Test your Autism Spectrum Quotient

[Dufresne 0]

I recently watched a documentary about autism and found this online test. My AQ is 32, what's yours? Disclaimer: I don't know whether this test is scientifically sound. If you know a better test then please let me know.

[tommyedison 0]

I got a 25.

[Thoyd Loki 0]

Mine was 23. A test like that is so unscientific as to be almost laughable. It leaves out a grotesque number of contectual variables that can legitemately vary from individual to individual.

Take the questions of social interaction. Go to the library or a party: what kind of party, who is going to be there? Social chit-chat: with whom? In general I can't stand it, with some people it is great and I really enjoy it. Fascination with dates? Not in general, but in certain contexts, I find dates very interesting. Ability to see patterns in things? What sorts of patterns? The patterns of a girl's shirt pattern, random number sequences, or social patterns, psychological ones, historic ones - what?

Each one of those questions means nothing when answered outside of a consideration of a context.

[Paul's Here 0]

I got a 17, apparently average, for what it's worth.

[RayK 0]

I scored a 22.

[chrissandvick 0]

12. Guess I'm social...

[Stephen Speicher 0]

24

(Which, coincidentally, is a very good TV show. )

[Betsy Speicher 0]

18.

And I'm an extrovert!

[B. Royce 0]

I scored 23, which is ALMOST a very good show.

[RJM 0]

32, so Dufresne, you are not alone.

[Dufresne 0]

32, so Dufresne, you are not alone.

Maybe our AQ qualifies us for membership in the Asperger Social Club, a social club for those with "social communication difficulties". I wonder what they do at those clubs...

[free spirit 0]

I scored an 11.

But with a lot of the questions, there were, as Thoyd Loki mentioned, many variables. So I sometimes found the questions difficult to answer.

It would have been nice if there was explainations for each score, and what they were basing the questions on in relation to Autism. But I understand it is a light hearted test, so I will leave it at that!

~C~

[Elle 0]

I got a 30, I am so suprised. I guess I compensate for my social uncomfortableness (people who have met me might not even believe that I suffer from this) by telling myself, when I go out, that "every person in this room has something interesting to talk about or some value to offer and I am a detective who is going to find out what that is".

I told this to my boyfriend the other night when we were at a crowded restaurant with a bunch of my co-workers and other friends who he had never met before. I enjoy trying to make social situations work, it's fun to see it go smoothly and have all the people around engaged in topics they are interested or passionate about.

I am still surprised I am a 30. But I guess it's not scientific anyways...

[James Grabowski 0]

I got a 33, but I've studied for this test for most of my life.

[PhilO 0]

I got a 33, but I've studied for this test for most of my life.

33 here as well. I am not too surprised though. I think a lot of programmers are programmers because they can spend a lot of their time with perfectly logical machines rather than the average illogical person.

[Guest Michelle F. Cohen]

I took the test twice. Once thinking about interacting with co-workers and relatives, and again thinking about interacting with friends. The first time I got 30, the second time I got 21. I think people can feel differently about the same question depending on the context.

[egochick 0]

I scored 32 the first time and 34 the second time. I guess I'm pretty stable at very high risk for an autism spectrum disorder, but I love my life how it is.

Natalie

[MichaelJ 0]

I scored a 30 on the test. One of the high people on the forums.

I actually found some questions repetitive but in reverse as if it was trying to trick you into answering differently the second time.

[Doug Sheerton 0]

I scored a 30 on the test. One of the high people on the forums.

I actually found some questions repetitive but in reverse as if it was trying to trick you into answering differently the second time.

You noticed that difference, did you?

I scored a 38. I'm not surprised.

Nor did I find any of the questions ambiguous or confusing. That's probably more interesting than any scores we had on a test with such a gross swath; it also tends to explain why I'm not surprised at 38.

For example, go to a party or the library? Simple. I imagined the best time at a party (for example, my birthday attended by Diaz, Thurman, Jolie, Sharapova, Thurman, Longoria, Theron, Thurman, Liu, Hurley, and let's not forget Thurman, each at the peak of her wit and charm, each begging me to come upstairs, with or without the others, it's all good). Then I imagined the most interesting visit to a library (as in the various basements at the Library of Congress). It wasn't even close. I even threw in Jesus, Buddha, and Rand. Nope, still would feel like a fish out of water. Finally, I imagined being at a party in which everyone (Thurman or not) talks about their own wonderful visits to the basements at the Library of Congress. You wouldn't find me at that party, either.

That some saw choices as needing details filled in before you could select comfortably only underlines the point that you're most likely free of this condition.

[PRN 0]

I got a 27.

Maybe I can get a higher score if I try harder next time.

[GMartin 0]

10.... but have no idea what it means...

[Jonathan Awesome 0]

I got a 9.

[PRN 0]

I got a 9.

That means you lost. You should have got a higher score.

[Capitalism Forever 0]

I got a 23, then I cheated a little but I still only got 28. I guess I'll never learn this...

[Oakes 0]

I finally got around to doing this and got a 35. It took me a month to remember my cell phone number...