Home
Psychological tests
Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (ATAS)

Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (ATAS) Test

Understand how a teen feels about their past, present, and future in about 6 minutes. Get clear insights to anticipate mood and behavior, spot strengths and barriers, and track progress over time.

Start Online Test

Questions: 306 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

11,812 views

908 completions

781 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

20/25

Negative Future (NF)

Measures how strongly a teenager holds negative expectations or worries about the future.

Low negativity

Moderate negativity

High negativity

5 – 11: Low negativity | 12 – 18: Moderate negativity | 19 – 25: High negativity

A score of 20 falls in the High negativity range, suggesting a pronounced tendency toward pessimistic or concerned expectations about what lies ahead.

example score

18/25

Positive Future (PF)

Measures how positively and confidently a teenager views their future.

Low positivity

Moderate positivity

High positivity

5 – 12: Low positivity | 13 – 19: Moderate positivity | 20 – 25: High positivity

A score of 18 indicates a moderately positive outlook, suggesting generally optimistic expectations about what lies ahead with some room for stronger confidence.

example score

17/25

Negative Present (NP)

Measures how strongly a teenager tends to view their present life and current experiences in a negative way.

Low negativity

Moderate negativity

High negativity

5 – 11: Low negativity | 12 – 18: Moderate negativity | 19 – 25: High negativity

A score of 17 falls in the Moderate negativity range, suggesting a noticeable tendency to evaluate the present unfavorably, though not at the highest intensity.

example score

8/25

Positive Present (PP)

Measures how positively a teenager feels about and is satisfied with their current life and present circumstances.

Low positivity

Moderate positivity

High positivity

5 – 11: Low positivity | 12 – 18: Moderate positivity | 19 – 25: High positivity

A score of 8 falls in the Low positivity range, suggesting relatively limited positive feelings or satisfaction with the present at this time.

example score

17/25

Past Negative (PN)

Measures how strongly a teenager holds negative feelings and evaluations about their past experiences.

Low negativity

Moderate negativity

High negativity

5 – 11: Low negativity | 12 – 18: Moderate negativity | 19 – 25: High negativity

A score of 17 falls in the Moderate negativity range, suggesting a noticeable but not predominant tendency to view past experiences negatively.

example score

18/25

Past Positive (PP)

Measures how positively a teenager views and feels satisfied with their past experiences.

Less positive

Moderately positive

Highly positive

5 – 12: Less positive | 13 – 19: Moderately positive | 20 – 25: Highly positive

A score of 18 indicates a moderately positive attitude toward the past, suggesting generally favorable memories with some mixed or less satisfying elements.

Start Online Test

just completed the test

DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Teens feeling stuck

41%OF USERS

Teenagers who feel down, unmotivated, or overwhelmed use it to understand whether negative views of the past, present, or future are shaping how they cope day to day.

Guidance and counseling students

34%OF USERS

Students in school counseling or therapy take it to give a clearer picture of what’s weighing on them and to track changes during support or interventions.

Goal-driven achievers

25%OF USERS

High-performing teens use it to check whether their time outlook supports healthy motivation and realistic planning rather than pressure or burnout.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale are translated into plain, usable insights. You won’t just get numbers — you’ll learn how your results impact your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

You’ll receive a structured, clinically-grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation, without exaggerated language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how your results compare to others. Anonymized platform data is used to create a percentile scale, which identifies whether your results are typical.

Practical
Recommendations

You’ll receive clear, actionable guidance tailored to your profile. These easy-to-implement suggestions focus on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Powered
Insights

Get insights on behavioral and thought patterns you might not notice on your own. By uncovering subtle connections between your responses, you’ll better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Therapist

Clarify, reflect, and explore your results right away. Talk through your experience, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue.

Start Online Test

Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

The future is negative (Tfin)

Average

11.2

Normal range

8.6 — 13.7

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

The future is positive (Tfip)

Average

Normal range

14.3 — 21.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

The present is negative (Tpin)

Average

15.5

Normal range

12 — 19

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

The present is positive (Tpip)

Average

13.3

Normal range

9.9 — 16.8

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Negative past (Np)

Average

19.3

Normal range

16.1 — 22.4

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

The past is positive (Tpip)

Average

Normal range

14.3 — 19.6

min.

max.

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Start Online Test

Featured On

CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It measures positive and negative attitudes toward the past, present, and future. Scores summarize how each time period is viewed.

Who is the questionnaire intended for?

It is intended for adolescents. It is typically used in educational, clinical, or research settings.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

Completion time is about 6 minutes. The questionnaire includes 30 items.

How should items be answered?

Read each statement and choose the response that best reflects current feelings. Answer all items and avoid spending too much time on any one item.

How are results used?

Results support screening, case formulation, and tracking change over time. They should be interpreted alongside other information rather than used as a stand-alone diagnosis.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (ATAS) Test - Symptoms and Signs

temporal perspective

This measure assesses adolescents’ attitudes toward the past, present, and future, with attention to positive versus negative appraisals across these time frames. The Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (ATAS) is intended to support a brief profile of time-related cognitions and affect that may be relevant to emotional functioning and behavior.

It consists of 30 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Results can be used to characterize relative strengths and concerns across temporal perspectives and to monitor change over time (e.g., in response to counseling, psychotherapy, or skills-based interventions). The Adolescent Time Attitude Scale (ATAS) may be considered in clinical, educational, or research settings when understanding an adolescent’s time perspective is clinically relevant.

Author: john-n-boyd, philip-g-zimbardo

Literature: Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1999.; Worrell, F. C., Mello, Z. R., & Buhl, M. Introducing English and German versions of the Adolescent Time Attitude Scale. Assessment. 2013.

Test Question Form