SCAT6 Explained

What SCAT6 is

The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 6 is a standardized concussion assessment published by the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) in June 2023 as part of the 6th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport. It’s the successor to SCAT5 and is intended for use by healthcare professionals with athletes ages 13 and older. (For athletes 5–12, the Child SCAT6 is the appropriate tool.)

SCAT6 is used two ways: as a baseline, collected before the season, and as an off-field assessment after a suspected concussion, where results are compared to the athlete’s baseline. The paper form is free to download from the CISG and the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

What’s in SCAT6

• Immediate on-field assessment — red flags, observable signs, Maddocks questions, Glasgow Coma Scale.
• Symptom evaluation — the 22-item Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS).
• Cognitive testing (SAC) — orientation, immediate memory, concentration, delayed recall.
• Neurological screen — cranial nerves, cervical exam, coordination, ocular-motor.
• Balance testing — modified BESS and tandem gait.
• Decision making— structured documentation of the clinician’s disposition.

What changed from SCAT5

SCAT6 formalized a stronger emphasis on multi-modal assessment and introduced subtype-aware thinking, particularly around vestibular-ocular and cervical contributions to concussion symptoms. The Maddocks questions and immediate on-field assessment were separated into a dedicated section. Tandem gait timing was standardized. And the decision-making documentation was cleaned up to reduce ambiguity.

How HQ Baseline compares

HQ Baseline is a separate, commercial digital concussion baseline product from Headquarters Health. It is not the SCAT6 and is not affiliated with the Concussion in Sport Group. HQ Baseline covers the same core clinical domains a modern sport concussion assessment would cover — symptom evaluation, cognition, balance, and tandem gait — but delivers them as a self-administered mobile battery: voice recognition handles the cognitive modules, motion sensors handle the balance modules, and the symptom evaluation is a structured form with subtype-aware follow-ups. See our research page for the clinical methods behind each HQ module.

Where to read SCAT6 itself

The SCAT6 form and the 2023 consensus statement are published open-access in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Our research page links to the primary sources.