Conners Rating Scale (CRS)
The Conners Rating Scale is a family of standardised behaviour rating scales used to describe attention, hyperactivity and related difficulties in children and adolescents. This page explains what it is, what completing it involves, and what its results do and do not mean, whether your child has been rated with one, or you use it in your work.
Educational overview only. The Conners Rating Scale is a copyrighted, restricted instrument published by Multi-Health Systems (MHS) and used by qualified professionals. ElloMind does not reproduce the items or scoring; this page is educational only.
What it is
The Conners Rating Scale is a family of standardised questionnaires developed by C. Keith Conners to assess attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related behavioural, emotional, social and academic difficulties in children and adolescents. Current versions include the Conners 3, focused on ADHD and common co-occurring problems, and the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales (CBRS), which cast a wider net; the adult version is the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS).
Rather than testing the child directly, it gathers structured ratings from the people who see them day to day, turning everyday observations of behaviour into a comparable, standardised picture.
What it covers
| Parent rating form | A parent or caregiver rates behaviour seen at home |
| Teacher rating form | A teacher rates behaviour seen at school |
| Self-report form | An older child or adolescent rates their own experience |
| Conners 3 / CBRS / CAARS | Editions for ADHD focus, broader behaviour, and adults |
If this test was given to you or your child
If a psychologist or doctor has asked you to complete a Conners form about your child, or your child's teacher has been asked to, this is what it is. It is a questionnaire of everyday statements about behaviour, attention, activity, following instructions, getting on with others, that you rate by how often you see them. It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
There are no right or wrong answers, and it is not a test your child sits or can fail. You are asked because you see your child in ordinary life in a way a clinic visit cannot show. The most useful thing is to rate what you actually see, day to day, rather than your child at their best or worst.
More than one person is usually asked, often a parent and a teacher, because children behave differently in different places, and comparing the pictures is part of the point. A professional pulls the forms together with everything else before drawing any conclusion.
Reading the results
Conners results place a child's ratings against those of other children the same age, and show which areas, attention, activity, behaviour, mood, learning, stand out. A high rating flags an area to look at more closely; it is a signal, not a diagnosis in itself.
Because different people see a child differently, the forms often do not agree perfectly, and that is expected rather than a problem, the pattern across home and school is more informative than any single form. A careful professional explains what the ratings suggest and sets them beside history, observation and how the child is functioning, rather than reading a diagnosis off a questionnaire.
What it cannot tell you
The Conners Rating Scale does not, on its own, diagnose ADHD or anything else. It is one structured input; a diagnosis is made by a qualified clinician who integrates developmental history, direct observation, how the child functions across different settings, and other information, over time.
It does not measure intelligence or ability, it does not explain why a child behaves as they do, and it reflects the rater's view, which can be coloured by expectations, stress or how well they know the child. Ratings can also be pulled by things unrelated to attention, worry, sleep, a hard time at home or school, or a language the child is less comfortable in. All of this belongs in how the result is read.
Who can administer it in India
The Conners scales are scored and interpreted by qualified professionals, clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists and developmental paediatricians, working from the licensed version, even though parents and teachers are the ones who fill in the forms. Turning the ratings into meaning is a skilled clinical task, not a printout.
In India, clinical psychologists working in this area are registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India, and child psychiatrists are registered medical practitioners. If your child has been rated with a Conners form, it is reasonable to ask who is interpreting it and what else the assessment includes.
Where to get assessed
A Conners form is usually part of a wider assessment of attention and behaviour rather than something sought out on its own. That assessment is carried out in the child-guidance, psychiatry and clinical-psychology departments of government medical colleges and hospitals, in District Early Intervention Centres, and in private clinics and developmental-paediatric practices. Government settings assess at low or no cost with waiting times that vary by district; private fees vary by city.
If the assessment is for a school accommodation, an exam concession or a certificate, check which report and which setting the school or board accepts before arranging it, so it does not have to be repeated.
Who it is for
It is used with children and adolescents, roughly ages 6 to 18 (an adult version, the CAARS, exists), when a structured picture of attention and behaviour across settings is wanted as part of a wider assessment.
It is completed by parents, teachers and, for older children, the young person themselves, and is scored and interpreted by a qualified professional. It is one input into an assessment, never a stand-alone diagnosis.
For clinicians
How it is administered
Each informant, a parent, a teacher, sometimes the young person, rates how often they observe particular behaviours, and the responses are scored against age and gender norms to show how the child compares with others the same age. Because the same child is rated by more than one person, the professional can look at behaviour across home and school rather than in one place.
The questionnaires are copyrighted and obtained through the publisher; the specific items and scoring keys are not circulated openly.
Use in India
In India, the Conners scales are used by clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists and developmental paediatricians in the assessment of attention and behaviour difficulties, in the child-guidance and psychiatry departments of government medical colleges and hospitals and in private practice, alongside developmental history and direct observation. Clinicians weigh language, schooling and the fit of the norms when interpreting an Indian child's ratings, and rely on multiple informants rather than a single form.
Citation and sources
Conners, C.K. (2008). Conners 3rd Edition (Conners 3). Multi-Health Systems.
- Conners rating scales (overview) — Wikipedia
- Conners Rating Scales (definition) — APA Dictionary of Psychology
Frequently asked questions
A family of standardised behaviour rating scales developed by C. Keith Conners to assess ADHD and related behavioural, emotional, social and academic difficulties in children and adolescents, based on ratings from parents, teachers and the young person.
It gathers structured ratings of a child's attention and behaviour across home and school, as one input into a wider assessment of ADHD and related difficulties. It is not used to diagnose on its own.
No. The Conners Rating Scale is one input, not a diagnosis. An ADHD diagnosis is made by a qualified clinician who integrates developmental history, direct observation, functioning across settings and other information over time.
The Conners 3 is the third edition of the Conners rating scales, focused on ADHD and common co-occurring problems in children and adolescents, with parent, teacher and self-report forms.
The parent form of the Conners scales, on which a parent or caregiver rates how often they see particular behaviours at home. It is compared with a teacher's ratings so behaviour can be looked at across settings.
Usually a parent and a teacher, and for older children the young person themselves. Different informants see the child in different settings, so more than one form is used and the pictures are compared.
Each form generally takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Several people may be asked to complete one, so the full picture is gathered from more than one source.
Yes. The adult version is the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS). The child and adolescent versions include the Conners 3 and the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales (CBRS).
Yes, by clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists and developmental paediatricians in hospital and private settings, alongside developmental history and observation. Clinicians weigh language, schooling and the fit of the norms for an Indian child.
No. It is a copyrighted, restricted instrument published by Multi-Health Systems for qualified professionals, and the items and scoring are not published. A free online 'Conners test' is not the real scale and cannot diagnose anything.
This page is general educational information for professionals, not clinical or legal advice, and not a substitute for training in the instrument. ElloMind does not provide, sell or reproduce copyrighted test materials.