medtests.de · Masking

Masking Test (CAT-Q)

This self-test uses the CAT-Q, the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire. It measures how much you compensate, mask, and push yourself through social situations: the strategies that can make autism invisible to others, and sometimes to standard screening tests too.

Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire

Please read each statement below and choose the answer that best fits your experiences during social interactions.

25 questions~4 minanonymous, scored in your browsernot a diagnosis

What does the CAT-Q measure?

The CAT-Q asks 25 questions across three strategies. Compensation covers deliberately learned social behavior: copying body language, preparing scripts, studying how people interact in film and fiction. Masking covers monitoring and hiding: controlling your face and posture, concealing your reactions, performing "normal". Assimilation covers the cost of fitting in: feeling like you're putting on an act, forcing yourself to interact, never quite feeling free to be yourself. Answers run from 1 to 7, five questions are reverse-scored, and totals range from 25 to 175.

What does the result mean?

The CAT-Q has no official diagnostic cutoff. In the original research, autistic adults scored substantially higher than non-autistic adults, with autistic women averaging around 124, and scores of 100 or more are commonly read as notable camouflaging. Heavy camouflaging matters for two reasons. It can explain why screening tests, and even clinicians, have missed autistic traits. And it's consistently linked to exhaustion and poorer mental health, because sustained masking is costly. A high score isn't an autism diagnosis on its own, but combined with an elevated AQ or RAADS-R result it's a strong reason to look for an assessor who knows masked presentations.

Source

Hull L, Mandy W, Lai M-C, Baron-Cohen S, Allison C, Smith P, Petrides KV. Development and Validation of the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly does the masking test measure?

The CAT-Q measures how much you compensate, mask, and force yourself through social situations, the strategies that can make autism invisible to others and to screening tests.

At what score is masking elevated?

In the original research, scores of 100 and above indicate notable camouflaging; autistic women averaged around 124. High masking is not proof of autism, but with an elevated AQ or RAADS-R it is a strong reason for a specialist assessment.

Scoring: what your points mean

ScoreLevelWhat it means
25-99 low few camouflaging strategies in this self-check.
100-123 medium mid range (orientation, not a validated cutoff).
124-175 high high range (orientation, not a validated cutoff).

Editorial orientation for this self-check. These ranges have no validated cutoffs and are not a diagnosis.

i
Reviewed by our editorial team

Instrument, scientific basis, and limitations checked. Last updated July 2026. Independent, anonymous, not a diagnosis.

After the test

A masking result is a signal, not a verdict. Note what stood out and use it as a starting point for a conversation with a medical or mental-health professional.

Explore further

Autism TestRAADS-R TestSocial Anxiety TestSources