GoKawiilReverse Engineering My ADHD Test
Thu Aug 27 2026 authored by veritas
Stargazing
One night, while chatting with friends, I looked up and noticed the stars. Light pollution usually makes them difficult to see, so I was surprised by how clear it all was. I stared for several minutes before deciding, "I need a telescope." I ordered one on Amazon that same night. I've always picked up new hobbies this way. However, I could never stick with them.
Celestron NexStar 5SE telescope photographed from my roof.
I chalked it up to being a spontaneous person. It wasn't until a friend shared their recent autism diagnosis that I decided to get evaluated for ADHD. The psychiatrist explained that getting evaluated was a good idea. "Untreated ADHD can sometimes go hand in hand with depression and anxiety", she told me. She had me take an online assessment, warning me that once it began, she wouldn't be able to talk to me. Unsure of what I was about to experience, I clicked the "Begin Test" link sent to my email.
Taking the test
The link brought me to a blank page with what felt like an early-2000s Flash game. The task was simple: press Space whenever a card with three red hearts appeared, otherwise, do nothing.
I sat there pressing the spacebar as instructed. There was no timer or score to keep track of, only flashing cards. Eventually, other pieces of clip art began appearing alongside them, seemingly as a way to distract me. Still, I followed the task of pressing my spacebar when the card with three red hearts appeared. This dragged on, eventually introducing audio of crying babies and police sirens into the mix. At one point, it felt like this would never end, so I would spam spacebar in the hope of finishing the seemingly endless examination.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Screen recording of a portion of the ADHD exam
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