Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI)
Brief, free measure of everyday working memory and inhibition difficulties in adults.
Last reviewed: July 2026
- Full name
- Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI)
- Measures
- The ADEXI (Adult Executive Functioning Inventory) is a 14-item self-report measure of everyday executive function difficulties, developed by Holst and Thorell (2018) as the adult companion to the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI; Thorell and Nyberg, 2008).
- Format
- 14 items · ~5 min · Self-report
- Score range
- 14 to 25 (Inhibition)
- Reliability
- Holst and Thorell (2018) reported high internal consistency and adequate test-retest reliability for the ADEXI, and found it discriminated adults with ADHD from controls with high specificity but lower sensitivity: it rarely flags people without difficulties, but a modest score does not rule ADHD out.
- Population
- Adults aged 18 and over, self-report.
- Interpretation
- 14-70 (total)No published cut-off
- 9-45 (Working Memory)Subscale
- 5-25 (Inhibition)Subscale
Scoring & Interpretation
Each of the 14 items is rated on a five-point scale from "definitely not true" to "definitely true", scored 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating more everyday executive-function difficulty. Items sum to a Working Memory subscale (items 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13), an Inhibition subscale (items 3, 4, 6, 10 and 14), and a total of 14 to 70. The ADEXI has no published population norms or clinical cut-off (Holst and Thorell, 2018), so the dashboard deliberately shows position within the scale range rather than a severity band or percentile, and the subscale split shows where the difficulty concentrates.
| Score Range | Severity | Clinical Action |
|---|---|---|
| 14-70 (total) | No published cut-off | Higher scores mean more everyday executive-function difficulty; read as position within the range alongside symptom measures, never as a percentile |
| 9-45 (Working Memory) | Subscale | Forgetting instructions, losing track of plans and multi-step tasks; the domain most linked to adult ADHD presentations |
| 5-25 (Inhibition) | Subscale | Acting before thinking, difficulty stopping; review item-level responses for concrete examples to explore in session |
- Holst and Thorell (2018) reported high internal consistency and adequate test-retest reliability for the ADEXI, and found it discriminated adults with ADHD from controls with high specificity but lower sensitivity: it rarely flags people without difficulties, but a modest score does not rule ADHD out.
- No norms or diagnostic cut-offs have been published, so the ADEXI is a supplementary and tracking measure, not a screen.
- It is best read beside the ASRS and WURS-25 within a structured assessment.
When to Use This vs Alternatives
| Instrument | Measures | Items | Reach for it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADEXI This page | Everyday executive function | 14 | The comprehensive option you are reading about |
| ASRS | ADHD symptom frequency (screen) | 6–18 | You need the DSM-referenced ADHD symptom screen itself. The ASRS samples the diagnostic criteria; the ADEXI describes the executive-function difficulties behind them. |
| WFIRS-S | Functional impairment, 7 domains | 69 | You want functional impairment across life domains (family, work, self-concept) rather than cognitive processes. The WFIRS-S maps where life is affected; the ADEXI maps which executive processes are struggling. |
| WURS-25 | Childhood ADHD, retrospective | 25 | Childhood onset needs to be established for a DSM-5 adult diagnosis. The WURS-25 covers retrospective childhood symptoms; the ADEXI covers current everyday executive function. |
Everyday executive function · 14 items
ADHD symptom frequency (screen) · 6–18 items
You need the DSM-referenced ADHD symptom screen itself. The ASRS samples the diagnostic criteria; the ADEXI describes the executive-function difficulties behind them.
Functional impairment, 7 domains · 69 items
You want functional impairment across life domains (family, work, self-concept) rather than cognitive processes. The WFIRS-S maps where life is affected; the ADEXI maps which executive processes are struggling.
Childhood ADHD, retrospective · 25 items
Childhood onset needs to be established for a DSM-5 adult diagnosis. The WURS-25 covers retrospective childhood symptoms; the ADEXI covers current everyday executive function.
See It in Action
Sample: a completed ADEXI, scored and interpreted.
Executive-function difficulties recorded across working memory and inhibition.
By domain
- Working Memory
- 26/45
- Inhibition
- 14/25
On ClientForms the total, its band and every domain flag are scored for you and ready to read or export as a PDF.
See the dashboard view
Synthetic sample for illustration — not a real patient.
What It Measures
It samples the two executive domains most consistently implicated in ADHD: working memory (nine items) and inhibition (five items). Rather than restating DSM symptom criteria, its items describe day-to-day cognitive slips, forgetting instructions mid-task, losing track of multi-step plans, acting before thinking, so it adds information a symptom checklist does not capture.
- Working Memory
- Holding and using information in mind: remembering instructions and keeping track of multi-step tasks and plans.
- Inhibition
- Stopping and self-regulating: acting before thinking, and difficulty holding back a response.
When to Use the ADEXI
Use the ADEXI when an adult ADHD assessment needs an executive-function picture beyond symptom counts. The ASRS establishes current symptoms and the WURS-25 childhood onset; the ADEXI shows how working memory and inhibition difficulties actually present in daily life, which is often what the patient came in describing. It also suits review and follow-up, where executive complaints commonly persist even as symptom scores improve. Because it has no published clinical cut-off, use it to characterise and track difficulties, not to screen in or out.
Who It's For
Adults aged 18 and over, self-report. The ADEXI is freely available for clinical and research use without licensing fees (distributed by the authors at chexi.se), which makes it one of the few executive-function inventories with no per-use cost. As a brief self-report it reflects self-perceived cognitive difficulty; corroborate with developmental history and, where possible, an informant account.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ADEXI?
The ADEXI (Adult Executive Functioning Inventory) is a free 14-item self-report measure of everyday executive function difficulties in adults, developed by Holst and Thorell (2018) as the adult version of the CHEXI. It has two subscales: Working Memory (9 items) and Inhibition (5 items).
How is the ADEXI scored, and is there a cut-off?
Items are rated 1 to 5 from "definitely not true" to "definitely true", giving a total of 14 to 70 with higher scores meaning more difficulty. The ADEXI has no published population norms or clinical cut-off, so results are read as a position within the scale range, alongside symptom measures such as the ASRS, rather than against a threshold.
Is the ADEXI free to use?
Yes. The ADEXI is distributed free of charge by its authors at chexi.se for clinical and research use, unlike longer executive-function inventories such as the BRIEF-A and BDEFS, which are commercially licensed.
Can the ADEXI diagnose ADHD?
No. In the validation study the ADEXI separated adults with ADHD from controls with high specificity but lower sensitivity, and it has no diagnostic cut-off. It characterises and tracks executive-function difficulties within a structured ADHD assessment; the diagnosis rests on the full clinical picture.
Stop scoring the ADEXI by hand.
The total, the bands and the domain flags you just worked through, scored and laid out for you. New accounts get 30 days of full Professional access, no card.