If you’ve started researching ADHD assessments, you’ve probably come across terms like DIVA-5, ASRS v1.1, and QBTest and wondered what they actually mean. With so many different ADHD diagnostic tools mentioned online, it can be difficult to understand which tests are used to diagnose ADHD and how they fit into the diagnosing ADHD process.
So which ADHD diagnostic tool is the most effective? The reality is that there is no single test used to diagnose. Instead, clinicians use a combination of structured interviews, symptom questionnaires, and objective ADHD diagnostic tools to build a clearer picture of how symptoms affect your daily life, both now and during childhood.
In this guide, we explain the most common tests used to diagnose ADHD, including DIVA-5, ASRS v1.1, and QBCheck/QBTest, helping you understand what each assessment measures and what to expect during the diagnostic process.
Let’s get started.
Which Tests Are Used to Diagnose ADHD & Why are Multiple ADHD Diagnostic Tools Used?
When looking at which tests are used to diagnose ADHD, it’s important to understand that there is no single test that confirms a diagnosis. Instead, ADHD clinicians use a mixture of different tests, combining clinical interviews, screening questionnaires, and ADHD diagnostic tools to build a complete and accurate understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.
This typically includes reviewing symptoms, exploring childhood history, and assessing how difficulties affect daily life, exploring inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. As a result, exploring all these areas helps clinicians understand if your ADHD symptoms have been present since childhood, as well as how it’s affecting your daily life.
The most commonly used ADHD diagnostic tools include DIVA-5, a structured clinical interview based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, as recommended in many clinical guidelines. ASRS v1.1 is another widely used ADHD diagnosis tool that helps identify symptoms of adult ADHD. Whereas, QBCheck/QBTest provides objective, computer-based measures of attention, impulsivity, and activity levels.
Let’s explore each ADHD diagnosis tool individually so you can understand them more clearly.
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What Is the DIVA-5 ADHD Assessment?
The DIVA-5 (Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults) is a structured clinical interview used as part of adult ADHD assessments. It is based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, which means it follows a standardised framework from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to help clinicians determine whether ADHD symptoms are present and clinically significant.
How the DIVA-5 Interview Works
During the DIVA-5 assessment, clinicians explore both current symptoms and childhood experiences, often asking for specific examples from both childhood and adulthood. This helps build a clearer timeline of how symptoms have developed and whether they have been present since childhood, which is a key requirement for an ADHD diagnosis.
What Clinicians Look for During DIVA-5
Clinicians use the DIVA-5 interview to assess core ADHD traits, including:
Inattention
- Trouble sustaining attention during conversations or tasks
- Frequently losing items
- Struggling to finish tasks
- Poor organisation.
Hyperactivity
- Feeling restless
- Frequent fidgeting by tapping hands or feet
- Feeling driven by a motor
- Frequently leaving your seat at work or school
Impulsivity
- Frequently interrupting others
- Blurting out the answer before the question has been completely asked
- Trouble waiting for your turn in conversations or in line
Functional impact on work, education, relationships & daily life
- Missed deadlines
- Difficulties maintaining organisation at home
- Strain in relationships due to forgetfulness or inconsistency
- Underperformance despite effort
Why DIVA-5 Is One of the Most Common Tests Used to Diagnose ADHD
The DIVA-5 is widely used in adult ADHD assessments because it provides a structured, DSM-5–aligned interview that helps clinicians assess symptoms in a consistent and reliable way.
It explores both current and childhood symptoms in detail, using real-life examples to understand how ADHD affects education, work, relationships, and daily functioning over time.
Because it is standardised and clinically validated, it improves consistency between assessments and is considered one of the most reliable tools used in adult ADHD diagnosis.
What is the ASRS v1.1 ADHD Screening Test?
The ASRS v1.1 (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale) is a self-report ADHD screening questionnaire developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and widely used in ADHD screening tests. It is designed to help identify whether someone may be experiencing symptoms of adult ADHD and whether further clinical assessment may be needed.
Unlike diagnostic interviews such as DIVA-5, the ASRS is not used to diagnose ADHD on its own. Instead, it acts as an initial screening tool, asking individuals to reflect on common ADHD-related behaviours such as difficulties with focus, organisation, restlessness, and impulsivity.
What Symptoms Does the ASRS Measure?
The ASRS v1.1 focuses on common adult ADHD symptoms that can affect day-to-day functioning, including:
Focus
- Difficulty sustaining attention during conversations, reading, or work tasks
- Becoming easily distracted
Organisation
- Struggling to plan tasks
- Struggling to manage time effectively or keep on top of responsibilities
Forgetfulness
- Frequently misplacing items like keys or a wallet
- Missing appointments
- Forgetting important details
Restlessness
- Finding it hard to relax
- Needing constant activity
Impulsivity
- Interrupting others
- Making quick decisions without thinking
- Acting without considering consequences
These symptoms help clinicians identify patterns that may indicate ADHD and determine whether further ADHD diagnostic tools or symptom checklists should be used as part of a full evaluation.
Is ASRS v1.1 Enough to Diagnose ADHD?
The ASRS v1.1 is not enough on its own to diagnose ADHD. It is a screening tool, which means it is designed to identify whether someone may have symptoms of ADHD, rather than confirm a diagnosis.
Screening is only the first step in the process. A positive ASRS result can indicate that further assessment may be needed, but it does not take into account clinical history, childhood symptoms, or the full impact on daily functioning, all of which are essential for a comprehensive evaluation.
For this reason, the ASRS is usually used alongside other ADHD diagnostic tools, such as structured clinical interviews like DIVA-5 and objective assessments like QBTest, to give clinicians a more complete and reliable picture.
What Are QBCheck & QBTest?
QBCheck and QBTest are computer-based, objective ADHD diagnostic tools used to measure attention, impulsivity, and activity levels during an assessment. Unlike questionnaires or interviews, these tests focus on capturing real-time performance data to help clinicians understand how someone responds to sustained attention tasks.
QBTest is typically carried out in a clinic setting under controlled conditions, while QBCheck is a remote version that can be completed from home. Both use a combination of attention tasks and motion tracking to assess behavioural responses, providing objective data that can be compared against typical patterns seen in ADHD and non-ADHD populations.
How QBCheck and QBTest Work
During the test, individuals are asked to complete a series of simple but repetitive tasks on a screen while their responses and physical movement are monitored.
These tests measure key areas linked to ADHD, including:
- Attention – how consistently someone can focus on tasks without becoming distracted or missing targets
- Impulsivity – how often someone responds too quickly or makes errors by acting before fully processing information
- Activity levels – physical movement during the task, which is tracked using motion sensors to assess restlessness or hyperactivity
By combining these measurements, QBCheck and QBTest provide clinicians with objective, performance-based information that can be used alongside interviews and questionnaires during a full ADHD assessment.
Why QBTest Is Used Alongside Other Tests Used to Diagnose ADHD
QBTest is not used in isolation to diagnose ADHD, but rather as one part of a broader assessment process. While interviews and questionnaires rely on self-reported experiences, QBTest provides objective performance data, which can help clinicians see how attention, impulsivity, and activity levels are present in real time.
This objective layer is useful because it can either support or add context to information gathered from other tests used to diagnose ADHD, such as DIVA-5 and ASRS v1.1. For example, it may highlight patterns of inattention or restlessness that align with reported symptoms, helping to strengthen the overall clinical picture.
By combining subjective experiences with measurable data, clinicians can use multiple ADHD diagnostic tools together to improve accuracy and reduce the risk of overlooking or misinterpreting symptoms.
Understanding the Tests Used to Diagnose ADHD
When looking at the tests used to diagnose ADHD, it’s important to understand that no single tool provides a diagnosis on its own. Instead, clinicians use a combination of ADHD diagnostic tools to build a full and accurate picture of symptoms and how they affect daily life.
To summarise, clinicians use a mixture of ADHD diagnosis tools, including DIVA-5 for a structured clinical interview, ASRS v1.1 as a screening questionnaire, and QBCheck/QBTest for objective attention and activity data. Used together, these tools help clinicians cross-check findings and improve diagnostic accuracy.
If you’re considering an assessment, Private ADHD & Autism UK offers comprehensive, evidence-based ADHD assessments using these tools as part of a full clinical evaluation.
