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Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)3

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Test

Understand a child or teen’s emotional and behavioral strengths and challenges in about 5 minutes. With 25 quick items and parent teacher or teen versions, it supports fast screening and early next steps.

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Questions: 255 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

13,680 views

1,272 completions

812 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

7/10

Prosocial Behavior (PB)

Assesses prosocial behavior, reflecting social skills, cooperation, and willingness to help others.

Low

Typical

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 6: Typical | 7 – 10: High

A score of 7 falls in the High range, suggesting well-developed prosocial skills and a generally cooperative, helpful style in everyday interactions.

example score

2/10

Peer Relationship Problems (PRP)

This scale measures difficulties in relationships with peers, including having few friends, social isolation, and problems playing or getting along with other children.

Low difficulties

Elevated difficulties

0 – 3: Low difficulties | 4 – 10: Elevated difficulties

A score of 2 falls in the Low difficulties range, suggesting few signs of peer relationship problems in the behaviors reported.

example score

4/10

Hyperactivity (H)

Assesses activity level and the ability to sustain attention and self-regulate behavior.

Low

Elevated

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 10: Elevated

A score of 4 falls in the Low range, suggesting relatively few signs of hyperactivity or attention regulation difficulties on this scale.

example score

7/10

Conduct Problems (CP)

Assesses the degree of behavioral dysregulation, including rule-breaking, aggression, and difficulty following social norms.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 5: Moderate | 6 – 10: High

A score of 7 falls in the High range, suggesting more frequent or pronounced behavioral difficulties and reduced self-control compared with lower scores.

example score

5/10

Emotional Problems (EP)

Measures emotional difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, fears, and psychosomatic complaints.

Low

Elevated

0 – 5: Low | 6 – 10: Elevated

A score of 5 falls in the Low range, suggesting emotional difficulties are not prominent based on this screening scale.

example score

14/40

Total Difficulties Score (TDS)

This scale sums SDQ difficulty domains to reflect the child’s overall level of emotional and behavioral challenges.

Within expected range

Borderline

Elevated difficulties

0 – 15: Within expected range | 16 – 19: Borderline | 20 – 40: Elevated difficulties

A score of 14 falls within the expected range, suggesting the overall level of reported difficulties is not elevated on this scale.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Concerned parents of kids

46%OF USERS

Parents use it to quickly check a child’s emotions, behavior, and social adjustment when there are worries at home or school.

Teachers and school staff

31%OF USERS

Educators complete it to screen classroom behavior and peer relations and to decide whether a student may need extra support.

Teens self-checking

23%OF USERS

Adolescents take the self-report version to reflect on mood, impulsivity, and relationships and to compare their view with adults’ observations.

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

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.

Prosocial behavior (Pb)

Average

3.1

Normal range

1.5 — 4.8

min.

max.

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.

Problems with peers (Pwp)

Average

2.5

Normal range

1.1 — 3.9

min.

max.

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.

Hyperactivity (H)

Average

4.1

Normal range

2.6 — 5.6

min.

max.

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.

Behavioral Issues (BI)

Average

3.9

Normal range

2.2 — 5.6

min.

max.

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.

Emotional Issues (EI)

Average

6.4

Normal range

4.7 — 8

min.

max.

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.

Total number of issues (Tnoi)

Average

14.2

Normal range

7.5 — 21

min.

max.

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.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

For each statement, select the response that best applies: “Not true,” “Partly true,” or “True.” Please answer every item as best you can, even if you are not completely sure of the answer or the item seems unusual. Base your responses on how things have been for you over the past six months.

- Not true
- Partly true
- Certainly true
- Not true
- Partly true
- Certainly true
- Not true
- Somewhat true
- Certainly true

These are 3 of the 25 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Test - Symptoms and Signs

adaptation

deviations

This brief questionnaire is used to screen for behavioral and emotional concerns and to document strengths in children and adolescents. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is commonly used in clinical, educational, and research settings to support early identification and triage.

The measure includes 25 items and typically takes about 5 minutes to complete. Versions are available for caregiver and teacher report, and a youth self-report format is used in older children/adolescents; results are interpreted as screening indicators rather than diagnostic findings. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is attributed to Robert N. Goodman and is intended to provide a structured snapshot across key domains of functioning (e.g., emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problems, and prosocial behavior) to inform follow-up assessment and monitoring over time.

Author: Robert N. Goodman

Literature: Achenbach, T. M. Manual for the youth self-report and 1991 profile. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry. 1991.; De Los Reyes, A., & Kazdin, A. E. Informant discrepancies in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: A critical review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for further study. Psychological Bulletin. 2005.; Goodman, R., Meltzer, H., & Bailey, V. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A pilot study on the validity of the self-report version. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 1998.