Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ)
Measures everyday lapses in attention, memory, and action
Ever walked into a room and forgot why? The CFQ captures how often everyday cognitive slips happen, including forgotten appointments, misplaced items, and attention lapses. 25 items covering memory, attention, and action failures over the past 6 months.
Do you forget why you walked into a room?
We all have those moments — losing your keys, walking into a room and blanking on why, forgetting a name mid-conversation. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) is a 25-item measure that tracks these everyday slips in memory, attention, and action. Not major memory problems — just the small stuff everyone does.
The 25 items cover three areas:
- Memory failures: forgetting appointments, losing things, forgetting names
- Attention failures: mind wandering while reading, not hearing people, daydreaming
- Action failures: bumping into things, dropping objects, confusing left and right
Who it is for
Adults 16 and older. It is a self-report measure, not a diagnostic tool.Psychometric properties
- Internal consistency: alpha = .91 (original sample)
- Test-retest reliability: r = .82 (6-month interval)
Usage
The CFQ is publicly available for research and non-commercial use. Cite Broadbent et al. (1982).> This test is for self-assessment only and does not replace professional evaluation.
Scoring Guide
How scoring works: 25 items, each rated 0 (Never) to 4 (Very often). Total range 0-100. Higher scores = more frequent cognitive failures.<br><br>Simple sum - all items forward-scored.<br><br>Norms: General adult population mean ~37, SD ~15 (Broadbent et al., 1982).<br><br>No standard clinical cutoff - the CFQ captures everyday cognitive lapses in the normal range, not pathology. Scores above 60 (~1.5 SD above mean) may warrant further attention.Result Interpretation
After completing the 25 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.