othermind
Autism masking test

The CAT-Q masking test

A recognised questionnaire measuring how much you mask or camouflage autistic traits in social situations, often the part that goes unseen.

Start the test 10 mins. 25 questions. No account needed.
UCL-developed

Created by Laura Hull and colleagues at University College London, published in 2018.

Measures masking

The first validated measure of camouflaging, the strategies used to hide or compensate for autistic traits.

Well researched

Validated in autistic and non-autistic adults, with strong internal consistency (α = 0.94).

The basics

What is the CAT-Q?

The CAT-Q (Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire) is a 25-item measure developed by Laura Hull and colleagues at UCL in 2018. It measures camouflaging, the conscious and unconscious strategies people use to hide or compensate for autistic characteristics.

It looks at three areas: compensation (strategies to get through social situations), masking (hiding autistic characteristics) and assimilation (trying to fit in). Masking is strongly linked to exhaustion, anxiety and burnout.

It takes about five minutes, and is especially relevant for people who were identified late or present in ways the shorter screens tend to miss.

Scoring

What your score means

25–79
80–109
110–175
Lower camouflaging
Moderate
Higher camouflaging

Answers are summed (a few items reverse-scored) for a total between 25 and 175. Higher scores mean more camouflaging. Autistic adults score around 124 on average, non-autistic adults around 91.

There is no official clinical cutoff, the CAT-Q is about understanding your patterns, not diagnosis. High camouflaging is common among autistic people and can be exhausting to sustain.

What it looks at

Compensation
Strategies to actively compensate for social difficulty
Masking
Hiding autistic characteristics to appear neurotypical
Assimilation
Trying to fit in and avoid standing out

What it doesn’t

Autistic traits themselves
The CAT-Q measures masking, not the underlying traits, pair it with the AQ-10
Sensory processing
How you experience the sensory world
Why you mask
The context and cost behind camouflaging in your life
Burnout
The exhaustion that sustained masking can lead to
Frequently asked questions

The things people ask first

Masking, or camouflaging, is hiding or compensating for autistic traits to appear neurotypical, rehearsing conversations, forcing eye contact, copying others. It can be effective socially but is draining and is linked to burnout.

No. The CAT-Q has no clinical cutoff. It describes how much you camouflage and where, which can be telling in itself, especially if you score high but rarely feel seen.

High, sustained masking is linked to exhaustion, anxiety and autistic burnout, and can make it harder to recognise your own needs. Naming it is often the first step to protecting your energy.

The AQ-10 screens for autistic traits; the CAT-Q measures how much you hide them. People who mask heavily can score low on the AQ-10 but high here, which is exactly why both are useful.

Want a fuller picture?

The CAT-Q is a quick screen. The OtherMind test goes deeper, and turns your answers into something you can actually use.

Take the OtherMind test