ACEs Quiz: Adverse Childhood Experiences Self-Assessment

Have you ever wondered whether what happened when you were young still shapes how you feel today? The anxiety that never quite switches off, the people-pleasing, the way you brace for things to go wrong. This short quiz can help you take stock of some of the hardest experiences children face, and give you language for what you may have been carrying.

Before you start: It’s 10 yes-or-no questions and takes about 3 minutes. Your answers stay on your device. Nothing is saved, stored or sent to anyone, including me.

Some questions ask about abuse and neglect, and they may stir things up. Go at your own pace. You can skip any question, stop at any time, or take a slow breath and notice your feet on the floor before you continue.

What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)?

Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that happen before age 18. The term comes from a large study by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente in the 1990s, which found that these experiences are common and are linked to physical and emotional health problems later in life.

The original ACE questionnaire looks at three groups of experiences:

  • Abuse: emotional, physical and sexual
  • Neglect: emotional and physical
  • Household challenges: violence between caregivers, substance use, mental illness, separation or divorce, and a family member in jail or prison

If any of these were part of your childhood, you’re far from alone. CDC data show that about two in three U.S. adults have had at least one ACE, and about one in six have had four or more.

Take the ACEs Quiz

Each question is about the time before your 18th birthday. Answer Yes or No. If a question feels like too much, leave it blank and it won’t count toward your score.

1. Did a parent or other adult in your home often swear at you, insult you, put you down or humiliate you, or act in a way that made you afraid you might be physically hurt?
2. Did a parent or other adult in your home often push, grab, slap or throw something at you, or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?
3. Did an adult or a person at least 5 years older than you ever touch you sexually, have you touch their body sexually, or try to have or have any sexual contact with you?
4. Did you often feel that no one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special, or that your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close or support each other?
5. Did you often feel that you didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, or had no one to protect you, or that your caregivers were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor when you needed it?
6. Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
7. Was a parent or caregiver in your home often pushed, grabbed, slapped or had something thrown at them, or ever kicked, hit, beaten or threatened with a weapon by a partner?
8. Did you live with anyone who had a problem with drinking or who used street drugs?
9. Was someone in your household depressed or mentally ill, or did someone in your household attempt suicide?
10. Did someone in your household go to jail or prison?

Whatever your number, you don’t have to make sense of it alone. If something here resonated, I offer a free 15-minute consultation where we can talk about what you’re noticing, with no pressure and no need to share your story.

Book a Free 15-Minute Consult

If you’re in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) anytime, or call 911 if you’re in immediate danger.

Questions adapted from the original CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study questionnaire. Your answers are scored on this page only and are cleared when you leave or refresh it.

What Your ACE Score Means, and What It Doesn’t

Your ACE score is simply the number of these ten types of experiences you said yes to. Research has found that the more ACEs a person has, the higher their risk for things like anxiety, depression, chronic stress and some long-term health conditions. Four or more is the level researchers most often link to these risks.

But a score is a starting point for understanding, not a verdict. It’s worth knowing what it leaves out:

  • It isn’t a diagnosis. It doesn’t tell you whether you have PTSD, anxiety or anything else.
  • It doesn’t measure how much it hurt. One experience that lasted years can affect someone more than several brief ones.
  • It misses many painful experiences, such as bullying, racism and discrimination, the death of a parent, foster care, community violence, serious illness or medical trauma, and being dismissed or not believed when you spoke up.
  • It doesn’t count what helped. A caring grandparent, teacher, coach or friend can make a real difference, and the quiz has no way of measuring that.

So a low score doesn’t mean your pain isn’t real, and a high score doesn’t decide your future.

How ACEs Can Show Up in Adult Life

When a child grows up without enough safety, their nervous system adapts to survive. Those adaptations made sense back then. Years later, they can look like:

  • Always being on guard, scanning rooms and reading people’s moods
  • Anxiety, worry or a sense that something bad is about to happen
  • People-pleasing and struggling to say no, sometimes called the fawn response
  • Numbing out with TV, scrolling, shopping, sex, food or alcohol
  • Shame, harsh self-criticism or feeling like no one knows the real you
  • Trouble trusting others or feeling close in relationships
  • Exhaustion, tension or health problems linked to chronic stress

None of these are character flaws. They’re signs your body learned to protect you, and what was learned can be gently unlearned.

Healing and Resilience Are Possible

Your past isn’t your destiny. Safe, supportive relationships help the nervous system learn that it’s no longer in danger, and that’s true at any age.

In my practice, I work with the mind, body and brain using approaches such as somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems (parts work) and Compassionate Inquiry. We go at your pace, and safety comes first. You don’t have to retell every detail of what happened for healing to happen.

When therapy is working, people often notice they feel more present in their bodies, kinder toward themselves, and freer from the weight of the past.

Your Next Step

If you’re in San Diego or elsewhere in California and your results stirred something up, you deserve support from someone who truly sees you. Let’s talk about what you’re noticing in a free 15-minute consultation.

Book a Free 15-Minute Consult

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this ACEs quiz private?
Yes. Your answers are added up right on this page in your own browser. Nothing is saved, stored or sent anywhere, and your answers disappear when you refresh or leave the page.
Is a high ACE score a diagnosis?
No. It’s a count of certain experiences, not a diagnosis of any condition. A licensed therapist can help you understand what your experiences mean for you.
What if I don’t remember much of my childhood?
That’s common, especially for people who went through hard things early in life. Answer what you can and skip what you’re unsure of. You don’t need a complete story to begin healing.
Should I share my score with a therapist?
Only if you want to. Some people find it a helpful starting point, while others prefer to talk about how they’re feeling now. Either way is okay.
Can I take this quiz for my child?
This version asks adults to reflect on their own childhood. If you’re concerned about a child, their pediatrician or a child therapist can help.

This quiz is for educational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for professional diagnosis or care. If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room. Source for statistics: CDC, Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among U.S. Adults.