What an AQ-10 Score of 6 Means
A score of 6 hits the AQ-10's clinical cut-off exactly. At this threshold, the validation reported sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 91%. A 6 is the recommended trigger for considering further autism assessment, but it does not diagnose autism — only a clinician can do that.
Score in Context
What an AQ-10 of 6 Means
A 6 on the AQ-10 is the score the test was designed to flag. Allison, Auyeung & Baron-Cohen (2012) ran the instrument against 1,000 autism cases and 3,000 controls and selected 6 as the cut-off because at that threshold sensitivity (true-positive rate) was 88% and specificity (true-negative rate) was 91%. The UK's NICE guidelines adopted this cut-off for primary-care screening of suspected adult autism.
What that means in practice: if you've scored 6, the AQ-10 is signalling that your responses cluster more like an autistic adult's than a non-autistic adult's, on average. It's not a diagnosis. A clinician needs to take a developmental history, observe behaviour across contexts, and rule out conditions that overlap with autism (anxiety, ADHD, OCD, social communication disorder). The AQ-10 is a starting point — a reason to begin that conversation.
Most adults who score 6 and pursue further evaluation receive one of three outcomes: a confirmed autism diagnosis (most common when other signals also point that way), a related neurodivergent diagnosis (ADHD, social anxiety), or no diagnosis but useful self-knowledge about traits that are real and worth working with. The 6 itself doesn't tell you which of those is true — it tells you the question is worth asking.
Recommended Next Steps
- Consider speaking with a GP or clinician about a referral for autism assessment.
- Take the RAADS-R for a fuller profile across four sub-scales — useful for the clinical conversation.
- If accessing assessment is hard, document specific examples of traits and lived experiences before the appointment.
How a 6 Compares Across Tests
An AQ-10 of 6 typically corresponds to RAADS-R scores roughly in the 100–130 range — often in the 'gray zone' or just into the 'consistent with autism' band.
Take the RAADS-R for a more granular four-sub-scale profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 6 mean I have autism?
No. The AQ-10 is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument. A 6 means your responses cluster like an autistic adult's; only a clinical assessment can confirm a diagnosis.
How accurate is the AQ-10 cut-off?
At the cut-off of 6, the validation reported 88% sensitivity (catching 88% of autistic adults) and 91% specificity (correctly clearing 91% of non-autistic adults). It's a reliable first-pass screen but cannot replace clinical assessment.
What should I do after scoring 6?
Take the result to a GP or mental-health professional. NICE guidance treats a 6 as a reason to consider further specialist assessment. The RAADS-R or full AQ-50 can offer additional context to bring to that conversation.
Why is 6 the cut-off and not 5 or 7?
The cut-off of 6 was chosen because it produced the best balance of sensitivity and specificity in the original validation sample. At 5, more autistic adults are caught but more non-autistic adults are wrongly flagged; at 7, the opposite trade-off.
Can I score 6 and not be autistic?
Yes. With 91% specificity at the cut-off, about 1 in 11 non-autistic adults score 6 or above. Conditions that overlap with autism — social anxiety, ADHD, sensory processing differences — can produce AQ-10 elevations without an autism diagnosis.
Take the AQ-10 yourself
Free · 10 questions · ~3 minutes · Allison & Baron-Cohen (2012)
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