No online quiz can diagnose a concussion, but you can systematically check yourself against the same symptoms professionals use. The tool doctors and athletic trainers rely on, called the SCAT6, evaluates 22 specific symptoms after a head impact. Walking through those symptoms yourself gives you a reliable picture of whether you need medical evaluation.
Below is a self-check modeled on that professional checklist, along with the context you need to interpret your answers.
The 22-Symptom Self-Check
After any bump, blow, or jolt to your head or body, go through each of these symptoms and note whether you’re experiencing it. Rate each one from 0 (not present) to 6 (severe) if you want to track changes over time.
- Headache
- Pressure in your head
- Neck pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Balance problems
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensitivity to noise
- Feeling slowed down
- Feeling like you’re “in a fog”
- A general sense that something isn’t right
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty remembering
- Fatigue or low energy
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
- Feeling more emotional than usual
- Irritability
- Sadness
- Nervousness or anxiety
- Trouble falling asleep
If you’re experiencing even a few of these after a head impact, that’s a strong signal you may have a concussion. You don’t need to check every box. A headache plus feeling foggy plus difficulty concentrating is enough to warrant professional evaluation. The more symptoms you have, and the more severe they are, the more urgently you should be seen.
You Don’t Need to Black Out to Have a Concussion
This is the single most important thing people get wrong. Only about 8 to 19 percent of sports-related concussions involve any loss of consciousness at all. The vast majority of people with concussions never black out, never lose a second of awareness, and still have a real brain injury that needs proper management.
If you hit your head and thought “I didn’t pass out, so I’m probably fine,” revisit the symptom list above. Fogginess, headache, sensitivity to light, and feeling “off” are far more common concussion indicators than losing consciousness.
Symptoms Can Show Up Days Later
Some concussion symptoms appear immediately, like headache and nausea. Others take hours or even days to emerge. You might feel fine the evening after a hit, then notice a week or two later that you’re unusually emotional, sleeping poorly, or struggling to focus at work or school.
This delayed onset catches people off guard. They assume the injury window has closed, so whatever they’re feeling must be something else. It isn’t. If new symptoms from the checklist above appear within the first two weeks after a head impact, treat them as concussion-related until a provider says otherwise.
Quick Balance and Vision Checks
Beyond the symptom list, professionals also screen for problems with eye movement and balance. You can do rough versions of these at home:
- Balance: Stand with your feet together and close your eyes for 20 seconds. Significant swaying or needing to catch yourself is a red flag.
- Eye tracking: Have someone slowly move a finger side to side about 18 inches from your face. Follow it with your eyes only. If this triggers headache, dizziness, or nausea, that’s concerning.
- Focus convergence: Slowly bring a fingertip toward your nose. If you see double before the finger reaches about 2 inches from your face, or if this brings on symptoms, note it.
- Head turns: Turn your head side to side while focusing on a fixed point. If this triggers dizziness, nausea, or a headache, it suggests your brain’s system for stabilizing vision during movement has been disrupted.
These checks test the same visual and balance systems that clinicians assess formally. They can’t replace a professional exam, but they give you additional data points alongside your symptom list.
Danger Signs That Need Emergency Care
Most concussions resolve on their own with proper rest and a gradual return to activity. But certain symptoms after a head injury indicate something more serious, like bleeding in the brain, that requires immediate emergency care. Call 911 or go to the ER if you notice any of these:
- Seizures or convulsions
- One pupil larger than the other
- A headache that keeps getting worse
- Repeated vomiting
- Slurred speech, weakness, or numbness
- Increasing confusion, restlessness, or agitation
- Inability to recognize familiar people or places
- Growing drowsiness or inability to stay awake
These danger signs can appear hours after the initial injury, which is why someone with a suspected concussion should be monitored closely for at least the first 24 to 48 hours.
What Happens When You See a Provider
There’s no blood test or standard brain scan that diagnoses a concussion. CT scans and MRIs are useful for ruling out more serious injuries like skull fractures or brain bleeds, but a concussion itself won’t show up on imaging. Doctors typically order a CT scan only when specific risk factors are present: repeated vomiting, signs of a skull fracture, worsening symptoms over two hours, or memory loss lasting more than 30 minutes before the injury.
Diagnosis is based on your symptoms, a neurological exam, and the story of what happened. The provider will test your memory, concentration, balance, coordination, and reflexes. If you’ve already tracked your symptoms using the checklist above, bring that information with you. It gives your provider a clearer picture and makes the visit more productive.
What Recovery Actually Looks Like
The old advice was to rest in a dark room until every symptom disappeared. That turns out to be counterproductive. Research shows that extended strict rest offers no additional benefit and may actually slow recovery. People assigned to five days of strict rest in one study reported more symptoms and slower improvement compared to those who began easing back into activity sooner.
Current guidance supports one to two days of relative rest, meaning reduced screen time, lighter mental workload, and avoiding physical exertion. After that initial period, you begin a stepwise return to normal activity, increasing what you do a little each day as long as symptoms don’t flare up significantly.
For athletes, the return-to-sport process follows six stages, each requiring a minimum of 24 hours before moving on. It starts with light aerobic activity like walking or easy cycling for 5 to 10 minutes, then progresses through moderate exercise, heavy non-contact training, full practice with contact, and finally competition. If symptoms return at any stage, you drop back to the previous step and try again after another rest period.
Concussion Signs in Young Children
Babies and toddlers can’t tell you they have a headache or feel foggy, so you have to watch their behavior. Children with concussions often become unusually cranky, fussy, or clingy. Their eating and sleeping patterns may change noticeably. They might seem lethargic or lose interest in toys and activities they normally enjoy.
For infants specifically, refusing to nurse or eat, or crying inconsolably in a way that’s different from their normal fussiness, are warning signs. The same emergency red flags listed above apply to children, with the addition of these feeding and consolability concerns. If something about your child’s behavior feels off after a head bump, trust that instinct and have them evaluated.