The EQ questionnaire (or its full name: Empathy Quotient) is a popular screening tool developed by Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues, designed to measure how much a person tends to identify, understand, and respond to the feelings and thoughts of other people. For many autistic adults, this questionnaire is an opportunity to put words to a familiar experience: the gap between how the world expects us to read people, and how we truly experience connection.

On this page, you will find a full explanation of the questionnaire, an interactive version in Hebrew that you can complete here and now, and an immediate result with interpretation - alongside the important context of the relationship between empathy and Autism.

What is the EQ questionnaire and how does it work?

The EQ questionnaire is a 60-item self-report questionnaire. Each item presents a short statement about behavior, tendency, or feeling, and you rate how much you agree with it: from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." Some statements are phrased in an "empathetic" direction (agreement with them indicates high empathy), and some in the opposite direction. Twenty of the sixty items are neutral "filler" items designed to disguise the purpose of the questionnaire and are not counted in the score.

The questionnaire takes about 10 to 15 minutes. There are no right or wrong answers - the more spontaneously and honestly you answer, the more accurate the picture will be.

What does the questionnaire actually measure?

The EQ attempts to measure "empathy" as a broad concept, combining two main components: cognitive empathy - the ability to identify and understand what another person is thinking or feeling (sometimes called "Theory of Mind - ToM"), and affective empathy - our emotional response to the state of another, such as being moved when someone suffers. It is important to remember that the questionnaire relies on self-report: it measures your perception of yourself, and not necessarily what actually happens in moments of real connection.

How is the score calculated?

Each of the 40 counted items is worth between 0 and 2 points: a strong answer in the empathetic direction (for example, "strongly agree" for a positively directed item) is worth 2 points, a moderate answer is worth one point, and an answer in the opposite direction is worth 0. The total score ranges from 0 to 80. The average in the general population is about 42 points. There is no need to calculate anything - the interactive tool below calculates your score for you and displays it immediately upon completion.

How to interpret the results?

It is customary to divide the score range into three general areas:

  • 0-32: Below-average empathy. A relatively common range among autistic people, but not a diagnosis in itself.
  • 33-52: Average range. Most people in the general population score in this range.
  • 53-80: Above-average empathy. Many autistic people report very intense affective empathy.

The tool below will indicate exactly where your score falls on the scale.

What the EQ questionnaire cannot tell you?

The EQ questionnaire is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. A low score does not mean you are "cold" or uncaring, and a high score does not rule out being autistic. The questionnaire also does not distinguish well between cognitive and affective empathy - two people with the same score may experience empathy in completely different ways. An Autism diagnosis is given only by a qualified professional, through a comprehensive assessment process.

Empathy and Autism - a more complex picture

The common myth that autistic people "lack empathy" is simply not true. Current research paints a much richer picture, and two important concepts for this are:

Double Empathy Problem. According to this approach, communication difficulties between autistic people and Neurotypical people are not one-sided. Both sides struggle to understand each other's experience, because they experience and express the world in different ways. In other words - it is a mutual misunderstanding, not a lack of empathy on one side.

Intense affective empathy versus cognitive empathy. Many autistic people report feeling the emotions of others with great intensity, sometimes to the point of Sensory Overload - this is high affective empathy. The difficulty, if it exists, is usually in cognitive empathy: in the rapid decoding of subtle social cues. The EQ questionnaire may "penalize" the cognitive part, and therefore a low score does not contradict a particularly empathetic and sensitive heart.

Ready to complete? The full questionnaire appears here, and the result will be displayed immediately upon completion and is not saved anywhere:

Loading the questionnaire…

What to do with the result?

You got a score - now what? First, remember that this is a starting point, not a verdict. If the result aroused your curiosity or resonated with life experiences, here are some possible directions:

  • Gather more information. A single questionnaire is never enough. It is worth completing complementary questionnaires (for example, AQ and RAADS-R) to get a broader perspective.
  • Write to yourself. Record concrete examples from life where you experienced empathy intensely, or conversely - struggled to decipher a social situation. This is valuable material if you choose to seek an assessment.
  • Consider contacting a professional. If the feeling of being different has accompanied you for a long time, a professional diagnosis can bring clarity, language, and tools - whether the result is Autism or not.
  • Be gentle with yourself. Empathy is not a number. The way you care for your loved ones is completely real, regardless of the score.

The EQ questionnaire provides one angle of a broad picture. To understand what a formal Adult Autism Assessment process looks like, see the guide Adult Autism Assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a low EQ score mean I am autistic?

No. The questionnaire is a screening tool only. A low score is relatively common among autistic people, but many non-autistic people also get a low score, and vice versa. Only a professional assessment process can determine a diagnosis.

I got a high score - so I'm definitely not autistic?

Absolutely not. Many autistic people experience very intense affective empathy and get a high score. A high score does not rule out Autism.

How long does it take to complete the questionnaire?

About 10 to 15 minutes. The questionnaire includes 60 questions, and the result is displayed immediately upon completion.

Are my results saved?

No. The calculation is performed entirely in your browser, and the result is not sent or saved anywhere.

What is the "Double Empathy Problem"?

This is an approach that argues that communication difficulties between autistic people and Neurotypicals are mutual - both sides struggle to understand each other, and it is not that one side "lacks empathy."

Want to better understand your profile?

One questionnaire is only part of the picture. These are complementary tools that may interest you:

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