Key Takeaways
- TOVA and QbTest are continuous performance tests: you respond to targets on a screen for roughly 11 to 22 minutes, and QbTest also tracks head movement with an infrared camera.
- CNS Vital Signs and Creyos are broader batteries; Creyos's ADHD protocol pairs four core tasks and a sustained-attention task with an age-matched questionnaire.
- FDA records differ: TOVA and QbTest have 510(k) clearance records; CNS Vital Signs and Creyos are registered and listed as 510(k)-exempt cognitive assessment aids.
- A 2024 meta-analysis found continuous performance tests only modestly to moderately accurate on their own; none of these tools replaces a clinical ADHD evaluation.
There is no computer test that can tell you, by itself, whether you have ADHD. What tools like QbTest, TOVA, CNS Vital Signs and Creyos can do is give a clinician measured data on attention, impulsivity and related skills to weigh alongside your history and symptoms. They work differently, they have different FDA records, and the research behind each is uneven. This page lays them out side by side, without ranking them, so you can understand what a clinic is offering and ask good questions.
Two designs: single-task attention tests and multi-task batteries
What Creyos can and can’t do
It can
- Measure attention, inhibition, planning and working memory on tasks linked to ADHD
- Compare your markers with same-age norms and pair them with a parent, teacher or self-report questionnaire
- Give your clinician one more structured source of information during an ADHD workup
It can’t
- Confirm or rule out ADHD: Creyos provides no cutoffs, so sensitivity and specificity can't be calculated
- Tell ADHD presentations (inattentive, hyperactive, combined) apart
- Replace the interview, childhood history and reports from people who know you
Computerized ADHD tools fall into two broad groups. Continuous performance tests (CPTs), such as TOVA and QbTest, ask you to watch a stream of stimuli and respond only to certain targets for a sustained period. They record missed targets (a sign of inattention), responses to non-targets (a sign of impulsivity), reaction time and how much your reaction time varies. Multi-task batteries, such as CNS Vital Signs and Creyos, string together several short tasks that sample different thinking skills, then compare each with norms.
Neither design is inherently superior. A CPT digs deep into one kind of performance; a battery spreads out to show a profile across several skills. Which is more useful depends on the clinical question.
What each test asks you to do
TOVA (Test of Variables of Attention)
TOVA is a go/no-go CPT. In the visual version you respond to geometric shapes; an auditory version uses tones. The 510(k) summary FDA holds for version 9.0 lists a test length of 10.8 to 21.6 minutes and measures including omissions, commissions, response times and response-time variability. Its cleared indication says TOVA gives healthcare professionals objective measurements of attention and inhibitory control and aids in the assessment of attention deficits, including ADHD, with results interpreted only by qualified professionals.
QbTest
QbTest pairs a CPT, in which you press a button only when a target symbol appears, with an infrared camera that follows a reflective marker on a headband to record movement. The same FDA comparison document lists its length as 15 to 20 minutes. Its intended use is to give clinicians objective measurements of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention to aid in the clinical assessment of ADHD.
CNS Vital Signs
CNS Vital Signs is a computerized battery. Its developers' 2006 validation paper describes seven tests (verbal and visual memory, finger tapping, symbol digit coding, a Stroop test, shifting attention and a CPT) with a normative sample of 1,069 people aged 7 to 90. The same authors wrote that it is suitable for screening or repeated assessment but "is not a substitute for formal neuropsychological testing" and "is not diagnostic." The current product may differ from the 2006 version.
Creyos ADHD protocol
Creyos's ADHD protocol uses four of its core tasks (Spatial Planning, Token Search, Feature Match and Double Trouble), then a six-minute Sustained Attention to Response Task, then one age-matched questionnaire: the Vanderbilt (VADRS) for ages 6 to 11, the SWAN for 12 to 17, and ASRS Part A for adults. It reports 14 markers, each flagged when it falls one standard deviation from the age-group mean in the ADHD direction, and takes about 20 to 25 minutes. For more on Creyos generally, see the Creyos cognitive assessment guide.
FDA status, checked in FDA databases
We searched FDA's 510(k) and device registration databases on October 19, 2026. The results, in plain terms:
| Tool | What FDA records show | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| TOVA | 510(k) K173915 (March 2018) and K170082 (May 2017), The Tova Company, found substantially equivalent; product code LQD, "Recorder, Attention Task Performance" | FDA reviewed a premarket notification and found it substantially equivalent to an earlier device |
| QbTest | 510(k) K133382 (March 2014), plus earlier K040894 (2004) and K122149 (2012), Qbtech AB, found substantially equivalent; product code LQD. A related product, QbCheck, has K143468 (2016) | Same pathway as TOVA |
| CNS Vital Signs | No 510(k) found. Registered and listed under product code PTY, "Computerized Cognitive Assessment Aid, Exempt," Class II | Marketed without premarket review under the exemption for cognitive aids not used to diagnose specific conditions |
| Creyos | No 510(k) found. Registered and listed under product code PTY, Class II | Creyos is registered and listed with the FDA as a Class II, 510(k)-exempt computerized cognitive assessment aid; it is not FDA-cleared or approved and does not diagnose any condition. |
Two cautions. First, 510(k) clearance means FDA found a device substantially equivalent to one already on the market; it is not FDA approval, and it is not proof of diagnostic accuracy. Second, registration and listing is a routine requirement for manufacturers and does not signal FDA endorsement. The federal rule for the PTY category says these aids do not identify the presence or absence of clinical diagnoses and are not intended as stand-alone or adjunctive diagnostic devices.
At a glance
| TOVA | QbTest | CNS Vital Signs | Creyos ADHD protocol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design | Continuous performance test (visual or auditory) | Continuous performance test plus motion tracking | Seven-test battery including a CPT | Four core tasks plus a sustained-attention task |
| Movement measured? | No | Yes, head movement by infrared camera | Finger tapping speed only | No |
| Length | 10.8–21.6 minutes (FDA summary) | 15–20 minutes (FDA summary) | Varies with tests selected | About 20–25 minutes |
| Built-in questionnaire | No | A behavior rating scale is listed as an accessory | Not described in the 2006 paper | Yes: VADRS, SWAN or ASRS Part A by age |
| Ages | Confirm with the clinic | Confirm with the clinic | Norms aged 7–90 (2006 paper) | Age-normed from age 6 |
| FDA record | 510(k) | 510(k) | Registered and listed, 510(k)-exempt | Registered and listed, 510(k)-exempt |
We have not listed age ranges for TOVA or QbTest because we could not confirm them in an FDA record; ask the clinic or manufacturer. Willow & Stone sees patients aged 10 and older, which is practice policy rather than a limit of any test.
What the research says about computer tests for ADHD
The best summary evidence is for CPTs as a group. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry pooled 19 studies of commercially available CPTs in children and adolescents. The best-performing score had a pooled sensitivity of 0.75 and specificity of 0.71. The authors concluded that CPTs used alone have "only a modest to moderate ability" to tell ADHD from non-ADHD and should be used only within a more comprehensive diagnostic process.
Some tools have been studied for a different benefit: speed. In the AQUA randomized trial in England (ages 6 to 17), clinicians who received a QbTest report were more likely to reach a diagnostic decision within six months (76% versus 50%), appointments were 15% shorter, and there was no difference in diagnostic accuracy. That is evidence of efficiency, not of the test diagnosing ADHD.
For Creyos, the most relevant independent study used its tasks in children with ADHD, autism or typical development and found that four tasks correctly classified about 53 to 60% of each group. Creyos's own science guide states that its ADHD protocol is not a standalone diagnostic tool, provides no cutoffs, and that someone with ADHD can score in the typical range on many markers. Our evidence review goes deeper.
Rating scales are a different kind of tool
People sometimes search for "the Conners test" or "an ADHD questionnaire test" expecting something like a CPT. Rating scales such as the Conners, the Vanderbilt, the SWAN and the ASRS are questionnaires completed by you, a parent or a teacher about everyday behavior. They capture how symptoms show up at home, school and work, which a 20-minute task cannot. Creyos includes the Vanderbilt, SWAN and ASRS Part A but not the Conners or the ADHD-RS-5. Our guide to the questionnaires inside Creyos lists all of them.
A thorough evaluation usually uses both: questionnaires for real-world symptoms, and possibly a performance test for how attention behaves under controlled conditions. Neither substitutes for the clinical interview.
How any of these fits into an ADHD evaluation
The diagnosis itself rests on the clinical evaluation: whether symptoms meet criteria, whether they started in childhood, whether they show up in more than one setting, and whether something else (sleep problems, anxiety, depression, substance use, a medical condition) better explains them. Our page on the adult ADHD evaluation walks through each step. A computer test can support that reasoning or prompt a second look, but it cannot override it.
If you are offered a test, it is fair to ask why that particular tool, what the clinician will do differently depending on the result, and whether you should take your usual medication that morning. Your clinician will tell you how to handle medication on test day; do not change it on your own.
Which test would I take at Willow & Stone?
The computerized tool Willow & Stone offers, as of October 2026, is Creyos, reviewed by Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, as part of an evaluation. Which protocol you take, whether it is done remotely or in the Arlington office, and the fee are confirmed when you book; our Creyos ADHD assessment page explains how it fits an ADHD workup, and pricing lists the published visit fees ($300 for the 90-minute first evaluation, $150 for follow-ups).
Common Questions
Which computerized ADHD test is the best?
There is no single best test, and we do not rank them. TOVA and QbTest focus on sustained attention, QbTest adds movement tracking, and CNS Vital Signs and Creyos sample several skills. Research on CPTs shows modest to moderate accuracy when used alone. The most important factor is the clinician who interprets the result within a full evaluation.
Has QbTest been reviewed by the FDA?
Yes. FDA's 510(k) database lists QbTest submissions from Qbtech AB found substantially equivalent in 2004, 2012 and 2014 (K133382 is the most recent), under product code LQD. A 510(k) means FDA found it substantially equivalent to an existing device; it is not the same as FDA approval and does not establish diagnostic accuracy on its own.
Is Creyos the same kind of test as TOVA?
Partly. Creyos's ADHD protocol includes a sustained-attention task similar in spirit to a CPT, but it also uses planning, working-memory, attention and inhibition tasks and adds an age-matched questionnaire. TOVA is a single continuous performance test. Their FDA records also differ: TOVA has 510(k) records, while Creyos is registered and listed as a 510(k)-exempt cognitive assessment aid.
Can a computer test diagnose ADHD?
No. A 2024 meta-analysis concluded that continuous performance tests should be used only within a more comprehensive diagnostic process. Creyos states that its ADHD protocol is not a standalone diagnostic tool. ADHD is diagnosed by a clinician using history, symptom criteria, input from others and a review of other possible explanations.
Do these tests measure whether ADHD medication is working?
TOVA's and QbTest's cleared indications mention aiding the evaluation of treatment. Creyos makes no such claim we can support: there is no published evidence that it tracks medication response. A clinician may repeat any of these to compare with a baseline, keeping in mind practice effects, sleep, mood and the timing of a dose.
Does CNS Vital Signs have FDA clearance?
We did not find a 510(k) for CNS Vital Signs. FDA's registration database lists CNS Vital Signs (and Cognitrax) under product code PTY, the Class II, 510(k)-exempt category for computerized cognitive assessment aids, the same category as Creyos. It is therefore not cleared, and the exemption applies only to aids not used to diagnose specific conditions.
Part of our Creyos cognitive assessment guide
Sources & Further Reading
- FDA 510(k) database — QbTest, K133382
- FDA 510(k) database — Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.), K173915
- openFDA registration and listing — CNS Vital Signs
- eCFR — 21 CFR 882.1470, Computerized cognitive assessment aid
- Hennessy et al. 2024, Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry — online cognitive tests in ADHD, autism and typical development (PubMed)
- Arrondo et al. 2024, JAACAP — Clinical utility of continuous performance tests for ADHD (PubMed)
- Hollis et al. 2018, J Child Psychol Psychiatry — AQUA trial of QbTest (PubMed)
- Gualtieri & Johnson 2006, Arch Clin Neuropsychol — CNS Vital Signs reliability and validity (PubMed)
- Creyos — ADHD Report Science Guide (PDF)
This article is general education, not a diagnosis or advice for your situation. Creyos results support, and never replace, a clinical evaluation; only a clinician who has evaluated you can diagnose a condition or recommend treatment. Do not start, stop, or change a medication without talking to the clinician who prescribes it.
If you need help right now
Willow & Stone is an outpatient practice and is not an emergency service. If you or someone you care about is in immediate danger, call 911.
For urgent mental health support at any hour, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Both are free, confidential, and available 24/7 nationwide.
Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and founder of Willow & Stone Integrative Mental Health. Nearly two decades of clinical experience; integrative, root-cause psychiatry in person in Arlington and by telehealth. Licensed in Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado & Washington.
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