What this test measures
The timing rounds use two tasks that researchers use to study time perception. In time production, you try to hold a set length of time, such as 15 seconds. In time estimation, you wait through a stretch of time and then guess how long it was.
A 2013 review of timing research found that people with ADHD were consistently impaired in several kinds of timing, from judging short intervals to planning for future time (Noreika, Falter and Rubia, Neuropsychologia). A 2021 study of children with and without ADHD found that time estimation was the most reliable of four common timing tasks (Marx and colleagues, European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry).
Four rounds is far fewer than a research study uses, so treat your result as a rough read, not a measurement. The eight questions cover the other side: how often losing track of time shows up in your days.
What is time blindness?
Time blindness is a common name for trouble sensing how much time has passed and how long things will take. It is not a diagnosis by itself.
People describe it as being late even after leaving on time, losing hours to something absorbing, or deadlines that seem far away until they are suddenly here.
What to do with your result
- Make time visible. A clock with hands, or a visual timer that shows time running down, is easier to read at a glance than numbers.
- Use two alarms when you need to leave. One to start getting ready, one to walk out of the door.
- Time a few everyday tasks once. Write down how long a shower, your commute or the dishes really take, and plan with those numbers.
- Add half again to estimates for new tasks. If you think it will take an hour, plan for an hour and a half.
- When you lose track of what is next, do a brain dump and pick one thing for now.
This is not a diagnosis
This test cannot tell you whether you have ADHD. If losing track of time causes problems at work, school or home, a doctor or psychologist can assess you properly.
Questions
- Is time blindness an ADHD symptom?
- Trouble judging time is common in ADHD, and many studies have measured it. A 2013 review of that research is linked above. It can also happen without ADHD, for example with stress, depression or poor sleep.
- Why does the wait change each time?
- The two guessing rounds use a random length of time, so you cannot learn the answer by taking the test again.
- Can I count in my head?
- You can, but then the result measures your counting, not your sense of time. Going by feel gives a truer read.
- Is my result saved?
- No. Your results stay on the page until you leave it. Use Copy my results to keep them.