Most ADP applications are not lost on the diagnosis. They are lost on answers like "I struggle with cooking" that give the case manager nothing to score. Under regulation 7 of the Disability Assistance for Working Age People (Scotland) Regulations 2022 an activity only counts if you can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time period, and a descriptor applies where that is true on the majority of days. This checker reads your draft for exactly those things.
What the checker looks for
Ten things, all taken from how ADP determinations are actually made. An answer does not need every one, but each missing item is a place where the case manager can assume the best about you.
1. How oftenDays a week, every day, most days. ADP scores the majority of days, so frequency is the single most important fact in any answer.
2. Help, aids or promptingA person, a piece of equipment, someone reminding or supervising you. Each of these maps to a different descriptor.
3. SafetyFalls, burns, cuts, blackouts, panic. "Safely" is one of the four reliability tests and the one that gets missed most often.
4. Time and effortHow long it takes and what it costs afterwards. Taking more than twice as long as someone without your condition counts as not doing it reliably.
5. What goes wrong without helpSkipped meals, missed tablets, days without washing. The consequence proves the need.
6. A real exampleOne dated incident is worth more than three general sentences. "In March I dropped a pan of boiling water" cannot be waved away.
7. The causeLink the difficulty to the symptom: pain, fatigue, breathlessness, anxiety, brain fog. It shows the difficulty comes from your condition, not from choice.
8. Focus on what you cannot doThe form is not the place to be brave. Describe the difficulty, not the coping.
9. No undermining phrases"I manage", "I'm fine", "on a good day I can". These sentences hand points back.
10. Enough detailA few sentences with real facts beat one line. Length is not the goal, facts are.
Phrases that quietly lose points
"I can manage on good days" → "On most days I cannot do this without help because..."
"I try my best" → "Even with maximum effort I cannot do this reliably, because..."
"It depends" → "On five or six days a week I need assistance with this because..."
"I cope" → "I have adapted by avoiding this altogether, which means I go without..."
"Sometimes I'm OK" → "I cannot do this to an acceptable standard repeatedly because..."
What each activity is really asking
The form questions look simple. Each one hides three or four things the case manager is scoring. Pick an activity in the checker and the box under it lists them. A few examples:
Preparing foodstanding at a cooker or hob · chopping, lifting pans, hot water · using a microwave instead · someone prompting, supervising or cooking for you.
Taking nutritioncutting food up · chewing or swallowing · needing prompting to eat or drink · feeding tubes or other therapeutic sources.
Managing therapy or monitoring a health conditionremembering and taking medication · dosette boxes, alarms, someone checking · monitoring like blood sugar, blood pressure, peak flow · therapy or exercises done at home and how long they take.
Washing and bathinggetting in and out of the bath or shower · washing hair and below the waist · washing between shoulders and waist · shower stools, grab rails, someone nearby in case you fall.
Our guide to what to write on Part 2 of the ADP application goes through all 12 activities, and the ADP form examples show what complete answers look like.
See a complete answer about your own conditions
The checker shows what is missing. The free preview shows what a complete answer looks like: one activity, written for your conditions, the way case managers score it. Free, no card, about two minutes.
See one of your answers free →
Use it with the free evidence tools
The checker keeps asking for frequency and real incidents. The Symptom & Bad Days Diary gives you both: a month of ticks that turns "I struggle" into "on 19 days out of 28". The Carer's Statement Template puts the same facts in the words of the person who sees them, and the Evidence Tracker makes sure the letters that back them up arrive.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ADP answer checker free?+
Yes. It is free, there is no card and no sign-up. It runs entirely in your browser: nothing you paste is sent to us or stored anywhere. We fund it through our paid ADP guidance service.
Does it score points or predict my determination?+
No. It checks the wording of one answer against what case managers actually look for: how often you struggle, what help you need, whether it is safe, how long it takes and what goes wrong without help. It cannot see your supporting information, so it cannot score points or predict an outcome. Only the Social Security Scotland case manager does that.
Which answers can I check?+
Any free-text answer from Part 2 of the Adult Disability Payment application form, or from the review form. Pick the activity from the list, paste the answer, and press Check. You can check all 12 activities one after another.
Why does "I manage" cost points?+
ADP is scored on whether you can do an activity reliably: safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time period, on the majority of days. "I manage" tells the case manager you can do it and says nothing about the cost. Describe what managing takes instead: the time, the pain, the help, the recovery, the things that go wrong.
Does it work for mental health conditions?+
Yes. The same five things score for anxiety, depression, PTSD or ADHD as for physical conditions: how often, what help or prompting, whether it is safe, how long it takes and what happens without support. The checker looks for exactly those, whatever the condition.
Is what I paste private?+
Completely. The check is done by a small script in your own browser. Your answer is never uploaded, logged or saved. If you ask us to email you the checklist, we store only your email address.
What should I do after checking?+
Fix the gaps the checker shows, in your own words and only with things that are true for you. If you want to see what a complete answer about your own conditions reads like, the free preview writes one activity for you. The full report does the same for all 12.