A clip asking “How are an apple and a chair alike?” has been doing the rounds online, often captioned as a quick way to spot ADHD. Many people have answered it, struggled for a moment, and then wondered what that says about their brain. The truth is reassuring, because real ADHD test questions look nothing like this, and no single question can diagnose anything.
So where does the apple and chair idea come from, and what actually happens when someone is assessed for ADHD in the UK? This guide walks through both, kindly and without judgement, so you can make sense of the trend and decide whether an assessment is worth pursuing.
If you found the question hard, you are in good company. Finding a link between two very different things is meant to be tricky, and it says far more about verbal reasoning than about attention.
Where the apple and chair question comes from
The question resembles items from the Similarities subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, an IQ test published by Pearson Clinical Assessment. In Similarities, a person hears two words that represent common objects or concepts and explains how they are alike. Psychologists use it to look at verbal concept formation, reasoning, and abstract thinking, and it contributes to the Verbal Comprehension Index.
In other words, it is a reasoning task. It sits inside a much longer intelligence assessment, it is scored against norms by a trained examiner, and it was never designed to detect ADHD. Answering it quickly, slowly, or not at all tells you nothing on its own about whether you have the condition.
ADHD can sometimes affect how people perform on cognitive tasks, a point covered in our piece on how ADHD can affect IQ test performance. That is a different thing from a question being a test for ADHD.
What real ADHD test questions look like
Real ADHD test questions ask about patterns of behaviour in daily life. One widely used screening tool is the World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, known as the ASRS v1.1. It has 18 questions based on diagnostic criteria, and its first six items form a short screener for adults aged 18 and over.
The questions ask how often, over the past six months, you have experienced things such as:
- Finishing tasks: Trouble wrapping up the final details of a project once the challenging parts are done.
- Organising: Difficulty getting things in order when a task needs organisation.
- Remembering: Problems remembering appointments or obligations.
- Starting: Avoiding or delaying getting started on a task that needs a lot of thought.
- Fidgeting: Fidgeting or squirming with your hands or feet when you have to sit for a long time.
- Restlessness: Feeling overly active and compelled to do things, as if driven by a motor.
If four or more answers fall in the shaded boxes of the screener, further investigation is warranted. That is a prompt to talk to a professional, not a diagnosis. Screening tools are useful starting points, but they can be affected by mood, stress, sleep, and other conditions.
How ADHD is assessed in the UK
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is clear that ADHD should only be diagnosed by a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician, or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional. The diagnosis should be based on a full clinical and psychosocial assessment, a full developmental and psychiatric history, and observer reports.
NICE also says a diagnosis should not be made solely on the basis of rating scale or observational data. Symptoms should cause at least moderate psychological, social, or educational and occupational impairment, and they should be present in two or more important settings, such as home and school or home and work.
For children, the NHS explains that a specialist may ask about symptoms, family life, and development, such as when a child learned to walk or read, and may contact the school. Symptoms usually start before the age of 12. Waiting lists can be long, sometimes months or even years.
Adults follow a similar route, starting with a GP who can refer on. Our guide to what getting an adult ADHD diagnosis involves covers the process step by step.
Why online ADHD tests can mislead
Quick online quizzes and viral questions can be fun, but they cannot weigh up the full picture. Tiredness, anxiety, low mood, and stress can all make concentration harder, and many people recognise themselves in ADHD descriptions because attention problems are a normal part of being human.
Diagnosis is also genuinely complex. Clinicians have to rule out other explanations and consider how symptoms show up across a lifetime, which is why experts have written about the challenges of diagnosing ADHD. NICE notes that ADHD is under-recognised in girls and women, which is one more reason not to rely on a stereotype or a single puzzle.
Some services use computer-based tests that measure attention and movement, and there has been research into the accuracy of a computerised ADHD test. Even these are used to support clinical judgement, not to replace it.
What to do if you think you have ADHD
If the trend has made you wonder about yourself or your child, take it as a reason to reflect rather than to self-diagnose. Note down specific examples of difficulties at home, work, or school, how long they have been going on, and how much they affect daily life. If you can, ask someone who knew you as a child what they remember.
Then book an appointment with your GP and share those notes. If stress or low mood is building while you wait, you can call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time.
FAQs
- Is the apple and chair question an ADHD test? No. It resembles a verbal reasoning item from an IQ test and is not used to diagnose ADHD.
- What questions are on a real ADHD test? Screening tools such as the ASRS ask how often you struggle with things like finishing tasks, organising, remembering appointments, and sitting still.
- Can I diagnose ADHD with an online quiz? No. In the UK, a specialist must carry out a full assessment, and a quiz can only suggest whether that is worth seeking.
- Who can diagnose ADHD in the UK? A specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician, or other appropriately qualified healthcare professional, usually after a GP referral.
Takeaway
The apple and chair question is a reasoning puzzle, not a window into your attention. Real ADHD test questions ask about long-standing patterns in everyday life, and a diagnosis needs a specialist, a full history, and evidence from more than one setting. If you recognise yourself in those patterns, gather examples and talk to your GP.
