15-item measure of dispositional mindfulness assessing open or receptive awareness of and attention to what is taking place in the present. ≈ 5 min to complete. Free with attribution.
MAAS (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 15-item measure of dispositional mindfulness assessing open or receptive awareness of and attention to what is taking place in the present.. It is most often used for measuring trait mindfulness in clinical, community, and research settings.. The instrument contains 15 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
Measuring trait mindfulness in clinical, community, and research settings. MAAS is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, MAAS is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 15 items below to see your MAAS score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 6-point scale (1–6). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Items scored 1-6 (almost always to almost never). All items are reverse-coded so that higher scores indicate greater mindfulness. Compute the mean of all 15 items. Range 1-6.
Scoring notes: Items scored 1-6 (almost always to almost never). All items are reverse-coded so that higher scores indicate greater mindfulness. Compute the mean of all 15 items. Range 1-6.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Low mindfulness | Consider mindfulness training |
| 3.1–4.5 | Moderate mindfulness | Monitor |
| 4.6–6 | High mindfulness | Maintain |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later | Almost always | 1 |
| 2 | I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else | Almost always | 1 |
| 3 | I find it difficult to stay focused on what's happening in the present | Almost always | 1 |
| 4 | I tend to walk quickly to get where I'm going without paying attention to what I experience along the way | Almost always | 1 |
| 5 | I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort until they really grab my attention | Almost always | 1 |
| 6 | I forget a person's name almost as soon as I've been told it for the first time | Almost always | 1 |
| 7 | It seems I am running on automatic without much awareness of what I'm doing | Almost always | 1 |
| 8 | I rush through activities without being really attentive to them | Almost always | 1 |
| 9 | I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I am doing right now to get there | Almost always | 1 |
| 10 | I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what I'm doing | Almost always | 1 |
| 11 | I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing something else at the same time | Almost always | 1 |
| 12 | I drive places on autopilot and then wonder why I went there | Almost always | 1 |
| 13 | I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past | Almost always | 1 |
| 14 | I find myself doing things without paying attention | Almost always | 1 |
| 15 | I snack without being aware that I'm eating | Almost always | 1 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + … (items 9–15 sum to 7) = 15
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 15 → Moderate mindfulness
Moderate mindfulness. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. MAAS supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If MAAS doesn't fit your context, related instruments in mindfulness include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| MELD-Na | 3-month mortality in advanced liver disease; transplant prioritization | 5 | — |
MAAS (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale) is a validated instrument that assesses 15-item measure of dispositional mindfulness assessing open or receptive awareness of and attention to what is taking place in the present.. Its primary clinical use is measuring trait mindfulness in clinical, community, and research settings..
MAAS typically takes ≈ 5 min to administer. Time can vary slightly depending on whether it is self-administered or clinician-led.
MAAS contains 15 items. Items are summed to produce a total score.
Scores of 4.6–6 fall in the "High mindfulness" band. Maintain
Scores of 1–3 fall in the "Low mindfulness" band. Consider mindfulness training
MAAS has reported Cronbach's α of 0.87 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.81. Differentiates meditators from non-meditators; correlates with well-being, self-regulation, and mental health.
MAAS is free to use with attribution. Free to use with citation
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822-848.
No. MAAS is a structured assessment aid. A score is one input alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
MAAS is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: