Childhood Trauma Test: Find Your ACE Score
This free childhood trauma test uses the 10-question ACE questionnaire from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente study. Get your ACE score instantly. Your answers never leave your device.
At a glance
- 10 questions, each answered yes or no
- About 3 minutes to finish
- Built on the ACE questionnaire from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study
- Private: scored in your browser. We never see, store, or email your answers.
- Results you can use: your ACE score, a breakdown by type, and where therapy would likely start
- For adults 18 and older
Take the free childhood trauma test
This free childhood trauma test uses the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire, the same 10 questions used in the CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study. It counts how many of ten types of abuse, neglect, and household hardship you experienced before age 18. Your ACE score runs from 0 to 10.
Most online versions stop at the number. Ours explains what your score does and doesn’t mean, shows which kinds of experiences you reported, and tells you where our therapists would likely start. Some questions ask about abuse, including sexual abuse, and you can skip any of them.
What does the ACE test measure?
The ACE questionnaire counts exposure to ten categories of childhood adversity. The CDC groups them into three types:
- Abuse (questions 1–3): emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
- Neglect (questions 4–5): emotional neglect and physical neglect
- Household challenges (questions 6–10): parental separation or divorce, violence toward a mother or stepmother, substance use, mental illness, and incarceration in the home
Each “yes” adds one point. The questionnaire asks whether something happened, not how often or how badly, so two people with the same score can have very different stories.
What does my ACE score mean?
Your ACE score is the number of categories you answered “yes” to, from 0 to 10. The original CDC-Kaiser study found that the more ACEs people reported, the higher their risk of health problems in adulthood.
- 0: none of the ten experiences the questionnaire counts
- 1 to 3: common. Almost two-thirds of the study’s participants reported at least one ACE.
- 4 or more: the threshold the study linked with sharply higher risk of depression, substance use, and chronic illness
Those risks describe large groups of people. They don’t predict what will happen to you, and they don’t account for the support, relationships, and healing that buffer the effects of adversity.
Where does the ACE questionnaire come from?
The ACE questionnaire comes from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, which surveyed more than 17,000 adults in the 1990s (Felitti et al., 1998). It became one of the most widely used measures of childhood adversity in medicine and public health.
It’s a measure of exposure, not a clinical test. It leaves out experiences like bullying, racism, community violence, and the death of a parent, and it can’t measure how any experience affected you. That’s why our results pair your score with what our therapists look for next.
Our version uses all ten original questions word for word. We added one optional question at the end about how much your childhood affects you today. It shapes how we explain your results and never changes your score.
How our therapists read an ACE score
When one of our therapists looks at an ACE score, the number is the least interesting part. Here’s what matters more.
Which experiences you had. Abuse and neglect tend to shape how you see yourself and whether you can trust people. Household challenges often turn kids into caretakers or peacekeepers, roles adults keep playing long after they’re needed.
What’s missing from the list. Emotional neglect is often the hardest to see, because it’s about what didn’t happen. Many adults who score low on the ACE still grew up without the warmth or attention they needed.
How it shows up now. Childhood adversity tends to surface as people-pleasing, harsh self-criticism, trouble with closeness, anxiety, or feeling numb. Those patterns are where therapy starts.
What protected you. A grandparent, a teacher, a friend’s family. Positive relationships in childhood buffer the effects of ACEs, and they’re part of the story too.
Can I have childhood trauma with a low ACE score?
Yes. The ACE questionnaire counts ten specific categories, and plenty of painful childhoods fall outside them. A parent who was there but emotionally checked out, constant criticism, bullying, a sibling’s illness, or growing up in a chaotic home can all leave lasting marks. If your childhood felt hard, trust that over the number.
Childhood trauma vs. PTSD
Childhood trauma describes what happened. It doesn’t always lead to PTSD, but it can lead to complex PTSD, which adds trouble with emotions, self-worth, and relationships. If you’re dealing with flashbacks, nightmares, or feeling constantly on guard, our trauma test (PCL-5) checks current symptoms, and our page on complex PTSD therapy explains the difference.
What to do with your ACE score
- 4 or more: Talk with a therapist experienced in childhood trauma. A high score isn’t a life sentence, but it often explains patterns that are worth working on directly.
- 1 to 3: Pay attention to which experiences you reported and whether they still affect you. One experience can matter more than several.
- 0, but your childhood still feels heavy: Look at our childhood emotional neglect and dysfunctional family pages. Many people find their experience there.
- Feeling unsafe right now: Call or text 988, or call Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255.
Childhood trauma therapy at My Denver Therapy
Our team of 20+ Denver area therapists works with adults healing from difficult childhoods every day. We match you with a therapist trained in the approach that fits:
- EMDR therapy, which helps the brain reprocess painful memories so they lose their charge
- Internal Family Systems (IFS), for the protective parts of you that learned to survive
- Attachment-based therapy, for the trust and closeness childhood made hard
- Inner child work, for reconnecting with needs that went unmet
We see clients in person in Denver, Greenwood Village, and Lone Tree, and online anywhere in Colorado. Most new clients start within a week, and our phones are answered 24/7. Learn more on our childhood trauma therapy page, or book a free 15-minute consultation below.
Frequently asked questions
Is this childhood trauma test free and private?
Yes. The test is free, and it runs entirely in your web browser. Your answers are never sent to us or stored anywhere, and we don’t ask for your name or email. When you close the page, your answers are gone unless you print or save them.
What is a high ACE score?
An ACE score of 4 or more is generally considered high. In the original CDC-Kaiser study, people with four or more ACEs had sharply higher rates of depression, substance use, and chronic illness as adults. The score shows risk across large groups, not what will happen to any one person.
Is the ACE test accurate?
The ACE questionnaire accurately counts exposure to ten specific types of childhood adversity, and it has been used in thousands of studies. It isn’t designed to diagnose anything or measure how much an experience affected you, and it leaves out other hardships like bullying and racism.
Can I heal from a high ACE score?
Yes. An ACE score describes what happened, not who you have to be. Supportive relationships and trauma-focused therapy can change how childhood experiences affect your mood, relationships, and health as an adult.
Why do some questions ask about sexual abuse?
The original ACE questionnaire includes one question about sexual abuse because it’s one of the ten categories the study measured. You can choose “Prefer not to answer” for any question. Skipped questions don’t count toward your score.
What if my childhood was hard but my ACE score is low?
Trust your experience over the number. The ACE questionnaire leaves out many painful experiences, including emotional neglect that doesn’t fit a yes-or-no question, bullying, and the death of a parent. Those experiences can still shape you and are worth talking about with a therapist.
Should I take the ACE test for my child?
No. The ACE questionnaire is designed for adults reflecting on their own childhood. If you’re worried about a child’s experiences, talk with their pediatrician or a child therapist. Our child therapy team can help.
What should I do after getting my ACE score?
If your score is 4 or higher, or if your childhood still affects your life, consider talking with a therapist experienced in childhood trauma. If you’re thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 now.
If you’re in crisis
This test and our website aren’t meant for emergencies. If you’re in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, or call Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255 (text TALK to 38255). Both are free, confidential, and open 24/7. In an emergency, call 911.
Source: ACE questionnaire from the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. Felitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., et al. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. The CDC states the ACE Study questionnaires are not copyrighted. This screening is for educational purposes only. It doesn’t diagnose any condition, and taking it doesn’t create a therapist-client relationship with My Denver Therapy.
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