Attention scales, and the different things they measure

Rating scales and performance tests side by side, the six components of attention they pull apart, and why two reports on the same person often disagree.

Attention scales and tests at a glance

Filter by name, ability or age range.

Instrument	Full name	What it measures	Ages	Time
Conners CPT 3	Continuous Performance Test	Sustained attention, inattentiveness, impulsivity, vigilance	8+	14 min
T.O.V.A.	Test of Variables of Attention	Sustained attention and response time variability, non-verbal	4–80	22 min
d2-R	d2 Test of Attention	Selective and sustained attention under time pressure	9–60	8 min
ASRS v1.1	Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale	Adult self-report screening across 18 items	18+	5 min
Conners 4	Conners rating scales, fourth edition	Parent, teacher and self ratings of inattention and hyperactivity	6–18	20 min
Vanderbilt	NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale	Parent and teacher ratings, free to use	6–12	10 min
SNAP-IV	Swanson, Nolan and Pelham rating scale	Symptom ratings mapped to diagnostic criteria	6–18	10 min
TMT A and B	Trail Making Test	Visual scanning, processing speed and set shifting	8–89	5–10 min
Stroop	Stroop Colour and Word Test	Inhibition of an automatic response, interference control	5–89	5 min
PASAT	Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test	Divided attention and working memory under pace	16+	15 min
BRIEF-2	Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function	Everyday executive and attentional behaviour, by report	5–18	15 min
TEA / TEA-Ch	Test of Everyday Attention	Selective, sustained and divided attention in daily tasks	6–80	45 min

Rating scale or performance test

The instruments above fall into two families, and they are not interchangeable. A rating scale asks a person, a parent or a teacher how something usually looks. A performance test measures what someone actually does in a controlled task on the day. They disagree often, and the disagreement is informative rather than a fault: behaviour across weeks and performance in a quiet room for twenty minutes are genuinely different things.

Attention is not one ability

Type	Everyday example	Typically measured by
Focused attention	Noticing your name in a noisy room	Simple reaction tasks, cancellation tasks
Sustained attention	Proofreading for an hour without drifting	CPT, T.O.V.A., d2-R
Selective attention	Reading on a train with conversations around you	Stroop, d2-R
Divided attention	Following directions while driving	PASAT, dual-task paradigms
Alternating attention	Switching between a recipe and the pan	Trail Making Test B, shifting tasks
Inhibition	Not sending the reply you drafted while annoyed	Stroop, go/no-go, CPT commission errors

The four numbers a continuous performance test produces

Every CPT reports roughly the same set, and each one points at something different.

• Omissions: targets missed. Usually read as inattention.
• Commissions: responses to non-targets. Usually read as impulsivity.
• Reaction time: average speed of correct responses.
• Reaction time variability: how much that speed wobbles across the test. It is often the most informative figure of the four, because inconsistency across a long boring task is harder to mask than average speed.

Why the reports disagree

Parent and teacher ratings of the same child correlate only moderately, and self-report in adults correlates weakly with performance testing. This is expected. Each informant sees a different set of demands, and attention is heavily context-dependent. A result that looks contradictory usually means the difficulty is situational, which is useful information rather than noise in the measurement.

Attention exercises used in cognitive training

These 12 exercises from CogniFit target the attention components in the table above.

The exercises named on this page are part of the CogniFit platform and are used here with permission. They are cognitive stimulation activities for general use. They are not a medical device, they do not diagnose or treat any condition, and a score from any of them is not a clinical finding. If you are worried about your memory or concentration, speak to a health professional.

Common questions

What is the difference between a CPT and a rating scale?

A continuous performance test measures what a person does during a controlled task lasting fifteen to twenty minutes. A rating scale asks someone who knows the person how their attention looks across weeks of ordinary life. Both are useful and they answer different questions.

Which attention test is used for ADHD assessment?

There is no single test. Assessment normally combines standardised rating scales from more than one informant, a clinical interview, developmental history and sometimes a performance test. No instrument on its own confirms or rules out a diagnosis.

What does reaction time variability mean?

It is how much a person's response speed fluctuates across a long task. High variability, rather than slow average speed, is one of the more consistent findings in attention research.

Are free attention rating scales any good?

The Vanderbilt scales and the ASRS are free, widely validated and used routinely in primary care. Free does not mean weaker here; it means the publisher chose not to license them commercially.