Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ): Free Self-Assessment
Do you often forget why you walked into a room, lose track while reading, or misplace everyday items? These small cognitive slips happen to everyone, but some people experience them far more frequently than others. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) is a well-established research tool that measures how often you experience these lapses in memory, attention, and action. Developed by Broadbent et al. in 1982, it has been cited over 3,000 times in academic literature and is widely used in studies of cognition, attention, and neurological conditions.
This free self-assessment takes about five minutes. Your answers are scored against published population averages so you can see where you fall. If you also experience difficulties with focus and impulsivity, you may find our ADHD self-assessment useful alongside this tool.
Take the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
Cognitive Failures Questionnaire
25 questions about everyday memory & attention · 5 minutes
Instructions: For each question, rate how often this has happened to you in the past 6 months.
Your answers are not stored or transmitted. Everything runs in your browser.
Below Average
Average
Above Average
High
Practical Support for Everyday Memory
Recallify is designed to catch the things your memory misses. Voice capture, automatic task extraction, smart reminders, and a searchable memory bank help reduce the cognitive slips that affect your daily life.
What Does the CFQ Measure?
The CFQ captures three broad types of everyday cognitive slip: memory failures (forgetting names, appointments, or where you put things), attentional failures (daydreaming, failing to notice things, losing track of what someone is saying), and action slips (bumping into people, dropping things, or performing an action incorrectly). Each of the 25 items is scored from 0 (never) to 4 (very often), giving a total between 0 and 100.
The original validation study found that scores are reasonably stable over time, suggesting the CFQ reflects a consistent trait rather than a temporary state. Higher scores have been linked to slower performance on focused attention tasks, increased accident proneness, and greater vulnerability to the effects of stress on cognitive function.
How Is the CFQ Scored?
The total score is simply the sum of all 25 items, ranging from 0 to 100. There are no official clinical cut-offs because the CFQ was designed for the general population rather than as a diagnostic instrument. However, published studies consistently report a population mean of around 33 to 44 depending on age and sample. In our tool, we use approximate bands: 0 to 24 (below average), 25 to 44 (average), 45 to 64 (above average), and 65 to 100 (high). These are intended as a general guide, not clinical thresholds.
Why Everyday Cognitive Failures Matter
Frequent cognitive slips are more than just an inconvenience. Research shows they are associated with increased stress vulnerability, reduced workplace performance, and lower confidence in daily activities. For people living with ADHD, acquired brain injuries, MS, or age-related cognitive changes, these failures can be significantly more frequent and more disruptive. Understanding the pattern is the first step toward finding practical strategies to manage it, whether that means building better routines, reducing cognitive load, or using external tools to support memory and attention.
How Recallify Helps Reduce Cognitive Failures
Many of the slips measured by the CFQ, such as forgetting appointments, losing track of tasks, or failing to act on intentions, are precisely the problems Recallify was built to address. By capturing information through voice recordings, automatically extracting tasks, and providing a searchable memory bank with smart reminders, Recallify acts as an external system for the things your working memory struggles to hold. The result is fewer forgotten commitments, less mental effort spent trying to remember, and more confidence in your daily routine.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the CFQ a clinical diagnosis tool?
No. The CFQ was designed as a research instrument for the general population. It measures how often you experience everyday cognitive slips, but it cannot diagnose any condition. If your score concerns you, or if cognitive difficulties are affecting your daily life, speak with your GP or a neuropsychologist who can carry out a full assessment.
What is a normal CFQ score?
Most adults score between 25 and 44. Scores below 25 suggest fewer cognitive failures than average, while scores above 45 indicate more frequent slips. A score above 65 is considerably higher than most people and may warrant a conversation with a healthcare professional.
Why do I experience so many cognitive failures?
Frequent cognitive slips can result from many factors including stress, poor sleep, fatigue, information overload, ADHD, brain injury, MS, medication side effects, or simply trying to do too many things at once. The CFQ does not tell you why your score is what it is, but it can help you recognise the pattern and decide whether to seek support.
Can I take this alongside the ADHD or anxiety tests on this site?
Yes. The CFQ measures something different from the ADHD screener (ASRS) or the anxiety screener (GAD-7). You may find it useful to complete all of them to build a fuller picture of your cognitive and mental health patterns.
How often should I take the CFQ?
The CFQ asks about the past six months, so repeating it more than every few months is unlikely to show meaningful change. It can be useful to retake it after making changes to your routine or starting new support strategies, to see whether your experience of cognitive slips has shifted.
Are my questinnaire answers stored?
No. This tool runs entirely in your browser. No answers or scores are stored, transmitted, or shared.
Does Recallify support neurodiverse learners?
Yes. It helps students with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and autism by simplifying information, supporting working memory, and creating structure through tasks and reminders.