CAT-Q Score Interpretation: What Your Results Mean

A CAT-Q score is the total from the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire, a self-report measure of strategies people may use to mask or camouflage autistic traits. A higher score indicates more reported camouflaging on the questionnaire; it does not diagnose autism, establish a clinical cutoff, or explain by itself why someone uses those strategies.

What the CAT-Q measures

CAT-Q stands for Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire. It was developed to study camouflaging in autistic adults and is also used in research and self-reflection. Camouflaging can include consciously or automatically changing how one behaves in social situations, concealing traits, or using learned strategies to manage interactions.

The questionnaire has 25 statements. Respondents rate how much they agree with each statement using a seven-point response scale, from strong disagreement to strong agreement. The items are grouped into three related areas:

• Compensation: strategies for navigating social situations, such as consciously learning or applying social rules.
• Masking: efforts to hide or suppress behaviors or traits that might be noticed by others.
• Assimilation: efforts to fit in socially or appear more at ease in a social setting than one feels.

These categories describe patterns covered by the questionnaire, not fixed personality types. Someone may report different levels across the three areas, and the same behavior can have different meanings depending on the person and situation.

How the score is calculated

Each response contributes to a total score, with some items reverse-scored. In reverse scoring, the numerical value assigned to a response is flipped so that all items point in the intended scoring direction. The scoring instructions for the specific questionnaire version should be followed; simply adding the numbers shown beside every response may produce an incorrect result.

When scored according to the published method, the total ranges from 25 to 175. The three subscale scores are calculated from their respective items. Because a total combines multiple dimensions, two people can have the same overall score but different patterns—for example, stronger compensation and lower masking for one person, and the reverse for another.

If you are completing the questionnaire independently, check that you answered every item and used the scoring key for the exact version you took. A blank response, a changed response scale, or incorrect handling of reverse-scored items can make a result unreliable.

How to interpret a high or low score

A higher total generally means the respondent endorsed more of the questionnaire’s camouflaging-related statements. A lower total means fewer such strategies were endorsed. “High” and “low” are descriptive comparisons, not diagnoses or judgments about whether a person’s experience is valid.

There is no single CAT-Q score that, by itself, confirms or rules out autism. The questionnaire is not a stand-alone diagnostic test, and its score should not be treated as a pass/fail result. A person may score highly for reasons that need careful context, while someone who is autistic may report less camouflaging or interpret items differently.

For example, a respondent might agree that they rehearse conversations and consciously monitor their behavior, producing a higher compensation or masking subscore. That result does not show when those strategies began, whether they are exhausting, or whether they arise from autism rather than another personal or social experience. The score is a prompt for further understanding, not an explanation in itself.

What the subscales can add

Subscale results can make the total more informative by showing which kinds of reported strategies contributed most. They may help someone identify whether their responses relate more to learning social scripts, hiding traits, or trying to blend into a group. Still, subscales should be read as questionnaire summaries, not as separate diagnoses or precise measures of a person’s identity.

Consider both the score and the circumstances behind it. Ask whether the answers reflect most situations or only particular settings, whether strategies feel deliberate or automatic, and whether they have benefits, costs, or both. A person may find certain strategies useful in one context while feeling depleted by them elsewhere.

Limits and common misunderstandings

• It is not an autism diagnosis. Diagnosis requires a broader assessment of developmental history, current experiences, functioning, and other relevant explanations.
• A cutoff is not a verdict. A score should not be used alone to label someone autistic or non-autistic.
• It does not measure every autistic experience. The questionnaire focuses on camouflaging, not the full range of traits, support needs, or daily experiences.
• Context matters. Culture, communication norms, age, circumstances, and how a person understands the wording may affect responses.
• One result is not a permanent trait measurement. Responses can reflect the period and situations the person had in mind when answering.

A common misconception is that a high score proves someone has been intentionally pretending. The questionnaire concerns reported strategies and experiences; it does not establish motive, conscious intent in every instance, or whether a behavior is “fake.” Likewise, a low score does not invalidate someone’s identity or experiences.

Using a result constructively

If the result matters to you, consider writing down examples behind the answers rather than focusing only on the total. Note which situations require effort, what you do to manage them, and how you feel afterward. This can help distinguish the score from the real-life questions you may want to explore.

If you are seeking an autism assessment, share the questionnaire and your examples with a qualified clinician if appropriate, but treat them as background information rather than proof. A CAT-Q result can also be useful for personal reflection without being used to seek a diagnosis. You do not have to change behaviors simply because a questionnaire describes them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is considered a high CAT-Q score?
There is no universal diagnostic threshold that makes a score “high” in a way that confirms autism. The total ranges from 25 to 175; interpretation depends on the scoring method, comparison context, and the person’s experiences.

Can the CAT-Q diagnose autism?
No. It measures self-reported camouflaging-related experiences and cannot diagnose autism or rule it out. It may be one source of information in a broader assessment.

What does a high masking subscale mean?
It means the respondent endorsed more items associated with masking on that questionnaire. It does not prove why they do so, how often it happens in every setting, or whether it is intentional.

Can a non-autistic person have a high CAT-Q score?
A high score alone does not establish autism. People’s experiences and reasons for endorsing items vary, so the result needs context rather than a categorical interpretation.

Can I interpret my CAT-Q score by adding the answers myself?
Only if you use the correct scoring instructions, including any reverse-scored items and the correct subscale assignments. An online result or simple sum may not be reliable if its method is unclear.

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