Screening Tool

The SCOFF Questionnaire

The SCOFF is a short, five-question screening tool for eating disorders, simple enough to be used by anyone. Developed in 1999, it remains one of the most widely used eating disorder screens in the world. Below you can read the questions, understand the scoring, and try an interactive version.

The SCOFF is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It can suggest whether a professional conversation may help — it cannot tell you whether you have an eating disorder.

Written by the Eating Disorder Facts editorial team Awaiting clinical review by Cindy Hawthorn, MD Updated July 20, 2026

The SCOFF is a screening tool, not a diagnosis. It can flag that a professional conversation may help — it cannot tell you whether you have an eating disorder. Your answers stay in your browser; nothing is saved or sent. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.

1. Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?

2. Do you worry you have lost Control over how much you eat?

3. Have you recently lost more than One stone (about 14 lb / 6.35 kg) in a three-month period?

4. Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?

5. Would you say that Food dominates your life?

0 of 5 answered

The Questions

The five SCOFF questions

Each letter of SCOFF comes from a key word in one of its questions:

Do you make yourself Sick (vomit) because you feel uncomfortably full?

Do you worry you have lost Control over how much you eat?

Have you recently lost more than One stone (about 14 lb / 6.35 kg) in a three-month period?

Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?

Would you say that Food dominates your life?

In the original British wording, "sick" means to vomit, and "one stone" is an imperial unit of weight equal to about 14 pounds (6.35 kg).

Scoring

How the SCOFF is scored

Each "yes" answer is worth one point, for a total score from zero to five. A score of two or more is considered a positive screen and indicates that a fuller assessment for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa is warranted.

Importantly, a positive screen is not a diagnosis — it is a prompt to look closer. And a score below two does not guarantee that all is well, because the SCOFF misses some cases.

Accuracy

How accurate is the SCOFF — and its limits

Across many validation studies, a systematic review and meta-analysis found the SCOFF had a pooled sensitivity of about 86% (correctly flagging most true cases) and specificity of about 83% (correctly clearing most people without a disorder). That makes it a genuinely useful quick screen — but its performance varies, and it has real limitations:

It works best for young women with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
It is less sensitive for men, older adults, and people with binge eating disorder.
In general population samples its positive predictive value is low, so many positive screens turn out not to be eating disorders.
A negative screen does not rule out an eating disorder.

In short: the SCOFF is a helpful first filter, not a final answer. Treat a positive result as a reason to talk to someone, and don't let a negative result override your own concerns. You can also try the broader self-assessment or read about the warning signs of eating disorders.

A screen is a starting point

Whatever your score, help is available.

If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). For eating disorder support and referrals, contact the NEDA Helpline.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions