Your Survey Doctor MAST result is a weighted 0-to-53 total from 24 lifetime yes-or-no questions. It does not describe current drinking. This digital wording mixes more than one MAST edition, and current result pages withhold its old labels. Read the number with the answers, their timing, and current alcohol use.
The quick answer
| Part of this result | Current Survey Doctor output |
|---|---|
| Questions | 24 required yes-or-no answers |
| Stored values | 0, 1, 2, or 5 points |
| Total | A whole number from 0 to 53 |
| Timeframe | Lifetime experiences, not one recent period |
| Score label | Withheld |
The total is not a diagnosis. It cannot show how much you drink now, whether withdrawal is likely, or what care you need.
Why the exact form matters
Selzer's 1971 paper introduced the MAST. Later versions changed the number of questions, wording, follow-up fields, and scoring conventions.
The current PAR technical history distinguishes a 25-question original from a 24-question revised form. It also describes event-count fields after some answers.
Survey Doctor has 24 scored questions but no event-count fields. Its wording combines features from several reproductions rather than matching one established edition. Keep this product form separate from a paper MAST unless the version is known.
Edition matters.
How the scoring works
Answers contribute 0, 1, 2, or 5 points. Four questions are keyed in the opposite direction, so No adds points on those questions. All 24 answers are required for a native result.
Question weights vary.
The values add to 0 through 53. Current manual entry also accepts only whole numbers in that range, but a score-only entry cannot prove which edition was used or whether every question was answered.
Unequal weights do not tell you which experience is most important now. A five-point answer may describe help sought years ago, while a lower-weight answer may describe a current concern.
Timing matters too.
Why no category label appears
The PAR history describes one tradition with ranges of 0-4, 5-6, and 7-53. Other publications divide scores differently. Survey Doctor's older definition added a separate 21-to-53 category that the reviewed sources do not establish for this hybrid form.
Current result, report, and export views therefore keep the number and withhold all MAST labels. Do not restore a category from an older screenshot or article.
Lifetime history is not current status
The same total can describe someone with remote experiences in long-term recovery or someone with an active concern. Review when each endorsed event happened.
Bring current information to a doctor or alcohol specialist: how often you drink, how much, recent consequences, medicines, health conditions, and what you want help with. You do not need to cross a score boundary to ask for support.
The MAST also cannot show that current drinking is safe. A low lifetime total does not overrule symptoms or concern.
What the form covers
The questions span perceived control, other people's concerns, memory loss, health experiences, help-seeking, work, relationships, and legal consequences. These topics do not create separate scored sections.
Several answers can describe a past period that has ended. The form does not ask enough about current quantity, frequency, timing, or withdrawal risk to establish present status.
Review the answers. Do not rely on the sum alone.
What the MAST doesn't tell you
It does not measure how much you drink. Someone drinking heavily without many recorded lifetime consequences might have a low result.
It does not separate past from present. Historical experiences contribute like current ones, so a person in long-term recovery may still have a high total.
It does not diagnose alcohol use disorder, choose treatment, or determine urgency. A clinical assessment needs more than this total.
If you're concerned about your drinking
You can talk with a doctor, alcohol specialist, or another qualified provider regardless of the total. Bring the result and current drinking information.
Withdrawal is a separate safety question
NIAAA warns that suddenly stopping after prolonged heavy drinking can cause painful or life-threatening withdrawal. Seek medical help to plan a safe change if that may apply.
Withdrawal is separate. This warning depends on current drinking and health, not on the MAST total. Do not wait for a category label.
Other alcohol questionnaires use different rules
The CAGE has four lifetime questions and a 0-to-4 total. AUDIT is another alcohol questionnaire, but its scoring does not convert to MAST points.
Neither score converts to MAST points. Choose the questionnaire that matches the timeframe and decision, then keep its name with the result.
The bottom line
Use the MAST number as a weighted record from this 24-question lifetime form. Read the answers and their timing, not an unsupported label.