Cost & access
“Testing” and “evaluation” are not the same product. The price difference is why it matters.
Two adults search for the same thing. One types “ADHD testing near me.” The other types “ADHD evaluation near me.” They are looking for the same answer. They will be shown different providers, quoted prices that differ by a factor of three or four, and neither will be told why.
The words are not interchangeable. This is what each one means, who provides it, and how to tell which one is actually needed.
What “testing” means
Psychological and neuropsychological testing is a psychologist’s service. It uses standardized instruments, administered under controlled conditions, to measure cognitive domains directly: intellectual functioning, memory, processing speed, attention on timed tasks, executive function, academic achievement.
It produces scores. The scores are compared against population norms. The output is a lengthy report that describes a cognitive profile.
Billing tells the story. Testing is coded under a family of procedure codes reserved for psychological and neuropsychological test administration, scoring and interpretation. Those are psychologist codes. A psychiatric prescriber does not bill them and should not imply otherwise.
Testing takes many hours across several sessions. That is why it costs what it costs, commonly in the range of $1,500 to $4,000 or more in this region, depending on scope.
What “evaluation” means
A structured psychiatric evaluation is a diagnostic assessment by a psychiatric clinician. It uses a long clinical interview, developmental and school history, standardized rating scales completed by the person and by someone who knows them, collateral records, and a differential that rules other conditions in or out.
It produces a diagnosis. Or it rules one out. And it results in a treatment plan and, where appropriate, prescribing.
Billing, again, tells the story. The evaluation is coded as a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation, with rating scales coded separately as brief standardized assessments. Those are the codes on this practice’s fees page, and they are the codes any psychiatric prescriber uses for the same service.
An evaluation takes one to two appointments. It costs a fraction of testing.
Neither is a lesser version of the other
This is the part that gets lost.
Testing answers the question: what does this person’s cognitive profile look like, measured against norms? That is essential when there is a suspected learning disability, a possible head injury, a picture complicated enough that the standard differential cannot sort it, or a documentation requirement that specifically demands it.
Evaluation answers the question: does this person meet criteria for ADHD, what else might explain the picture, and what should we do about it? That is what most adults seeking an answer about attention actually need.
A test battery does not diagnose ADHD by itself. There is no cognitive test score that confirms or excludes the diagnosis. The diagnosis is clinical, made from history and functional impairment, which is exactly what an evaluation is built to establish. Psychologists know this and say so in their reports. The public conversation has not caught up.
Who needs which
An evaluation is usually the right starting point when:
- The question is whether ADHD is present and what to do about it
- Treatment, including medication, is a likely next step
- Accommodations are needed and the school or employer accepts clinician documentation, which most do
- Cost matters, which for most people it does
Testing is the right tool when:
- A learning disability is suspected alongside or instead of ADHD
- There has been a head injury, a neurological event, or cognitive decline
- Previous evaluations have disagreed and the picture needs objective measurement
- A specific institution, licensing board, or testing agency requires it in writing
The last point is worth its own sentence. Some standardized-test accommodation programs and some university health services require formal testing and will not accept a psychiatric evaluation alone. Before paying for anything, read the written requirement of whoever will receive the report. A practice that cannot tell you plainly whether its report will meet that requirement is not being straight with you.
Why the language on this site is careful
You will not find the phrase “ADHD testing” describing what this practice offers. That is deliberate.
What we provide is a structured psychiatric evaluation with standardized rating scales and collateral. It is accurate to call it that and it would be inaccurate to call it testing. The distinction protects the reader from paying for one thing and receiving another, and it protects the practice from implying a service it does not deliver.
The ADHD Evaluation and Report is priced on the fees page at $750 all-inclusive for a new patient, across two appointments, with rating scales, collateral contact, a differential review and a written report. If what you need is testing, we will say so and point you toward a psychologist, because sending you the wrong direction to keep the appointment is not a trade this practice makes.
FirstLight Mental Health opens in Ann Arbor on November 1, 2026. Free 20-minute calls can be booked on our Patient Portal page.
Related reading: What an ADHD evaluation costs in Michigan, and why the range is so wide and Your campus health center said they don’t do ADHD evaluations. Here is what happens next.
Sources
- Procedure codes used for a psychiatric evaluation and rating scales at this practice: FirstLight Mental Health fees page.
- Diagnostic criteria are clinical and not established by any single test score: American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5-TR.