My CAT-Q-PCP report
Raw scores. Total range 25 to 175; subscales 8–56 (CO, MSK) or 9–63 (ASS). Cutoffs from NeurodivUrgent recalibration; Masking has no suggestive cutoff (Hull 2019 found it the least discriminating factor).
The CAT-Q is not a diagnostic instrument. Unlike the CATI, no sensitivity/specificity data has been published. Cutoffs describe how your scores compare to published reference samples; they do not estimate the probability of being autistic. The CAT-Q is best read as a measure of self-reported camouflaging.
Subscale interpretation
Compensation
Strategies that substitute for autistic-typical processing of social information: explicit study of social rules, copying observed behaviour, scripted conversation. High scores indicate heavy reliance on these strategies.
Masking
Active suppression of autistic-typical expression: monitoring body language, rehearsing facial expressions, hiding stims and other autistic behaviours from observers.
Assimilation
The experience of social interaction as performance: feeling unable to be oneself in company, "putting on an act" to fit in, dependence on others to socialise. Hull 2019 found this subscale most strongly associated with mental-health burden.
Top-scoring items per subscale
The owner of this report has not shared the raw item responses publicly. Summary scores, cutoffs, and subscale interpretation are visible above; the per-item breakdown and full response table are hidden.
All 25 responses
The owner of this report has not shared the raw item responses publicly. Summary scores, cutoffs, and subscale interpretation are visible above; the per-item breakdown and full response table are hidden.
The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) is a 25-item self-report measure of social camouflaging strategies, developed by Hull, Mandy, Lai and colleagues at University College London. It assesses three factors: Compensation (substitutive strategies), Masking (active suppression of autistic-typical expression), and Assimilation (felt performance / inability to be oneself).
Suggestive cutoffs on this page are drawn from two sources: the original validation paper (Hull et al. 2019, J Autism Dev Disord 49(3):819-833), which reported a Total threshold of ~100 from autistic-sample means; and NeurodivUrgent, which recalibrated the Total threshold to ~110 plus subscale cutoffs of ≥ 35 (Compensation) and ≥ 40 (Assimilation). Masking has no suggestive cutoff because Hull 2019 found it the least discriminating factor.
Important caveat: Unlike the CATI, the CAT-Q does not have published diagnostic-accuracy figures. Cutoffs describe how your scores compare to published reference samples; they do not estimate the probability that you are autistic. The CAT-Q is best read as a measure of self-reported camouflaging, not a screening test.
Presentational ideas adapted from NovoPsych and NeurodivUrgent.