn’t study for — and also didn’t get the lesson for!

While non-autistic professionals are hesitant to diagnose autism, especially in adults, these quizzes and tests may serve as precursors to an official autism diagnoses.

Until an official autism diagnosis, online autism questionnaires can help validate research done by people who suspect they may be autistic, which may provide answers and understanding where there wasn’t any before.

Online autism quizzes + tests: my results

It’s been eight years since I last did an online autism quiz, and many have cropped up since then. What a wonderful time to take them all and share my answers.~

Visual graphic of my online autism assessment results

AQ-10

This test is a PDF, so the link may automatically download in your browser. Proceed with caution.

I scored an 8/10.

AQ Test

by Psychology Tools.

I scored 46/50.

Aspie Quiz

Final version 4.

I last took the Aspie Quiz and shared my results in 2014, when I scored 180/200 autistic and 28/200 neurotypical.

My new score: 191/200 autistic, 10/200 neurotypical. Does this mean I leveled up in autism??

Aspie Quiz results

I didn’t share my last results PDF, but if you’re curious, you can download and read more about it this time.~

Autism Spectrum Test

Autism Spectrum Test results

RAADS-R Test

When I saw this test on TikTok, I had to search for it. Embrace Autism is a site that has been trending on #autistiktok, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see it hosted there.

I scored 225/240.

I don’t know what these numbers mean:

  • Social relatedness: 111
  • Language: 21
  • Sensory/motor: 53
  • Circumscribed interests: 40

EQ Test

This 45-minute Emotional Intelligence Test by Psychology Today is free to take, but if you want more than a summary evaluation and graph, you’ll have to fork over $9.95

If you can put up with 146 questions, it might be worth it.

I gave up at number 111, because I was sick of the what should so-and-so do? and what would you do? questions. I don’t know. WHY ISN’T THERE AN “I DON’T KNOW” OPTION?!

Reminded me of my shitty high school therapist who couldn’t quit focusing on hypotheticals, and this much stress for a fun, explorational activity wasn’t what my mental health needed.

SQ Test

The Systemising Quotient (SQ) Test available via Aspie Tests is 75 questions long and nothing like the awful Psychology Today EQ Test.

I scored a 77/150, which is the average score for autistic females.

EQSQ

The Empathizing-Systemizing Test consists of 120 statements containing proper multiple choice options — Strongly disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly agree — and may go smoother if the PT one was too much.

Empathizer vs Systemizer graph

I know it did for me.~ Even though I got a rude graph.

I scored a 12/80 Empathizing Quotient and 34/80 Systemizing Quotient.

According to Baron-Cohen’s 2003 book, I have a lower than average ability for understanding how other feel and responding appropriately, and an average ability for analyzing and exploring a system.

Considering a lot of questions were about how everyday things function, I’m sure “a system” isn’t a dissociative identity disorder reference.


Personality tests geared towards neurodivergent people always interest me, but the ones without neurodivergence in mind leave no room for such individuals.

I find personality tests made for the general public excruciatingly difficult, namely because I am a DID system, because I’m autistic, and because questions often lack enough context or don’t have an ambiguous answer choice (because sometimes, both things can be true; other times, I really have zero idea and call it a Later Liz problem).

What do you make of personality tests and quizzes?

Did you take the autism ones?

If so, what were your results?

And — if you’re comfortable doing so — does your professional diagnosis and/or suspicions match your results?

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Comments on this post

My mum paid for my diagnosis when I was a kid… so I feel no need for these tests. I did take one or two of these (can’t remember which), and on I didn’t score enough to be autistic. I thought it was pretty strange.

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I like them just because. 🥲 I don’t see a need, being diagnosed, but I don’t have access to certain documentation on account of estranging from my mother. I had to get fresh birth certificate copies, for example. I don’t have childhood photos, and I don’t have medical documents proving I was diagnosed. 😔 One of the “punishments” for deciding to not carry to her every whim.

Thus, I’ll have to get new documentation on my diagnoses, which means going through the Dx process again. 😔

These tests are used in diagnostics, but the results drop tremendously when they’re not self-administered. It’s also interesting to compare against what the studies say, because they’re made based on studies.

For example, on TikTok, autistic people are baffled about the RAADS-R test and curious of what it’s like for neurotypical people, because all those things are essentially normal for autistic people.

It’s just a fun, interesting thing to partake in. Even if you’re diagnosed. Mostly because people think that they’re not based on anything, and they’re like online quizzes, but they’re based on research and actually used towards diagnosis, at least in the US and Canada.

Moreover, the RAADS-R test is one where diagnosed autistics may score higher than the other tests due to its content. The other autistic tests and quizzes have been deemed problematic in the past, and this test is so popular because diagnosed autistic people who did not score autistic on other tests score autistic on this one. Additionally, it addresses whether you mask (hide autism), if I recall correctly.

I also think they can help autistic people who are diagnosed, whose family believes them not, to work as visual proof of look, take this and find out for yourself. Although, if the relative tests autistic, it can backfire. 🥲

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