If a question triggers distress: call or text 988 · text HOME to 741741 · 911 if in immediate danger. You can stop at any time.
Before you begin

The 10 questions ahead ask whether specific things happened to you in your first 18 years — including abuse (verbal, physical, sexual), neglect, household substance use, mental illness, incarceration, and divorce.

  • You can stop at any time — close the page, retake later, or skip if a question lands hard.
  • Crisis resources stay visible above the questions while you take the quiz. Save them in your phone if it helps.
  • The score is not a diagnosis or a verdict. ACE measures past exposure. Resilience is real, and we explain that on the result page.
  • Your answers stay in your browser only. Nothing is sent to our servers. No email required.
ACE · First 18 years of life

During your first 18 years of life…

Read this first

A high ACE score means a lot was put on you when you were young. It does not mean you are broken or doomed. Felitti's own follow-up research and decades of trauma science show that resilience and recovery are real, well-documented, and possible at any score — especially with at least one stable supportive adult, evidence-based therapy (CBT for trauma, EMDR, IFS), and connection in adulthood. The score below is information for compassionate planning, not a verdict.

If you feel distressed: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741, or call 911 if in immediate danger.

Your ACE score
/ 10

Recommended next step
Evidence-based trauma therapies
All four ACE bands
0No documented adversity
1 – 3Low exposure
4 – 6Moderate (CDC threshold)
7 – 10High exposure