Sensitivity and specificity
Short answer
Sensitivity describes how well a screening test identifies people who truly have a condition. Specificity describes how well it identifies people who truly do not. Both are measured in studies against a reference standard, and there is often a trade-off between them. Neither tells you what your own individual result means, and ADHDFalcon quotes no figures for any test.
These two words come up whenever people discuss how screening tests are studied. They sound similar and are easy to mix up, so here they are in plain language, with no figures attached to any particular test.
Two questions a study asks
| Term | Looks only at | Asks |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | People who have the condition | How many did the test flag? |
| Specificity | People who do not have the condition | How many did the test correctly clear? |
An everyday comparison
Think of a smoke alarm. A very sensitive alarm goes off for every real fire, but may also go off when you make toast. A very specific alarm rarely sounds by mistake, but might stay quiet during a small fire. Designers choose a balance between the two.
Trade-offs and context
That means a figure reported for one group of people may not carry over to another group. The setting, the people studied and the comparison used all shape the result.
The reference standard is the comparison a test is judged against in a study. If that comparison is made differently, the reported values can change, even for the same questionnaire.
Common misreadings
- Sensitivity is not the chance that your positive screen is correct.
- Specificity is not the chance that your negative screen is correct.
- Neither number describes how severe a condition is.
- A test that looked strong in one study may behave differently elsewhere.
How ADHDFalcon handles this
We do not quote performance figures for the ASRS v1.1 Screener or for any other test, and we make no claims about how well any screener works. A number out of context invites exactly the misreadings listed above. The screener's licensor describes it as not a standalone diagnostic tool, which is the framing we keep to. The Attention Profile in Part 2 is an original non-clinical reflection without norms and has not been studied in this way.
If you read a figure for any screener elsewhere, check which group was studied and what the test was compared against before deciding what it means for you. A clinician can explain what a screening result does and does not tell you in your own situation.
A starting point for your next step.
Try the published screenerFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between sensitivity and specificity?
Sensitivity looks at people who have the condition and asks how many the test flags. Specificity looks at people without it and asks how many the test correctly clears.
What is the sensitivity of the ASRS screener?
We do not quote figures for any test. Published values come from specific study groups and settings, and they do not tell you what your own result means.
Can I use sensitivity to interpret my own result?
Not directly. These values describe a test across a study group, not what an individual result means.
Sources
Source check: 2026-10-28. No medical review has occurred.
- Trevethan R. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values: foundations, pliabilities, and pitfalls in research and practice. Frontiers in Public Health. 2017;5:307.
- NYU Langone TOV, ASRS v1.1 6-Question Screener license page
Published 2026-10-28. Factual source check: ADHDFalcon editorial team, factual source check, 2026-10-28. No medical review has occurred.