Free self-assessment for adults
Neurodivergent Test: Autism Test, ADHD Test & HSP Test
Find out in five minutes how strongly neurodivergence shows up in you, and what costs you the most energy in everyday life.
Psychologically reviewed by Nazim Venutti, MSc Psych · Last updated: September 2026
The test is a first step toward better understanding your own neurotype and recognizing both growth potential and challenges.
Why This Test?
Many adults have sensed for years that something doesn’t fit the usual expectations: high sensitivity in everyday life, the feeling of focusing differently from others, intense emotions, recurring exhaustion.
This test gives you a language to find your way. It translates your experiences into dimensions you can follow and shows where high sensitivity and patterns associated with ADHD and autism overlap, and where they differ. The result doesn’t replace a diagnosis, but it helps you sort your experience and get a sense of the foundations of your own neurodivergence.
Table of Contents
Neurodivergence Symptoms
Neurodivergence comes with a range of physical, psychological and also socioeconomic symptoms, many of which can be clinical as well as subclinical.
Kieran Rose describes neurodivergence as a way of communicating, processing information, perceiving, moving and relating to others that differs in many ways from what is considered “typical” (Rose, 2024). Amy Pearson and Kieran Rose (2021) show that people whose way of being is marked as deviant experience stigma and exclusion, and that masking is an obvious response to it.
In this understanding, neurodivergence itself, in a vacuum, produces no symptoms. In Zensitively’s experience, people with a very similar disposition can have very different symptoms.
Zensitively’s view is that the symptoms arise mainly from the negative and invalidating messages neurodivergent people receive from childhood on. The American ADHD expert William Dodson estimates that by age ten, a child with ADHD receives around 20,000 more corrective or negative messages than their peers, from parents, teachers, relatives and friends.
These negative messages can be processed in different ways. They can lead a person to leave their own inner world (a kind of “tuning out,” which can be associated with ADHD) or to withdraw into it (a kind of “tuning away,” typically associated with autism). The two strategies don’t exclude each other. People who switch between both coping strategies often call themselves AuDHD, a blend of autism and ADHD.
The biggest symptom of neurodivergence, though, may be one that stays invisible: masking. Masking describes an unconscious response to repeated devaluation of, and discrimination against, the nervous system’s original way of learning, feeling, thinking and experiencing. The nervous system tries to avoid these negative messages, and the danger that comes with them, by doing its best to seem neurotypical.
Masking is what makes a diagnosis, and recognizing the symptoms of neurodivergence, so hard. But there are questionnaires that capture masking itself, such as the CAT-Q (Hull et al., 2019). Alongside the scales associated with ADHD and autism, this test also captures camouflaging as a scale of its own.
Over time, masking itself can also lead to symptoms that can have devastating consequences if they go unnoticed and unaddressed. These symptoms include:
- Burnout (often called autistic burnout)
- Problems with concentration and prioritizing (executive functions)
- Difficulty identifying and naming emotions (alexithymia)
- The feeling of not being authentic
- Lack of motivation and drive
- Tiredness and exhaustion
- Depressive symptoms
So when complaints like these are present, understanding your own neurodivergence matters.
Am I Neurodivergent?
Most people who come across neurodiversity and neurodivergence ask themselves: Am I neurodivergent? Often, content on social media, in magazines or in the news comes before the question. The hope is that realizing you’re neurodivergent will bring clarity about where certain symptoms in your life come from, such as exhaustion or difficulty concentrating.
Neurodivergence is indeed real, and it can be measured.
You don’t need a diagnosis to answer the question. A doctor or psychotherapist doesn’t decide whether you’re neurodivergent. ADHD, autism and Tourette’s are three examples of neurodivergence that get diagnosed, but there are also subclinical expressions and other forms of neurodivergence that can’t be diagnosed.
That’s because medical and psychotherapeutic diagnoses are based on physical and mental illnesses, and neurodivergence in itself is not a disorder or an illness.
One direct way to explore the question “Am I neurodivergent?” is a free neurodivergence self-test: the Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI). It was developed for exactly this purpose and refined over years. It has been completed more than 150,000 times around the world, in seven languages, and its quality criteria are published.
The test captures seven scales, among them high sensitivity and scales associated with ADHD and autism, and helps you explore the question of your own neurodivergence.
What This Test Measures
The Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI) uses 60 statements to measure seven scales: High Sensitivity, Monotropism, Kinetic-Cognitive Learning Style, Alexithymia, Emotional Overwhelm (associated with RSD), Camouflaging and Self-Criticism. From these, the results document calculates your Neuroprofile: the Neurodivergence Score, the strain profile and the other views.
Your scores are compared with those of many adults who took the ZNI on their own initiative. All the figures are in the technical documentation of the ZNI.
People who complete the inventory get a comprehensive view of different aspects of their experience and can place symptoms and experiences better.
Especially when you suspect that several areas of neurodivergence might be present at once, a test that captures them all has an even bigger advantage, one that separate tests can’t match.
So it isn’t a good idea to take separate tests for ADHD, autism and so on and “add them up” in your head. The whole experience is more than the sum of its parts.
The ZNI is not a diagnosis. It doesn’t establish an illness or disorder, and it doesn’t prescribe a treatment plan. It’s neuro-affirming: the Neurodivergence Score doesn’t measure how different a person is, but how far their experience is discriminated against by neuronormativity.
Clinical psychologist Nazim Venutti developed the test in 2017, and it has since been revised and refined at Zensitively with statistical methods. Venutti is neurodivergent himself and brought 14 years of clinical expertise to its development.
Autism as Part of Your Neuroprofile
This neurodiversity test gives you a solid first impression of your neurodivergence, including the Monotropism and Camouflaging scales, which are associated with autism (also called the autism spectrum, autism spectrum disorder or Asperger’s). You’ll find more background on autism on the page for the autism test for adults. A science-based look at these patterns can help you see yourself in a non-pathologizing way (one that doesn’t treat these patterns as deficits) and understand yourself better.
What Your Result Says About Autistic Traits
Your test result shows your scores on the ZNI’s scales, including Monotropism and Camouflaging, which are associated with autism. A score says nothing about whether a diagnosis would apply. High scores point to areas you could explore further. The autism spectrum is diverse, from subtle particularities to clear differences in experience and behavior. You can use the result as a starting point for further self-reflection and personal growth.
ADHD Within the Bigger Picture of Neurodivergence
This neurodiversity test also captures the Kinetic-Cognitive Learning Style, which is associated with ADHD, and Emotional Overwhelm, which is associated with RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria). You’ll find more background on ADHD on the page for the ADHD test for adults.
What Your Neuroprofile Shows About ADHD Patterns
ADHD patterns rarely stand alone. Your Neuroprofile as a whole places your score on the Kinetic-Cognitive Learning Style scale next to High Sensitivity, Alexithymia or Camouflaging, and so it can help you find your own explanations for difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness or distractibility. The term “ADHD” describes symptoms; you can read more about the background on the page for the → ADHD test for adults
High Sensitivity and Its Overlaps
By Elaine Aron’s estimate, high sensitivity (HSP, highly sensitive person) affects about 15 to 20 percent of the population, and Zensitively’s view is that it may be the fundamental trait behind many patterns associated with ADHD and autism. A neurodiversity test can show how pronounced your high sensitivity is and, above all, how you handle it. The page for the highly sensitive person test has more background. In Zensitively’s experience, exactly that makes the biggest difference when it comes to expressions such as ADHD, autism, RSD and alexithymia.
Neurodivergence in Women
Neurodivergence in women is an increasingly important topic. In Zensitively’s experience, most people who are interested in neurodivergence are women.
Yet the diagnostic criteria for many areas of neurodivergence still take men, and the way traits typically show up in men, as the reference.
Historically, this has led to underdiagnosis in women, especially in childhood, and to misdiagnoses that can have devastating effects.
Special interests are a simple example. While model railways or collecting and categorizing objects were recognized as special interests, special interests typical for women were overlooked for decades. These include, for example, animals such as dogs or horses.
Masking is another example. On average, autistic women mask more than autistic men (Hull et al., 2020). That makes it all the more important for tests to capture masking separately and to word questions (items) so that they also reflect how women perceive things.
This test doesn’t ask about gender. Its statements ask how you experience your own perceiving, focusing and reacting, not how it looks from the outside. You can read how ADHD and autism often show up in women on the pages for the ADHD test and the autism test.
Adults and Diagnostics — Where Can You Get Tested?
For an official autism diagnosis, you can turn to psychiatric practices that specialize in autism spectrum disorders, autism outpatient clinics at university hospitals, or specialized psychotherapy practices. The process usually involves several appointments with interviews, tests and information from people who know you. Expect waiting times of several months. Use the time for self-reflection with this test. Also think about what you want to achieve with a diagnosis: there’s a reason people say, “If you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person.” Autistic people are all very different.
Sources
- Zensitively (2026). Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI): Technical documentation, version 1.1. Zensitively GmbH, Hamburg. zensitively.com/en/neurodivergence-inventory
- Dodson, W. — Estimate of the number of corrective and negative messages children with ADHD receive by age ten. Shared via ADDitude Magazine (https://www.additudemag.com/rejection-sensitive-dysphoria-adhd-symptom-test/); this is an extrapolation, not a peer-reviewed study.
- Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1997). Sensory-processing sensitivity and its relation to introversion and emotionality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(2), 345–368.
- Hull, L., Mandy, W., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Petrides, K. V. (2019). Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 819–833.
- Hull, L., Lai, M.-C., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., Petrides, K. V., & Mandy, W. (2020). Gender differences in self-reported camouflaging in autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism, 24(2), 352–363. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361319864804
- Pearson, A., & Rose, K. (2021). A conceptual analysis of autistic masking: Understanding the narrative of stigma and the illusion of choice. Autism in Adulthood, 3(1), 52–60. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0043
- Rose, K. (2024, September 3). What is Neurodiversity? The Autistic Advocate. https://theautisticadvocate.com/what-is-neurodiversity-new/
- Kessler, R. C., Adler, L., Ames, M., Demler, O., Faraone, S., Hiripi, E., Howes, M. J., Jin, R., Secnik, K., Spencer, T., Ustun, T. B., & Walters, E. E. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychological Medicine, 35(2), 245–256.
- Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Skinner, R., Martin, J., & Clubley, E. (2001). The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ): evidence from Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism, males and females, scientists and mathematicians. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(1), 5–17.
- Ritvo, R. A., Ritvo, E. R., Guthrie, D., Ritvo, M. J., Hufnagel, D. H., McMahon, W., Tonge, B., Mataix-Cols, D., Jassi, A., Attwood, T., & Eloff, J. (2011). The Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R): a scale to assist the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(8), 1076–1089.
- Bagby, R. M., Parker, J. D. A., & Taylor, G. J. (1994). The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38(1), 23–32.
is a clinical psychologist and founder of Zensitively. He specialises in neurodiversity – particularly ADHD, autism, and high sensitivity – and developed this test based on validated psychological instruments. As a neurodivergent person himself, he combines clinical expertise with an inside-out perspective. More about the author
Frequently Asked Questions
Neurodivergence is not a diagnosis, and nobody has to have it established officially. Kieran Rose describes neurodivergence as a way of communicating, processing information, perceiving, moving and relating to others that differs in many respects from what counts as “typical” (Rose 2024). Some forms are diagnosed, such as ADHD or autism; many people also understand themselves as neurodivergent without a diagnosis.
One way to pursue the question is a psychometric questionnaire. The Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI) uses 60 statements to describe seven scales, among them high sensitivity and scales associated with ADHD and autism. The scales measure reliably and stay stable over weeks.
The ZNI's Neurodivergence Score does not measure how different a person is, but how far their own experience is discriminated against by neuronormativity: what you say your experience costs you. The ZNI does not make a diagnosis, and it does not replace a clinical evaluation.
Neurodivergent is an umbrella term from the neurodiversity movement, not a medical category. The forms named most often are autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and Tourette syndrome. Kieran Rose's definition is broader: it describes any way of communicating, processing, perceiving and moving that differs markedly from what counts as “typical” (Rose 2024). Whether high sensitivity belongs there is seen differently by different people; the ZNI records it as a scale of its own.
In the individual person these areas often do not occur separately. In the ZNI data, all seven scales are closely linked: patterns associated with ADHD, autism, high sensitivity or alexithymia show up in the same answers.
There is no test that diagnoses neurodivergence, because neurodivergence is not a diagnosis. There are, however, established questionnaires for individual areas, such as the ASRS for features of ADHD, the AQ and the RAADS-R for autistic features, the Highly Sensitive Person Scale for high sensitivity, the TAS-20 for alexithymia and the CAT-Q for camouflaging.
The Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI) asks about these areas in one pass: 60 statements, seven scales, about 5 minutes, free of charge. Five of its scales closely match the established questionnaires. The result shows all the scales side by side, as one person's profile.
The test takes about 5 minutes. It consists of several short questions that you can answer intuitively — there are no right or wrong answers.
Immediately after completion, you receive your personal neuroprofile with a detailed analysis across various dimensions of neurodiversity.
Yes, the test is completely free. You only need an email address, to which we send a six-digit code. Once you enter it, you see your result right away.
There are no hidden costs and no obligation. Optional additional offers such as the Complete Neuroprofile or the e-book will be presented to you after the analysis, but they are not required to use the test.
No, this test does not make a diagnosis. It answers a different question: how you perceive, focus and react, and what this costs you in everyday life.
What the test offers is a scientifically oriented self-assessment. It reveals tendencies and patterns that can help you better understand your own nervous system — and serves many people as a valuable starting point for further self-reflection or a conversation with professionals.
Yes, your data is treated completely confidentially and protected under the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Your answers and results are stored encrypted and never sold or shared with third parties.
Many patterns associated with ADHD, autism, or high sensitivity overlap significantly. An isolated test for just one dimension cannot show this bigger picture.
This test captures seven scales at once — including Alexithymia and Emotional Overwhelm, which is associated with RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria). Both shape the daily experience of many people, yet other tests often do not take them into account.
This way you get a holistic picture of your nervous system, rather than just a snapshot. This broader perspective helps you understand yourself better — regardless of whether a single diagnosis applies or not.
The Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI) is its own questionnaire with 60 statements and seven scales. Five of the scales were checked against established research questionnaires (HSPS, Monotropism Questionnaire, CAARS, TAS-20, CAT-Q) and closely match them. The results stay stable, even when the test is repeated weeks later.
Your scores are compared with those of many adults who took the ZNI on their own initiative. It has been completed more than 155,000 times so far, in seven languages. Criterion validity was also tested: people with an ADHD diagnosis score clearly higher on the scale associated with ADHD than people without a diagnosis. All figures, samples and limitations are set out in the technical documentation (version 1.1, September 2026).
The neurodiversity test captures your self-perception on the seven scales of the Zensitively Neurodivergence Inventory (ZNI): High Sensitivity, Monotropism, Kinetic-Cognitive Learning Style, Alexithymia, Emotional Overwhelm (associated with RSD), Camouflaging and Self-Criticism.
Unlike tests that only look in one direction, this test simultaneously captures high sensitivity, scales associated with autism and ADHD, and related areas such as Alexithymia and Emotional Overwhelm. This gives you a comprehensive picture of your neuroprofile.
After completing the test, you receive your personal neuroprofile — a detailed analysis showing how strongly various neurodivergent dimensions are expressed in you. The results are visually presented and clearly explained.
Your neuroprofile shows you tendencies and patterns — not a diagnosis, but an invitation to better understand your own nervous system. Many people report that this categorization helps them finally understand years-long patterns.
With people who sought out the ZNI on their own initiative, not with the general population.